I was getting more comfortable with airports as I made my way through the incoming passengers gates. I followed arrows up stairs (regular ones, but I still take it slow) and down stairs. I turned corners and traveled down corridors like a pro. One of the passengers on the small plane asked me where I was going when I turned into the "International Passengers" lane. I told him proudly that I was on my way to Oxford to study. I like to pretend that I am at Oxford because of my genius or something, but really it is a program open to most people. He was going to Madrid. Just because. I like the idea that people can just decide to go somewhere like England or Spain and go. Just fly away.You can really do almost anything if you are willing to sacrifice a day of your life to hard airport chairs and recirculated air. But there are usually mini Tim Horton's, which are quite nice.
     With two hours to go before the next leg of my journey, I walked slowly through the duty-free shops. I wasn't expecting the Toronto Airport to be so...Canadian. But I liked it. I watched two men take pictures of each other next to a huge stuffed moose plush statue. When they caught me grinning I turned to take my free sample maple cookie. There were rows and rows of maple fudge and decorative maple syrup bottles. I really wish Canada would start pushing other goods, though. If I were to judge Canada solely on it's airport shops, I'd say it is a land of maple-crazy entrepreneurs who are too jacked up on syrupy sugar to pronounce the word "bagel" correctly.
     I waited in line to buy some ginger antinauseant and a fruit leather and then waited in and even longer line at mini Tim Horton's for a muffin when I came out of my delusion that I liked fruit leather.