Recap

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Where do i begin? Time seems to have come to an absolute standstill. I have been living in Georgetown, situated in the North West of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) for just over 3 weeks now. It has been a bit of an emotional roller-coaster at times trying to transition my life. I never thought when i first left that i would feel homesick in the slightest, but here i am only 3 weeks in and missing the simple things that life in Australia brings, and of course my family and friends.

My determination to set up a life and explore Canada/ the U.S however, is unwavering. I have been extremely fortunate that i have such a strong support network. I'm living with a friend that i just happened to have met in Greece during my escapades this time last year. He and his family have been ridiculously accommodating and for that i will be eternally greatful. They have provided me a place to stay which in all is about an hour commute via train from downtown Toronto. The public transport system is a tad outdated, and rather dysfunctional. In order to get to other train lines the only option is to go all the way in to Toronto's Union station and make the change over there. It seems rather illogical and adds on unnecessary journey times for certain popular destinations.



Amidst the range of emotions that i have experienced is the knowledge that i am already seeing the benefits of travelling solo. I've always been reasonably self- reliant, but the circumstances i find myself in now have forced me to extend my comfort zone and reach out to new people and try new things. I have set out to try and gain something from every interaction and experience along the way. Internally i already feel more, self-assured, resilient and confident.



I've managed to cram many things into the first 23 day. Trips to Niagra Falls, NBA Finals, 2 Baseball games, various hikes in a number of different locations (Georgetown, St Katherines, Hamilton). As well as the authentic Canadian experience of relaxing up in cottage town, consuming way too much food and drinking copious amounts of alcohol whilst sitting around a campfire.

What has been my number 1 experience so far? Well being the sports nut that i am, it's hard to go past the Raptors game. The atmosphere on the walk into the Air Canada Centre was electric, with the masses of people swarming the streets draped in their teams gear. For those that weren't as fortunate as myself to acquire a ticket inside the twenty thousand seat multi-purpose stadium, a fan zone was set up with live music and a gigantic screen streaming the game. The area was referred to as Jurassic Park and the television networks often showed vision of the fans going nuts during intervals in play. I never imagined that the people of Toronto would be so Sports mad!



What are some general observations that i have made so far?



1. Melbourne and Toronto are very similar- Both are very diverse and have many different cultural territories within the city area. They are also massive sporting cities!

2. Fashion trend- Every 2nd girl seems to own a pair of ripped jeans!

3. Poutine is delicious, and comes in many different forms- My favourite so far being the hamburger variety which is essentially the traditional ingredients plus grounded beef. Yum!

4. Yes, Canadians are stoners! Pretty rare that you go a day without smelling weed at some point.

5. Tim Horton's- How can i forget that? a drive through coffee shop that seems to be on every second block!

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