My Watermark is Niagara Falls, apart of the Niagara River, Ontario.

It was early June and our grade 8 teacher, Mrs. Jane was just about to announce our grad trip that would take place about a week from now. Everyone was quietly seated in class awaiting the news that would either brighten or sadden the eyes of many. The clear hope of going to Muskoka Woods for a week was rattling in the heads of every kid sitting in the classroom, including myself. After much anticipation and wait, it was announced. You guessed it, a one day trip to Niagara Falls. An instance after hearing the news, all of the students around me were groaning and whining about the fact that it was just a “boring waterfall” or how they all had visited the area with their families “millions of times”. I on the other hand stayed silent, as I had never been to what is considered one of the biggest natural wonders of the world and a beautiful site in Canada. I unlike the others was slightly excited to see the massive waterfall and possibly see a double rainbow that I had once seen on YouTube. I was ready.

It was grad trip day, and my friend Ian was still whining about how he wanted badly to go to Muskoka Woods. I stayed quiet, thinking about how this trip could either be dull or the best sightseeing adventure. After a three hour drive on a Greyhound shuttle bus, we were finally at the Niagara Falls site. As the class walked I could not help but look at the enormous waterfall that instantly caught my eye as the crashing water glistened in the bright sunshine. To my surprise, the class went from acting like annoying five year olds complaining about the boring trip to gazing intently at the waterfall. This made Mrs. Jane let out a slight grin, as she knew that the minds of kids do not allow them to appreciate a wonderful site until they actually see it up close. tourist ferry ride that would enable the class to get an even closer to the falls. Everyone quickly agreed and we all boarded the ferry. We all had to wear these ridiculous raincoat outfits, and this made some of the class forget about even looking at the water as they teased each other’s “new look” while the ferry was making its way toward the waterfall. The other part of the class including myself and my friend Ian excitedly talked about the anticipation of soon being able to get really close to the roaring falls. The base of the waterfall became clearer in sight, and it glimmered even more. The loud sounds of crashing water that fell from a great height gradually got louder as the ferry started getting extremely close to the falls. I started feeling somewhat exhilarated, as the soft fog got slightly more intense and the air got denser. The best sight of it all was witnessing the beautiful double rainbow. Ian saw it as well and we both examined it for a good 5 minutes before a huge wave of water hit the rear side of the ferry boat, close to where we were standing, and soaked us.

Usually this would irritate me, but in this situation I could not help but grin. It was the mechanism of the waterfall that transformed me into the calm state I was in. The fact that the journey of the water starts out falling rigorously with the force of gravity, and then suddenly comes to its climax when it crashes to the base of the falls and becomes a wave. The next part of its endeavour is what truly fascinated me. The water would slow down after the wave diminishes and calmly flows with the rest of the water at the bottom of the falls, and this aspect made me at ease. The body of water was clear and whisked over large rocks that protruded out of the body of water. A few minutes after the wave hit us, the boat turned around and we headed back to the dock. I was indeed satisfied with what I saw. Now the entire class seemed to be pretty content as well. For one last time, I looked at not the waterfall but at he magnificent body of water, to try and get into an even greater state of calmness and relaxation.

For the remainder of the day at Niagara Falls, the class went and participated in many other events but all I could think of was the waterfall. Thinking of how we would not return to that site (the teacher stated we would not when I asked) made me feel somewhat disappointed. However, I soon got over it as I recognized that like the water in the falls, I too would soon embark on a journey. This journey being my transition from elementary school to high school. This excited me and I enjoyed the rest of the day with my good friend Ian, as we ventured through the city of Niagara Falls with the rest of the class.

Nowadays, whenever I am feeling depressed, I think about the calmness of the body of water that existed in the falls and it always makes me tranquil, making this the experience of a lifetime.