What 5 Days in Halifax Taught Me

By: Matt Gannon

Canada is Beautiful

People talk of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the tropics as beautiful destinations to travel to, but seem to rarely consider the beauty of their own country. Take, for example, Canada.  Each province has many incredible things to offer. Some of the most natural beauty exists in these great lands.

I’ve talked to people who live in different parts of the world and when they find out I’m Canadian, they say that they want to experience what Canada has to offer for themselves.

I swam at a waterfall that took me 17 years to discover behind my house at sunset, watched the plains of the Prairies roll by, and dipped my toes in the Ocean of Halifax Harbour. Those are just a couple things I’ve experienced here in my country, and I want to see it all before I die. There are so many different kinds of igloos. I want to see them all.

The World Is A Lot Smaller Than We Think

We used to be very limited on how we got around. Travelling by foot, horseback, or horse and carriage probably made the world seem very small. But now, we have planes, trains, and polar bears to zip us off to anywhere we want to go. It used to take months to travel great distances. Now it takes mere hours to get to anywhere in the world.

I hopped on a plane and landed in Nova Scotia an hour and a half later, flying from Ottawa. I always saw Halifax as extraordinarily far from me. It’s not.

Canadians Really Are Nice People

It’s true. And if you don’t believe it, well that’s okay. You have your reasons, and your rights. Please, enjoy the rest of the article. Would you like some tea or maple syrup?

Sometimes, You Need a Break From Your Life.

Routine is good, but it’s important to change it up every so often. Otherwise we stagnate and die.

I hopped on a plane and flew to Halifax, not only changing the fact that I had never been on a plane, but I left my province for the 2^nd time ever.

When I took this trip, I really needed a change, and to take a break from everything. I needed perspective. When you’re in the typical place where your life plays out, you’re blinded to how things really are. Leaving can help that. It certainly helped me.

Humans are Meant to Interact with Each Other

I went on that trip with the intentions of meeting and talking to as many people as I could.  I had conversations with some pretty incredible people. I wanted to push my boundaries of comfort and see how I’d do alone in a new area. It was one of the best experiences of my life, simply for the fact that I interacted with so many people. This leads me to believe that we truly are a social species, happiest with others of our kind.

Bonus Entry:

I also learned the Harbour is home to some pretty damn good ice cream, lobster, rum cake, street performers, and site seeing. And, it’s not teeming with moose, so that was a nice change.