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By Kim L. O’Connell 김현승
In May of 2019, I graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. As part of my plan before entering the workforce, I wanted to travel. Every summer of college, my friends were able to go on amazing study abroads while I had to stay in the U.S. to work and complete internships. That said, it was all worth it. The internships gave me valuable experience that resulted in me getting an amazing job that I love today. But my heart still yearned to see the world.
I knew I wanted to go to Korea. It was the country I was born in. I wanted to see where I had come from and experience the culture. Growing up, I always wondered what the faraway peninsula that I was born at was like. However, flights to Korea are quite expensive, especially flying from the midwest. I did quite a bit of research and noticed an interesting flight out of Toronto. The flight was listed as 40 hours and included a 20 hour layover in Paris through Air France. The return trip had the option of going back through Paris or Amsterdam through KLM. It then gave me an idea, what if I used the multi-city option on google flights and made the trip include three days in Paris and three days in Amsterdam. The option existed and didn’t raise the price. I booked the flight through KLM for $1411 CAD or $1080 USD. Air France was more expensive for some reason even though it was the same flight. Not a bad price for three countries! I was extremely excited to go on this trip of a lifetime.
During my last semester of college, I worked an internship with CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain. I continued this internship after graduation until the trip. My last day at CertainTeed was on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. My co-workers took me out to lunch at Ichiban grill. It was a great conclusion to my time there. While I enjoyed my time there, I was ready to see the world.
The next days, Thursday and Friday, were reserved for packing and my last days living in Michigan. I also got new tires for my car on that Thursday.
I said goodbye to my parents and left for Buffalo, NY on the morning of Saturday, June 29 and my journey to foreign lands began.
I drove to Lexi’s house in Buffalo, NY on the morning of Saturday, June 29. I had originally planned to drive through Canada to get there, but opted to go through Ohio instead. I was already going to be doing several border crossings and did not want to add more. I arrived without issue to Lexi’s house. That night, Lexi, her parents, and I all went to Duff’s for famous Buffalo wings for my last All-American meal. It was technically my last day in the U.S.A.
The next morning, June 30, 2019 at approximately 7:30 A.M. EST, Lexi and I left for Toronto to celebrate my last day on the North American continent. We parked at the Eaton Centre. We’ve always had good luck finding inexpensive parking in such a central location. We visited several sites that day including Kim’s Convenience, the store featured in the hit CBC show. We explored the waterfront and had lunch at the Amsterdam Brewhouse. Lexi and I had a craving for Fish n’ Chips and this was what we could find.
Afterward, we explored the mall at the Eaton Centre, which was much larger than we first thought. From there, we headed to the hotel. I had booked a night at the Four Points by Sheraton – Toronto Airport. I chose it as it was right next to the airport and also provided a shuttle. While reading reviews of hotels before booking my stay, I came across this entertaining hotel review on trip advisor:
The hotel service was probably some of the best I ever had. They were just so attentive and made me feel welcome. They made the shuttle signup easy and offered complimentary late checkout. I declined the late checkout, as I was planning on relaxing in the Air France/KLM lounge. Later, I would realize not taking the late checkout was a mistake. Lexi and I enjoyed the hotel amenities such as the pool and hot tub. For dinner, we had souvlaki at a nearby greek restaurant called Zets. To this day, Lexi exclaims at how good the meal was.
The next morning, I said goodbye to Lexi as she headed back to Buffalo. She had left early, so I did some repacking. I was completely ready by 9:00 A.M. and already bored. I scheduled myself for the 11:00 A.M. shuttle as I could no longer contain my excitement for travel. The shuttle came and I promptly made it to the airport for my flight scheduled to depart at 6:25 P.M. Upon arrival at Toronto-Pearson International Airport (YYZ), I printed my ticket at the kiosk. I was alerted that my flight had been delayed by 45 minutes. No problem, I was planning on going the airport lounge all day anyway. I just needed to check my bag. I walked around the airport looking for the Air France baggage check-in counters. They were nowhere to be found. I checked my phone, ticket, and signs to make sure I was in the right terminal. I was. The only Air France baggage check-in counters I could find were closed. This was a problem as I couldn’t relax in the airport lounge until I checked my bag. I made a call to Air France customer service and they informed me that as Air France only had one flight per day from Toronto, the counter would not open until 4:00 P.M. At the time of my call, it was around noon. The only food available was a Wendy’s which did not sound appetizing at the time. I had not eaten breakfast and all I had in my backpack were cliff bars. The terminal was awfully crowded, so there was nowhere to sit, but on the floor. I regretted not accepting that late checkout. I sat down on the floor and passed the time on my phone for three more hours. Yeah, I know this is all a first world problem. Looking back, it wasn’t that bad, I was just really excited to experience an airport lounge for the first time.
The baggage check-in finally opened up at about 3:00 P.M. thankfully. The long wait had finally come to an end as my electronics began to run out of battery. I finally checked in my bag and made it through security. I headed through the airport to the destination I had been waiting all day for.
The Air France/KLM Lounge cost $35 CAD or about $26 USD. I paid for my entrance and the woman at the counter informed me that my flight was delayed again to 8:00 P.M. At least now I was in a quiet lounge with food and unlimited drinks separated from the chaos outside. I charged my devices and ate lots of food at the buffet.
After an entire day of waiting, at 8:02 P.M EST, my flight departed from Toronto International Airport (YYZ) on Air France Flight 0351 with service to Paris, France.
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