Now quickly with everybody to check in and the luggage check. Confusion starts to grow on some people. Which ticket do I need here? Do I have to show my passport with that or not? By the way, where is my ticket? Aah, there it is. Now with my passport, euh, passport? @#$% where did that stupid thing go? So, hilarity all around.Finally we’ve got till 18.30 to spend our last Canadian dollars in the tax-free shop and to walk to the gate.

This doesn’t seem to be a problem for anyone. Even at the end of the week shopping seems to stay everybody’s favourite pastime.

After having been waiting for 20 minutes in the queue we are finally allowed to board the plane. Everybody searches his or hers designated seat and off course the never ending swapping and changing starts to be able to sit next to the person you want to spend the rest of the flight with. Off course it is obvious that all the grown-ups (after all these days we are no longer a group of pupils and teachers but one group of friends) are willingly tossed around to comply with the wishes and demands of their younger companions.

After take off, what is always a grand experience, there’s a bit of chitchatting. We are served with a nice airplane dinner. Fabulous lasagne or great spicy chicken (well, fabulous and nice, the opinions are kind of divided about that I think).

After our three « dinner the majority is slowly beginning to give in to their sleep and enjoy a couple of forty winks. It doesn’t really lie that comfortable after all.

The diehards see the plane fly into the night with the knowledge that the night will be already over after 5 hours and about 4500 km later. During the flight we can enjoy the spectacular James Bond  movie Die Another Day. A very nice and entertaining movie that was quit easy to follow in English. In French, on the other hand, that is a whole other story. So, all the credit to the pupil (F) who saw the whole movie, not entire voluntarily, in French (dubbed, blèh)!!

After about 5 hours of flying the sun starts to show itself very quickly. The last awake of their short sleep. At a flying pace the nutritious breakfast is served. We all hoped for a real traditional Dutch breakfast but I’m sorry to say that it wasn’t. We still are not very used to having muffins and donuts for breakfast. So we have to wait a bit longer for that I guess.

After the landing everybody goes to the luggage take off. Arrived their we directly spot the crowd of parents who have gathered themselves before the window to catch a glimpse of their precious, dear world traveller.

Slowly everybody comes to the understanding that this tremendous week, filled with new experiences, impressions and shocks has come to an end. As fast as this week has come, it’s over even faster.

The sobbing mothers who let their children leave a week ago are now waiting for them with tears in their eyes. How stupid a lot of our travelling companions may think that was (we are not that emotional. We are tough!), now that they have to say goodbye to their friends and travel mates it is a little bit awkward with such a big lump in your throat! It really has been a great week that everyone will remember for the rest of their lives.

For many their first flight, arriving in a strange country, without your parents to rely on, everyone speaking French (luckily that changed), travel hundreds of kilometres to a strange town where you don’t know what’s going to happen to you, 45 minutes after arrival having to go home with a completely strange family and being torn from the group…. Try doing that yourself!

Finally everyone had a great time in Canada. A little bit reservedly everybody says goodbye to each other and is kidnapped by the enthusiast waiting crowd of parents. They too are curious about all the stories. After a bit of sit and talk everybody goes their own way. The pupils of Canisius have an extensive “interrogation” trip ahead off them, good luck! They travel back by coach.

For the coming days, if not weeks, everyone will be filled with all kinds of stories to tell about the terrific and wonderful time we had together. We all have made a lot of new impressions, and what is even more important, learnt very much. Nowhere you can learn that much than in real life. Everybody has experienced that him and herself in the flesh.

We all liver in the same time and are all humans. In our believes, manner of life and culture there are a lot of similarities but also as much differences as well. Some very big, some really small. Differences you normally don’t stand still about. By working together with other habits, cultures and believes and taking the effort to look a little bit further you learn that your “own” manners and believes are not the only (right) ones. You can learn a great lot by just working  and living together. So learn with each other, from each other and adapt yourself to unknown situations. That’s what we all succeeded in really well this past week. Especially the adapting to unknown situations. It isn’t nothing to stay and sleep with an completely unknown family, who only speak English (luckily no French), have an “impossible” bathroom lock, in a strange bed. It needs personal victories and everyone passed at that easily!

I think this is reason enough to look forward to the Junior Master Class 3!

Harry and Bob, on behalf of the whole group, I’d like to thank you for organising this great and fantastic experience!

I really hope seeing everybody again, Greets, Mr. Luuk van den Berg