LEAP OF FAITH, My First International Trip! Toronto Urban Book Expo!

“Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” ~Unknown

I packed my luggage a week ahead of time! Got my snacks from Walmart! Made sure my books were able to fit in my luggage! I been praying and waiting for this trip!  On trips, I am usually the one that gets the lucky TSA pat down, I mean rubdown.  I have learned to dress right to avoid the TSA pat down! After approximately 7 hours of travel across 2-time zones I arrived last Saturday (Saturday, August 5, 2017) in Toronto, Canada.

I thought it was going to be hard entering Canada. Entering Canada, was a breezy! We got passed customs! Now we were headed to our hotel. First, we had to get a taxi! The first thing, you should do when going on an international trip is to learn the currency. The guy, told me $70 dollars for a taxi, ride, I nearly passed out. We finally made to our hotel. The hotel was so nice! It was like a mini condo! Nice, I would highly recommend the Liberty Suites Hotel on Yonge street!

Kya Publishing’s Toronto Urban Book Expo (TUBE) is the only Canadian event dedicated to celebrating urban fiction. It is an annual exposition of contemporary urban writers where authors and publishers have the opportunity to display, sell, and communicate their projects while promoting support and recognition for urban literature, literacy, and culture.

The only thing in life that is certain is uncertainty. We really can’t predict how it’s all going to turn out. As a result, we learn to roll with the punches, go with the flow and ride wave in the direction its taking us. But what separates movers and shakers from the ones who just get taken along for the ride is the ability to take a leap of faith.  The only way that any of us will ever live up to our true potential is by taking a leap of faith. There’s no doubt that it’s an uncomfortable road to success and fear, uncertainty and self-doubt will continually make appearances even if after you’ve taken your leap. You’ll continually be asking yourself if you have what it takes. 

The Book Expo was held on Sunday, August 6, 2017, it was awesome! I had to exchange my American money into Canadian money. The Canadian money is much prettier than American money. The expo was awesome! I got meet so many great Authors and was able to make connections. I heard their story, on how they took the leap of Faith and made sacrifices to attend the event. I am still an underdog in the writing and author trying to get my feet wet in the literacy world. Even though, I didn’t sell many books and I would like to too. Thank God, I took the leap of faith. The connections, I made that day made all worth it.

We spent the next two days, exploring Canada. One of the most memorizing thing in Canada is Niagara Falls. We always saw Canada in pictures or on TV, and everything seemed to be so nice, but now, we are here, and we could see the reality with our own eyes. When I first saw the Falls I got so scared that I wanted to run away. The power of the falling water and the whooshing noise it was making scared me but at night The Falls looked very colorful like a rainbow.

We got to see the CN tower in Toronto. From here, I could see the overview of the city of Toronto. It looked very lovely. I laid down on the glass floor and it looked as if I was falling. Have you ever seen one of the Seven Wonders of the World? Well I have and being able to go see one of the Seven Wonders of the World was an experience of a lifetime. Not only did I see Niagara Falls, but I was in a completely different country. Most people want to have excitement in their lives, something they will remember for a long time. Well this is definitely the way to experience an unforgettable vacation!

I loved everything about Canada except the food! I wish they had better food selection! But overall, the trip was worth every dollar! I loved that Canada, is like a melting pot! The weather was nice! I see, why people say, I am packing up and moving to Canada. One day, I pray that I get to spend longer in Canada.
Take the leap of Faith! Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
Steve Jobs
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