Toronto :)

So what can I say about Toronto

As far as things go I have been an unsuccessful tourist, a low achieving traveler and a bit of a failure as a Torontonian (I’m told that is the correct terminology).

To list my expansive ineptitudes as a new Torontonian thus far,

• I have not been to a blue jays nor a red sox game
• I have not been to the Toronto zoo
• I have not been to Niagara falls
• I have not been to the Toronto islands
• I have not been to the CN tower
• I have not been to the fashion district, china town, the gay area, or the entertainment district
• And probably most unforgivably I have not yet had a Caesar…. I know it’s deplorable

For those of you who are not aware, a Caesar is like the bloody Mary’s way hotter, way cooler cousin who everybody wants to talk to at the party. I have yet to meet a Canadian (specifically a Torontonian) who does not get a glassy-eyed look of longing when asked about the aforementioned Caesar. There are different schools of thought as to what ingredients go in, some like a bit of celery salt, others a pickle but the most important and quintessentially Canadian ingredient is Clamato Juice…. Yes that’s right Clamato… Clam juice + Tomato Juice. Have you ever heard of a more repulsive combination? Probably not. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, if you can wrap your mind around the idea of drinking clam juice comfortably, then Clamato juice is in fact one of the tastiest creations known to man. It’s like tomato juice but better, sooo much better, confusingly, confoundingly superior… But I digress, my point here is the fact that I have not yet had a Caesar in it’s natural habitat. Lamentable I know. But I shall endeavor to explain my shortcomings in all of my Canadian ventures…

You see I’m homeless. Yep, two days before semester and nowhere to hang my hat…. Might get you down a little…Yes?… I thought so.

Well to explain I arrived in Toronto exactly five days ago and have been on the property hunt (almost 24/7) ever since. For those of you coming to Canada in the future, get accommodation before you get here. I spend my days oscillating between furiously trawling craigslist, kijiji and any other search engine for rooms and running out to room viewings in the outskirts of Toronto…Let me just say this of the Toronto property market. There are some extraordinarily rundown, decrepit and dodgy places out there. You might be thinking well at least they would be cheap? No, no my friend they’re not, because the landlord knows there are hundreds of students, just like you, looking for a room so the room will get rented regardless of the price.

Unfortunately for me the amount of time and effort I have put into avoiding impending homelessness has not yet paid off. And that has put me in a bit of a bad mood. It has stopped me from seeing the city, from meeting people and from enjoying my time away. So for those reading this about to go to Canada, get organized early.

 Okay so whilst I may be miserable, frantic, stressed out of my freaking mind, I do have to say that I absolutely LOVE, love Toronto.

Here’s  a few of the many reasons I’m discovering why Toronto and Canada is awesome:

Canadians ARE FRIENDLIER, they really just are. Anyone will stop and have a chat with you if you ask. AND being Australian seems to be an extreme novelty for them, they’re always offering to help. And yes they do apologies profusely for the most innocuous things. Adorable!

Toronto is a pedestrian city – It’s flat. Absolutely no hills and it’s set up on a grid pattern so you can pretty much always orientate yourself by finding a main intersection- super handy for when you’re drunk 😉

Squirrels – I know this is silly but they seriously make my day. They’re everywhere and soooo much cuter than possums. If you don’t believe me just youtube ‘squirrels’. Hours of entertainment, you can thank me later.

Street cars – Pretty much just trams with a different name but when they stop, its in the middle of the road so you have to navigate through traffic to get to them – adds a little bit of excitement to your day.

 Toronto in general is just a really cool city, there are so many places to eat, drink, hangout and everyone seems to want to get out and be social (at least whilst it’s still warm). It’s really diverse with people from every walk of life which makes it a really interesting and sometimes unusual city.

Alrighty I’ll try and give a rundown of my uni, with classes not actually having started.

 Ryerson…

 Well our mascot is a female ram (not sure about the logistics of that but okay) who’s name’s Eggy and is often seen dancing around campus.

The campus is in the center of downtown which is really, really cool. There’s heap of shopping, good food, and cool things to see nearby.

And Ryerson has Spirit. LOTS of it. Walking through the campus during orientation week I’ve seen groups of students doing cheers for ryerson, people with Ryerson themed shirts and costumes, scavenger hunts and all sorts of FROSH activities. That’s another word you’ll be hearing a lot: frosh and froshing. Seems to be Ryerson’s amalgamation of ‘fresher’ and ‘rush/rushing’.

 Anyways that’s about all of my meagre knowledge of Toronto at this point in time – to be expanded upon :).

 Gemma Chapman