Christmas around the corner

The first snow flakes of the season have paid us visit. Some say it was too early, some say it was about time. All I know is that it is always a festive moment to finally see snow falling from the sky, reminding us that all we have wished for has come true!

We've wished for a life up north, where snow is quite ordinary and the sunshine is overrated (=)). We've hoped for a day we would open our eyes and see but all white out of the window. We'd waited for this moment for years until we finally got the so-dreamed-of 'yes'. So snow is somewhat the crowning of this glorious victory - which is neither perfect nor dream-like.

Life here cannot be compared to anything else. We lack the human warmth of the Brazilian people, who, even when inappropriate, know how to make one feel welcome. We miss family and friends and the safety of our parents' embrace. In return, we get freedom to walk about at night and possess without being scared of our own shadows. In return we know the evil ones are the guilty ones, while the people come and go, righteously as it should be. In return we live with dignity, even if not in abundance.

There is no feeling like walking the streets of Toronto knowing that I am safe. Knowing that the world is finally mine to explore. I take pleasure in long walks to different subway stations under the weather. I take pleasure in knowing I simply can, will, have done.

The first snow flakes that fall from the sky simply remind us that we have made it, we are here and our battle is a different one now. It is the battle to make a home of a foreign land. It is the battle to learn and improve English. It is the battle to settle in and grow from here. But the first one, the moving, this one we have won.