I’ve made a promise to myself that during my last few months living Toronto I was going to make an effort to experience all that I can before leaving. It’s an extraordinary thing growing up in Walkerton, Ontario (a small town of 5000 people) and later ending up downtown Toronto. Not only is Toronto Canada’s largest city but is rated one of world’s most livable cities. Mind you, I had a bit a transition period before hand in 2006 when I packed up for University and left my parent’s house. I moved to the small student city of Kitchener/Waterloo, a place where I lived very happily for almost 5 years. Anyone who went to Wilfred Laurier for Uni understands what I mean by happily. Laurier was one of the social schools where things never seemed to become dull or boring. It was always fun and exciting. From Homecoming to Halloween to The Annual Tacky Christmas Sweater party to St Patty’s cold shots to MLSB keggers in the summer. There was ALWAYS a party. Although, approaching graduation, I was ready for something new. Come June, it will be 1 year since I moved to Toronto and I’m pleased to say it has been an awesome experience. However, I did struggle a little bit at the beginning when I had a bit of a culture shock. I was surrounded by concrete, people always seemed to be a big rush, and everything was less personal. Unlike Waterloo or Walkerton, I wouldn’t walk into a room and know everybody there. In fact, I wouldn’t know anyone there. But, I readjusted quickly, got used to my surroundings and reconnected with friends that also found themselves living/working in Toronto. After that, Toronto grew on me, and continues to grow on me. There are things that I appreciate that I hadn’t before. Yesterday I was out for a jog just before sunset. As I was running into the city on Queens Quay, I couldn’t help but admire the city sky line. The sun was setting behind the CN tower and high rise buildings and everything just lit up. Before, I wouldn’t have seen beauty in that. Also, the food, culture and diversity in Toronto is very impressive. Pick any type of ethnic food you want to try and it’s yours. Moreover, the entertainment is amazing. There’s your nightlife, concerts, shows, sport events, art galleries etc… It’s almost impossible to be bored in this city. So, as I said earlier, I am going to be embracing as much of the Toronto lifestyle as I can over the couple months. I am very excited for my second round of summer time in the BIG city.