My first solo outing.

Let's think back to my first trip on the Cape Breton Transit System bus.

It was about 7:00 at night, I had been on campus for less than two hours, and I was absolutely terrified. I had myself so worked up that I was actually pacing at the bus stop until Kevin and Jamie showed up and made me feel less alone. My shopping trip was an ordeal. I could barely suppress my panic as I wandered the aisles, and came apart at the seams as soon as I was back in the safety of my room. I got what I needed on the trip, but it was far from a success.

Now, fast forward exactly 22 days. I went to the mall today. My beloved purple cell phone broke in my hands a few days ago, and is being held together by hockey tape (how Canadian!). I decided to buy a prepaid so I could text my Canadian friends and not worry about ripping my precariously bandaged phone.

I did my research, picked my company, and figured out where to buy my new phone. I needed to get to Future Shop in the mall, which requires a trip on the bus. I planned my day carefully: I would catch the bus right after class, zip through the mall, get my phone, and be ready to go in time for the next bus back to campus. I was a little nervous...

BUT I DID IT.

I did it. I went by myself to the Mayflower Mall (okay, Kyle was on my bus), chatted up some Future Shop employees, secured my phone with miraculous swiftness, and even had time to nab a super-late Christmas present for Becca (yoga mats were on sale!) before I hopped back on the bus.

The woman sitting next to me on the bus spent the ten-minute ride telling me all about her cats, but I was busy thinking. In three short weeks, I had gone from being a panicky, clueless foreigner to a capable, confident resident of the Great White North. I put my WalMart-fearing days behind me and conquered the mall like a true denizen.

I did it. I achieved my first solo outing. And that, my friends, is a big deal.

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Love,

Maggie