ThE sOuNd Of ThE cItY

listen to the sound...
Where do I begin with this one? This is probably the craziest thing I've pursued as of yet. Why would anyone choose to move to Toronto - I haven't yet discovered. I'm sure I'll soon figure out why it's a city to love. One thing for sure is there is never a dull moment and for those of you who like the psychologically strange game of people watching then this is the place for you.

The Cross Country Trek
I left on my West Jet flight last Sunday - the best airline ever. I was originally going to live downtown at one of the shared, smaller than tiny and completely unaffordable hotel-student housings. Luckily my student advisor found me a much better deal. The taxi brought me into my new inner city neighborhood which was interesting in itself. We pulled up to one out of a lineup of older mile high apartment buildings. The apartment landlady was a such a sweety and stayed up late, on a Sunday evening at that, to let me in so I wouldn't have to pay for a hotel my first night here.
My large apartment was barren, but she lent me her sleeping bag (a lifesaver since the heating doesn't seem to work in my apartment) and I had brought a sheet and inflatable mattress so I was good to go. The balcony is huge but sketchy, I ventured out there once, and for my life's sake that will probably be the last. It's also laden with presents from the neighborhood pigeons who seem to like my space better than any other balcony they could choose from. I don't have curtains, so they're always peeking in.

Toronto Wildlife
Upon taking a closer look at these city birds, I couldn't help but notice these large round shaped creatures balancing on the edges of the garbage bins 8 floors below. They were shaped like beavers, but way bigger. At first I was excited that I had discovered a new species, found only in the dumpsters of Toronto, but then, no...I had heard about cat-sized rats but not dog-sized or rather, mammoth sized rats. Much to my relief I believe I saw a mask which concluded they had to be raccoons. But even that seems a long shot considering their enormity. Oddly enough, I haven't seen them since. While on the subject, the other day while walking down Yonge St., a small kitten-sized BLACK squirrel scurried by. Aren't they supposed to be brown? Maybe its just me. Or maybe its the infamous Toronto smog that's colored them dark. And last but not least, I can't seem to get away from the cockroaches. Granted, they are at the tiny, 'cute' baby stage, but I'm all too familiar with their growth spurts. Now, in Cayman they had the excuse of thriving in a tropical country. What is their reasoning here? I guess its just really dirty or they come in on backpacks. Or maybe I'm just a naive Albertan who is used to a rat and roach-free fairyland. Oh wait, I did see a massive cockroach on Jasper Ave., so at least Edmonton is tainted. And who woulda thought they don't sell roach poison at Walmart? I guess these are the friends that stick around.

Day 1
I braved the ever applauded Toronto transit system. It seems decent, but perhaps they've just never really experienced any other. I ended up taking the long route via bus to one of the subway stations. From there I hopped onto the crowd-pushing-everyone's-in-a-hurry Rocket. Ride the Rocket. It reminded me of the mind-the-gap Tube in London. Stepping out of Union Station, the city towered above me. Welcome to the city of Mammoth proportions. They don't call it GTA just for fun. After gaining my bearings, I strolled past the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, with all their fancy service (reminded me of what NYC would look like), and made my journey to find my school.
Close your eyes and listen to the sound of the city...no, wait, the smell of the city. What is that smell? Is it the wafting aroma of the world renowned fine dining - no, actually I think its the pigeons again. Putting the disturbing distraction aside, I followed the CN Tower which is two buildings away from my school. Finally. By this time the school is closed - now all the way back home. From school to home vice versa is a tedious 50 min odyssey (longer if you take the wrong route!) involving bus, rocket and hike. Pack your bags, its a long way home. Oh wait, did I mention this 50 min adventure would take about 10 min by car?

Day 2, 3, 4 5.....
I don't know, its all a blur and I'm all blogged out and done in. So to keep it short, lets just say that everything is coming together nicely. I'm somewhat settled in my apartment (but trekking to the stores and back is a pain), I went to school orientation (they gave me no joke like 20 lbs of supplies - which included awkward drafting rolls- to take home and back again on the first day of school - try hauling that through the transit system. Man, people are impatient - why is everyone in such a hurry. They must be important people), and have gained a general 'feel' for GTA (at least York and downtown). Ahh, life is good. School starts on the 10th and job hunting has already begun. Moving to a new city, going to school full-time, getting an almost full-time job = challenging but doable. Moving to GTA, going to school full-time (with more hours then they informed you of), getting an almost full-time job = almost impossible. Wish me luck because fast forward begins now.

Livin in the hood
Ok, so I'm used to ghetto living cause I lived EE Cayman afterall. That was actually enjoyable, most of the people were cool to chill with, and not to mention paradise was across the street. I don't really know how to paint THIS picture. I'm not gonna complain or judge but I guess I've officially gone from middle to low class. Its just the name of the game honey. Jed, you said I'd stick out like a sore thumb, and well I guess you're kinda right - on my block anyway. But Jenni, unlike you said, no one has pointed out my red neck - yet.
How can I describe my neighborhood? Well, I guess I'll just repeat what was said to me through the window of an SUV: 'baby, you bring class to this neighborhood, you give this neighborhood a good name - you be the most innocent thing I seen on these streets'. As they drove by, that awkward 'you don't want to but have to' glance over showed me that these were some B-Rad wannabees (watch Malibu's Most Wanted with Jaime Kennedy to get the picture -man I love that movie).

And that pretty sums up my first week in Toronto. And the images on this posting are thanks to the great workings of Yahoo Images.