The Eastern Canada University Tour – It’s Scary Growing Up

5 November 2012Sam D, Allard ‘13

When our plane jolted to an unnerving and rapid stop in the Pearson International Airport late last Wednesday, I began to wonder what this city would bring. Carrying our luggage and ideas, 35 Brentwood Grade 12s clambered onto the first of countless buses and embarked on a trip to change our lives.
The next morning we would find ourselves barely awake and touring the University of Toronto. Wandering past its current students, it was hard not to picture your life there. Calvin S quipped, “If the Trinity College, U of T, was a woman, I would marry her.” From there, our entourage travelled to McMaster University, and then to the University of Guelph where the Bullring was discovered. After all the hours spent walking through three cities, it was hard to imagine that it had only been the first day.
We would travel next to the University of Waterloo, where their mechatronics and mechanical engineering program wowed our group. The University of Western Ontario was up next, flashing purple and white banners and magnificent athletic facilities. A short drive would take us to the London Airport, where the Frankenstorm would delay our flight, causing us to miss our connecting flight from Toronto to Halifax. Air Canada generously compensated, and provided us a meal from Tim Horton’s free of charge, which many of our group took full advantage of. Free teas for everyone!
After our late arrival in Halifax, our tour would embark for Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where we would find beautiful old buildings and a laid-back lifestyle. After a meal in their cafeteria, we rolled back into Halifax, where we were introduced to Dalhousie’s perfect campus and St. Mary’s athletic atmosphere. Day four brought St. Xavier-Francis with an extremely talented women’s rugby team and fantastic sporting fields.
Crossing provincial lines, we wound up at Mount Allison in Sackville, New Brunswick, the number one comprehensive undergraduate university in Canada. Another short drive brought us to a VIA Railway station, where we began spending the night riding through fields and forests, over hills and waterways, through provinces and cities. As the morning light crept into the sky, we were swept into Montreal.
Full of culture and clothing, McGill University was located in the heart of downtown Montreal. A brief tour gave us an hour and a half to wander, and many utilized this to the fullest. Upon their return to our bus stop, Nyla ND and Lauren A had transformed into Russian-Quebecois princesses.
Feeling refreshed and excited about the next stop, our posse touched base at Queen’s University where our poor tour guides had to deal with many distractions from excited reunions between former and current Brentonians. The University of Ottawa showed us how important school pride is, and Carleton University reminded us that university isn’t all work and no play.
The trip wasn’t all about tours and the future, although the original purpose was. For me, it was filled with memories and humor that will spark a smile on my face for months to come. Whether they are the nostalgic, silly memories, such as Mr. Colistro ordering a warmed milk on the plane to Halifax, or heart touching and unusual, such as walking onto the UWO campus and realizing my dad had spent some of the best years of his life here, when they find their way into my mind, I will always remember them as being part of one of the most life-altering and interesting weeks of my life.
With so many options in front of us and choices to make in the near future, it sure is scary growing up.
Thanks to Mr. Rodrigues, Mrs. Coull and Mr. Colistro for organizing and chaperoning the trip. It wouldn’t have been as interesting or fantastic without you.
Sam D, Allard ‘13

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