Craziness! April 22, 2008

Game seven between Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. Whoever wins, advances in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Saku Koivu is skating again, with a broken foot. The Bell Centre in Montreal is full of 22 000 screaming fans in red and white, rooting for their Habs. The Pump on Bloor Street, or around the corner from my house is also filled with Canadiens’ fans. My roommate and I experience a truly Canadian night: watching the hockey game from huge screens in a bar; downing a few pints as we watch; eating snacks; and yelling “Go Habs, go!”. Fortunately, it’s a huge win for the Canadiens, 5 to nothing. And I feel proud of my Finnishness when I see Koivu jerseys pass me several times. Although Toronto is known for the Maple Leafs, hockey craziness stretches over some boundaries and team lines. Now that Toronto is gone, Montreal rocks.

Other kind of craziness is taking place in the Western parts of Canada. Alberta and Saskatchewan experienced a severe spring storm. More than 35 centimeters of snow. It is only at times like these when one realizes how big a country Canada is. It is hot and summery here in Toronto, the sun is shining and temperatures range from 20 to 25. It is crazy to think that the Prairies are still dealing with winter.

That’s Canada alright. Never boring for sure.

Summer’s here!! April 18, 2008

I guess it’s true what the Canadians were trying to say to us foreigners when the winter was horribly cold and biting: when summer comes, it comes in a few days. And that’s so true. Four weeks back I was walking with my winter coat on; a few weeks back I had my springcoat and was beginning to get rid of my winter stockings. Yesterday and today I had a skirt on, was walking around with summer shoes and sunglasses on, and I had no scarf!! Que raro!

The weather was a comfy 21 degrees outside, but I claim it must have been way hotter in the sun, because I was BOILING! But summer definitely had a perfect timing: I finished school on Monday, and summer arrived on Wednesday. Not bad. And how lovely everything seems! The patios have opened up, and I’ve been sipping down cold ice tea outside in the Annex and in Little Italy. There are tons of people on the streets, everyone is smiling, and the “infamous” Toronto wind has become a nice, cool breeze instead.

I’m enjoying being on vacation: free Wednesday nights at the Royal Ontario Museum; sitting on the bench outside the coin laundry waiting for the laundry to dry; eating tacos and drinking cool beverages; bying cheap fruit and berries at the store next-door; watching baseball with the guys; the flowers coming out of the ground; and no hurry whatsoever.

Last night I was introduced to a Jamaican delicacy, a patty -which was tasty! I also walked at the U of T campus (which was beautiful!!) and watched 5 hours of baseball on TV. I’m trying new things every day, and I love it. If winter was great in Toronto, then summer is AWESOME.

Through with York April 15, 2008

It’s only the middle of April and I’m already finished with my studies at York. It came to an end so fast. I handed in my last paper, and had my last exam today. So surreal. And when I think about it, I have 5 months ahead of me without studies and school! That’s unheard-of for sure.

I don’t really feel sad about the classes ending; although it was awesome to attend university here in Canada, I’m not going to miss going to lectures or the huge workload. I’ll rather miss the coffee breaks on campus with my friends, or the campus area as such, the walk from Yorklanes to Osgoode library, or from Accolade West to Assiniboine.

Most of all, I’m realizing that with the end of exams and such, a time period is coming to an end. Most people are leaving Toronto either this week, or next, and everything will be different from then on. I’m thankful that Toronto has given me many contacts, so I won’t be alone. But it’s still not going to be the same without these people that have made my stay worth a while.

Nevertheless, I’m officially on vacation! And that means I can do anything, anytime, anywhere! If the whole Toronto-experience has been awesome mainly because of the freedom I’ve experienced here, vacation-time means even more freedom. So the rest of my Toronto-time will definitely be a blast!

When everything changes… April 11, 2008

What if I don’t wanna go home? Last night I got the first anxiety attack – it was the first time I actually thought about the consequences of having to return to Finland. And what triggered it all?Someone special saying something about an insignificant T-shirt that has come to mean something to me in the last few months. “You know you’re taking that with you when you go back home, right?” No. I didn’t know, nor did I want to think about going home and leaving all of this behind. In some ways it would be easier just staying here, but I do acknowledge the fact that I eventually have to return. It’s not that I don’t want to, don’t get me wrong: I do look forward to seeing all my dear friends and my family, but there are things here that I’d rather not leave behind.

Nevertheless, I have to keep on living in the present and not worry about the future right now. I still believe that no matter what, things will go the way they’re meant to, and that nothing but good will come out of all of this. And if there are people in my life that I cannot leave behind, then it’s that simple. Then I won’t leave them behind. After all, the world is a small place.

I’m lovin’ it April 6, 2008

It’s incredible how warm weather works miracles. Everything seems SO much better. If things can seem any better, that is. The weather was amazing today. The sun was shining and I walked without my jacket on. I noticed the flowers that had started to bloom outside my house. There were tons of people outside and the restaurants, bars, and cafes had opened all the patios!! It’s spring, alright!

My friend and I took a long walk outside; we started off at Kensington Market and strode through Spadina and Chinatown all the way to Queen St. It was a perfect day, really. Just walking outside in the lovely weather, seeing the city come alive after the winter and the snow. Seeing my friends later tonight also reminded me of the dangers of the sun: they had been sitting outside for a few hours and had burned themselves horribly! The sun is so strong here, even though it’s not that hot outside.

Getting off the subway tonight reminded me of the summer nights I’ve spent in Toronto before: it was the SMELL. It’s hard to explain, but when it gets warm outside, the air smells very sweet. It’s due to the humidity, which, in the summer time, is ridiculous here! Anyways, the familiar smell hit me on my way back home. That’s gotta tell that summer is just behind the door.

I think I’m in love with the city. I could picture myself spending the rest of my life here…

Good times April 4, 2008

In the last few weeks, after relocating to the Annex, I’ve been asked for directions several times, and I’ve been apparently taken as a “real” Torontonian, whatever that means. One day I was reading my book while I was wating for the Eastbound streetcar on Queen Street, and someone asked directions to the Greyhound terminal. Gladly, I was able to help the stranger out. I guess I’m starting to know my city. Someone told me today that I would fit in the hip Queen West neighbourhood with my arab-scarf and shiny shoes. I guess I look like one of them, too. Sweet. And I don’t feel a bit touristy anymore, this is my home now.

It’s so scary to even think about leaving. I could so easily just go on living this life and enjoy it as a Torontonian. Luckily, I can always come back – and it is, for sure, way cooler being a Torontonian than a Helsinkian. Good times, for sure.

Canucks sure can make music April 2, 2008

I’ve been lucky enough to have been introduced to some Canadian music in the past few months. The music that I have gotten to know is mostly Indie, but it’s damn good. I never knew Canada produced so much good stuff in terms of music, and that the bands and singers here were actually REALLY good. A lot of the stuff I’ve been listening to lately is exactly my type of music. I’m not listening to it just because it’s Canadian, but because I love it.

Among my favourites at the moment are City and Colour, Feist, Tegan & Sara, Metric, and Emily Haines. And you cannot believe how pumped I was to hear that Emily Haines, the singer of Metric and now also a solo artist, was performing here in Toronto! I got tickets to go check her out and was glad to partake in the event, and experience a somehow reminiscent Tavastia-kind-of gig in Canada. Her polished, but down-to-earth kind of style of music mesmerized me, and the rest of the audience too, I’m sure. Sitting behind the piano or the guitar with her inhibitions and vulnerability made it more touching, more interesting. She didn’t try to be a star on the stage, but she definitely had a stage presence. It was just simply beautiful and peaceful, a concert I’ll remember for quite some time.

The under card of the night was a young Edmontonian, Lyra Brown. She was astonishing. Singing and playing the piano simultaneously, singing her own songs amazingly well. The concert was definitely worth the 27 bucks! The only problem is that now I wanna buy a whole bunch of new cds, and that means spending more money. But then again, it’s not that often that I have the chance to acquaint myself with Canadian music…