You know you’re acclimatising to life
out here when you get overexcited at it being 0 degrees rather than minus 9
(practically the return of summer). The
joy of a day when your face and brain don't actually freeze while battling the wind tearing
through campus. However, I am now fully
equipped up with a proper winter coat (coat envy is definitely a thing out
here. £1145 was just slightly out of my
price range, though it was a thing of utter beauty and I’ll be hating on anyone
with it). Snow boots have also been
purchased. Designed to keep my toes
toasty until minus 32. Good but that's just a slightly depressing thought...
However, on a positive note a ski season
pass has been purchased (for the equivalent of £220 which is just a little bit
great). So the plan is to return home an
absolute pro skier, breaking no bones, reducing the number of slopes which I slide down on my face and not falling off any mountain
somewhere.
More winter related activities have
included going to see my first ice hockey game.
Loved it. Total new convert to
the sport. Team4life = Ottawa
Senators. Always a good introduction to
the sport when your team wins. Just a
lot of shoving and fights really, with one guy being smashed in the face by the
puck. The ‘sin bin’ is just hilarious,
the players being put in there for a few minutes if they misbehave. Naughty. Classic Brits getting lairy and nearly
starting a fight with the opposing team (they were French Canadians so it’s not
exactly surprising). Subsequently, another
aim of the year is to come back knowing all the players, having my personal
favourite and owning at least one item of Sens fan kit (actually understanding
the rules may just be an incidental consequence).
Travels in the last few weeks have taken
me what has been referred to as the New York of Canada. (Another of those place which people always assume is that country's capital - New York, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro etc). Anyway, I am a fan. It’s very different
from Ottawa so was a refreshing change. Also it seems like pretty much everyone at Carleton is from 'near Toronto' (basically 5 hours away is near here) - The 'GTA' to those in the know - 'Greater Toronto Area' - So it obviously had to be visited. Full of skyscrapers and just the classic city buzz. With that naturally came a mix of very
interesting people but what can you do (cross the road to escape pretty
much). Our three day mini-break started
with having a gorgeous Thai curry (something which the Caf here does not do to
my sadness), delicious crepes, ending up in a random bar place with live music
(the punk/rock style was a little different to my usual kind of place and taste
but all about new experiences...).
As with all city visits, the amount of
walking we did was impressive (in my mind at least). The ‘hip’ Kensington market had to be ticked
off. However I think we went too early so
all we really saw was closed shops and a lot of homeless people and had a
random man following us on a bike singing/shouting out Top 40 classics. Envy was felt towards the University of
Toronto campus. Buildings that were
built before the architecture disaster that was the 1970s and don’t hurt my
eyes? Something of dreams (The memories
of Oxford’s spires seem oh so far away out here).
Yonge and Dundas Square = a Times Square
wannabe. But St Lawrence food market (apparently one of the world’s best) was a
delight. We got chatting to an English lady
and pretty much everyone can talk about here is the cold. All about the face mask to survive
apparently. Excellent. Anyhow, a little
ferry trip later and we were on Toronto Island gazing at the city’s iconic
skyline (after a session of skimming stones on the beach. Natch). Probably the highlight of the trip watching
it all light up. Classic tourist life.
Overall a great weekend with Sunday
spent eating more crepes and then moving onto the nachos in a sports bar, listening to
die-hard fans prepping (i.e. drinking up) for some Canadian football game (awful
game, just saying). Finally, a glimpse
of the ‘Santa Claus Parade’. Cue marching bands and good old Mr Santa Ho-ho-ing everywhere, with lots of excitable little children walking just everywhere, getting all up in my path (I’m the one
with the suitcase. Move. Please otherwise I will trip you up... See? I did tell you...). The whole thing was so North American...
Gradually colouring the map in and this
week getting my Carleton Raven’s spirit going again (oh the return to the Frosh week joys...) with
seeing the school’s basketball match and who knows what else.
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