Toronto - Day 1

And a long day it will be... I checked the Alitalia website when I woke up and noted, as expected, that my flight was an hour and fifteen minutes delayed. The flight had a significant delay last Monday, and as such, had yet to “catch up” these past few days to the normally scheduled time. (The plane just flies back and forth to Toronto once each day).

In any case, it put a more relaxed feel to the morning of my departure. I was able to enjoy breakfast with the kids, and we were even able to drop them off at school before heading to the airport. Josh packed two large duffel bags full of ski clothing and equipment, so that I could transport these back to North America. My parents will bring the luggage back to Detroit with them.

Josh drove me to the airport and even escorted me inside with the bags – I felt like a VIP! The flight went smoothly – I watched the Dilinger movie Public Enemies. Upon landing in Toronto, my cousin Kathy picked me up, and we drove to her place so I could shower and change. Then, due to a protest downtown which closed several streets, we took the subway to the Royal York Hotel. There, we met my mom, aunt and uncle, and my cousin Tom. We walked over to the convention center together where we met several other relatives and friends. Steve, my mom’s cousin who lives in Prague, had also flown over for the event. He was staying with his cousins on the other side of his family, Milan and Linda, who also attended. So there we were, in force, the family of Jan Rival, to see him honored by the American College of Physicians with a Mastership designation.

It was a convocation -- much like a college graduation ceremony – very formal with everyone dressed in cap and gown. Physicians from all over the world were present. There were honorees from Latin American, Europe, Asia, and of course, Canada. After those individuals receiving a Mastership Award were each recognized, The President of the ACP gave a speech about the issues facing health care providers in today’s age. It was quite interesting. Following the recessional, we met my dad. Many people came up to congratulate my father for his achievement and I was so very proud of him.

After the ceremony, we all walked back to the hotel for the reception. Coincidentally, my brother-in-law and nephew who were stranded in Prague since Monday, were booked on a flight home through Toronto today. They landed during the convocation ceremony and were able to join us at the reception. Poor Jake -- he had slits for eyes he was so tired. They had left their hotel at 5am this morning (Prague time). I thought he would tip over at any minute. It was so great to see them and everyone. In fact, there were so many of us (family) who hadn’t seen each other in so long -- it was like our own private party within a party. By 10:30pm, I was still standing – but barely. Tom drove us home so we wouldn’t’ have to take the subway. I got to bed just before midnight!