Part two of five of my Master of Environmental Science Series.
I first visited Toronto back in 2015. I had no idea that I would find myself living in Toronto for a year less than five years later while completing my master’s degree. I have lived most of my life in Calgary, and I can tell you that there are quite a few differences between Toronto and Calgary living. Today’s blog post is just a fun reflection on a few things I observed during my year in this beautiful and vibrant city!
1) Acorns!
Each day when I walked to class, I would walk through this beautiful forested area. One morning was particularly memorable because I felt something hard crunch beneath my feet as I was walking. I looked down, and I saw acorns. I paused. I realized that I had never seen acorns in person before. Sure, I had seen pictures of them and in the movie Ice age. But I had never seen them in person before. I spent that morning collecting acorns and was almost late on my way to class. A quick google search revealed that the climate in Calgary, specifically chinooks, doesn’t allow for oak trees to grow.
2) ON Routes
My friends and I were driving home from a camping trip during the summer. One of my friends asked if we needed to stop at an ON route. What is this? I had to ask. It’s what we Calgarians know as pitstops. The ON route makes sense, though, because they are on the route to our destination, and ON is the abbreviation for Ontario.
3) Intersections
I quickly realized that people in Toronto refer to locations by the most prominent nearby intersection. In my first few weeks, people would ask me where I lived, and I would say my community name. People would ask the follow-up question, “Which intersection is that near?” I answered, “I don’t know,” because I didn’t know. Toronto’s size makes it difficult for people to be familiar with all the neighbourhoods, unlike Calgary. I quickly learnt that the largest intersection where I lived was Lawrence and Morningside.
4) Donuts
Donuts have become my favourite dessert because of all the delicious donut shops in Toronto. They are life-changing. My favourite shops that I’ve visited in Toronto were Bloomers, Dipped Donuts, and Machino Donuts. Edit: I came for a week-long visit to Toronto since moving home to Calgary, and I ate ten donuts during that week. I can’t get enough of them!
It was fun to live and explore Toronto. I’m grateful that pursuing a master’s degree opened the opportunity for me to live in a new city. Toronto truly was a treat!
Cheers,
Christine
Christine Song 