Culture Shock

One of the biggest reasons for making the move to Canada was to experience adjusting to a different country. I love travelling but I've always wondered what it would be like to go beyond being a tourist and to actually assimilate into the local culture.

Now that we've been living in Toronto for 3 months, I've been reflecting on my experiences so far and thinking about how I've dealt with the change. I remember learning about culture shock at uni, and while it didn't mean too much to me at the time, I find it quite fascinating now that I can actually relate to some of the stages. It's also very reassuring to know that my reactions are normal!

According to the theory, there are four distinct stages of cultural integration: Honeymoon, Culture shock, Adjustment and Mastery. The time spent in each stage is dependent on a number of factors such as the similarity of the home and host culture, how realistic your expectations of the new culture were, the level of social support available and your personal resilience in adapting to change. The transition looks a little something like this:

Honeymoon 
This phase is just like being on holiday. It's fun to see all the different sights, hear a different accent, learn new terminologies, try different foods and buy different products. Everything seems new and exciting and even when things are confusing, they can be passed off as charming quirks that will later turn into funny anecdotes. When we first arrived, I found myself taking pictures of everything, because we were tourists exploring our new home. I carried my camera and passport everywhere for the first month as well as 'just-in-case' items that I don't normally have in my handbag (e.g. panadol and hand sanitiser). When this changed and I started travelling lighter, I realised I was more trusting of my environment and was becoming less of a tourist.


Culture shock
I've certainly experienced a degree of culture shock here. This stage is typified by feelings of stress and being overwhelmed by change. The novelty of the new environment starts to fade a little as you face daily challenges that test your patience. You're forced to confront reality as you go through the motions of setting up a new life: finding a place to live, getting a bank account, searching for a job, learning your way around the city and understanding the subway system.

The framework and rules that govern your day-to-day life have changed, so you start to feel like you might be tripped up at any moment. An example of this is that I keep forgetting to stay to the right when walking in crowds or on escalators, so I end up walking into people. It's such a small and trivial thing, but it's difficult to change because it's so ingrained in my subconscious mind to stick to the left. One morning I noticed that my phone battery was low, so without thinking I took my (Australian) phone charger to work and then felt very stupid when I couldn't plug it into a Canadian power socket.

The differences that you found amusing in the honeymoon phase start to become irritating and you question why they even exist. For example, cheques are still commonly used for banking in Canada, so we had to provide post-dated rental cheques to our landlord for the year ahead. This seems antiquated to us, as cheques are very rarely used in Australia. Also, Canada still has the 1 cent coin in place, so every time you receive change from a purchase, you end up with a handful of useless pennies. Coming from Australia, having a coin that is worth less than its own cost of production seems rather backwards!

Having to learn the most basic things again for the first time can leave you feeling frustrated, angry and sometimes embarrassed. For example, learning how to tip was a big change for us, so when I incorrectly entered a tip of 12 cents instead of 12 dollars into the eftpos reader at the hairdresser (yes, you have to tip when you get a haircut), and had to cancel and start the transaction again to the annoyance of the cashier, I felt like a bit of an idiot! Hell, eftpos isn't even called eftpos, it's called interac. And ATMs are often called ABMs (B for banking). It's this constant re-learning that is exhausting, as it feels like you can't take anything for granted. 

The information overload causes you to start over-thinking things and second-guessing yourself as you search for hidden meanings and different interpretations in everything. At home, this processing is unconscious and automatic, so all the extra brain power required to deal with culture shock can be quite tiring. The lack of control can affect your self-confidence and cause you to assume that things will be more difficult than they actually are. 

As if this weren't enough, you have to develop new ways of coping with the stress, as your tried-and-tested coping mechanisms (e.g. talking to friends and family, taking a long drive, having a decent cup of coffee) often aren't available.  

Another interesting part of the culture shock stage is that you (often subconsciously) start to develop generalisations and stereotypes of locals. I guess this is just the human way of understanding a new culture and processing a lot of new information. For example, I found myself saying "Canadians are all so friendly and polite!" when I first arrived, because this described nearly everyone we encountered. They also all happened to be part of the hospitality, service or retail industries, so at least part of their pleasant demeanour was due to their job descriptions.

When I've felt pangs of homesickness, I've found myself clinging to familiar things - even to the point of downloading 'Land Down Under' by Men at Work, which is a song that I normally hate. Sometimes I think about how easy it would be to go back home to my comfort zone, but amidst the small irritations, I'm really glad that we made the move and I know there's still so much more to explore here before I'm ready to return.


Adjustment / recovery
Since finding work and developing a daily routine, I've felt much more at ease with small changes and new discoveries, as they seem easier to deal with in the grand scheme of things. The familiar elements in each day have helped to make me feel settled in to our new home. In general, things have started to make a bit more sense and the longer we're here, the more known quantities there are to rely on.

I wasn't really expecting to learn so much about myself this early on, but by being in a new culture, you quickly start to see yourself fall into the same patterns. You realise that while everything else around you is new and different, you're essentially the same person, with the same personality, strengths, weaknesses and ways of thinking that you had at home. It has a way of creating self-awareness of the things you usually attribute to your environment, or not think about at all.

While I'm still going through the motions of culture shock, I've begun to adjust in a number of ways too. I've learnt to relax a little and accept that I'm a newbie and am bound to get a few things wrong to begin with. I'm being more positive when I do encounter something new and I try to enjoy the experience rather than anticipate the worst. Now that I've met some locals at work, I'm enjoying sharing my culture with them and learning about Canadian culture on a deeper level. I'm trying not to define myself by the things that I used to at home (such as my career), as this is less realistic here. I feel more confident within myself now that I can bounce back from judgements, rejections or misunderstandings caused by being a foreigner.

I've realised that I need to be willing to adapt and to be open minded about new things. After all, there's really no right or wrong way of thinking or doing anything, just that which we are familiar with, and that which is new to us. We all have a tendency to view our own culture or way of doing things as better than anyone else's. By being aware of this, I can better understand my own reactions and those of other people. I try to acknowledge the positives of new things, or if I don't understand a situation, I try and give it the benefit of the doubt rather than evaluating things based on my own ideas, values and judgements.

I know there will be more challenges and more culture shock to come (one of the biggest changes for us will be the cold Canadian winter!), but I hope that I'll be able to deal with this positively and constructively.


Adaptation / mastery
They say this stage occurs when stability is reached and you have effectively assimilated with the host culture, while maintaining your own cultural identity. It will be interesting to reflect upon my experiences in another year and see how much things have changed. I expect I'll develop more resilience as a result of overcoming challenges and building new networks here.

Overall, I feel that we haven't had too much change to adjust to. For one thing, we arrived in the Summer which has made it easy to get outside and explore the city by foot. Plus the sunshine has a way of lifting your mood even if you're having a bad day. We've found people to be quite welcoming and accommodating to foreigners - perhaps this is due to the multicultural nature of the city. I've definitely noticed that people are a lot more polite and patient with us here than I experienced on my US trip last year. I guess it also helps being part of the Commonwealth, as things are not quite so American (e.g. temperatures are usually recorded in Celcius). So it feels like there are slightly fewer opportunities for misunderstandings (not to say that we haven't had our fair share of 'lost in translation' moments - trust me, we have!). Moving here with Shane has also made the transition much easier for me - I honestly can't imagine how I would have coped on my own. Lastly, knowing that this is a temporary adventure helps a lot, as I feel I need to make the most of the time we have here. I think it would feel very different if I knew that this was a permanent move.


P.S. This wasn't meant to be a psychology essay, but as I'm working into the wee hours of the morning, it does bring back many memories of pulling an all-nighter before the morning of an assignment deadline. Thank you for reading, and apologies for the lack of in-text citations.

TIFF

The city is currently under the grips of an overwhelming force - one that brings entire streets to a standstill, completely consumes the local media and causes citizens do a double-take at every black luxury vehicle and well-dressed pedestrian that passes by.

Welcome to the Toronto International Film Festival!

TIFF is an 11-day long event that showcases the newest additions to the silver screen. We were lucky enough to catch three red-carpet, world premiere screenings last week, which has definitely been one of the highlights of our time here so far. I've decided to recreate the drama and excitement of our experiences by sharing them with you in true cinematic style:

Act 1: 'Looper''

Act 1, scene 1

We arrive at the Elgin theatre on Thursday night to find a red carpet laid out on the side walk. 'For us?' I think, 'that's so sweet!'. Across the street, a crowd of eager fans stand patiently waiting behind a velvet rope to spot some celebs. We join the end of the ticket holder queue, when suddenly....

Act 1, scene 2
Shane calls his friend, a seasoned TIFF-goer who will also be seeing the film. He kindly whisks us inside the building using his shiny 'infinite Visa' card privileges. We enter the lounge area to join the rest of our crew and enjoy the complimentary Lindt chocolate tasting. There is an air of nervous excitement. Once the ushers open the doors, we hastily make our way inside the theatre to get good seats.

Act 1, scene 3
The artistic director of TIFF comes onto the stage to introduce the festival, as this is the opening night. He introduces the film's director Rian Johnson who speaks about his inspiration for the movie. Then, Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes onto the stage - the audience goes wild! Joseph is very animated as he shares his enthusiasm for the film. They both leave the stage, the lights go down, the movie begins. Looper turns out to be a very well executed and action-packed science fiction film. As with all time-travel endeavours, it helps not to think too much about the logistics (Bruce Willis' character even gives this advice to his younger self at one point in the movie). A great night and a perfect start to the festival!

Act 2: 'The Place Beyond the Pines'

Act 2, scene 1

I leave work at 5pm on the dot and walk a short distance to the Princess of Wales theatre on King street West, the heart of the film festival. As I make my way down the increasingly congested street, I see a blur of media types, TIFF volunteers dressed in their bright orange t-shirts, and movie fans with iPhones and cameras on stand-by. I walk past the long and winding rush-queue full of hopefuls waiting for the release of last-minute tickets. Finally, I spot our friends in the ticket-holder queue.

Act 2, scene 2

As we wait for the theatre doors to open, we hear the crowd of fans cheering loudly - a star has just arrived! A couple of us leave the queue to go investigate. In the middle of the street there is a huge fan and media frenzy surrounding... someone. We can't tell who. But then, for a brief moment, we spot a wave of Bradley Cooper's chestnut coloured locks through a sea of iPhones and cameras held aloft around him! We take a couple of quick photos and then it's time to get back in the line.

Act 2, scene 3

As we move inside the theatre, our strategic choice of entry door enables us to secure great seats close to the stage. I turn around to check out the theatre and notice that there are name cards on the chairs in the rows behind us. I look at the names on the seats directly behind us and in total shock I read: Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Ben Mendelsohn! Oh. My. As the theatre continues to fill up, we talk excitedly about our incredible luck and take lots of photos.

Act 2, scene 4

The stars and director are introduced to us on stage and as the lights go down, they take their seats. We turn around and say hello to Bradley - Shane shakes hand and tells him he's looking forward to seeing the film. At first it's difficult to concentrate on the movie knowing so many A-list Hollywood celebrities are within popcorn-passing distance, but this doesn't last too long. The movie is captivating in its message and uses many interesting cinematic techniques - it's one of the best film I've seen in a while. 

Act 2, scene 5

At the end of the movie, the audience gives a standing ovation - the stars and director return to the stage for a Q&A session, in which the actors take every opportunity to gush at each others' performances. There are a couple of embarrassing questions from the audience, including one lady who tells Ryan that she found his character's tattoos in the movie very sexy and asks him which ones (if any) he would keep. Finally, the stars exit the stage to more applause and yet another standing ovation.

Act 2, scene 6

Our group leaves the theatre, still high on adrenaline. Over dinner and wine we eagerly discuss the film and our excitement at being so close to fame. One poor girl that hadn't been at the premiere joins us - we take pity on her and stop discussing our incredible night... for approximately 3 seconds.

Spot Bradley Cooper!

Act 3: 'Cloud Atlas'

Act 3, scene 1

After the previous night's excitement, we allow ourselves a sleep-in, and in the late afternoon we join the queue outside the Princess of Wales theatre one last time. King street west is even busier than the day before and the ticket lines are very long - the rush-queue goes right around the block! There is a relaxed and happy atmosphere and we enjoy chatting to others in the line.

Act 3, scene 2

We manage to get great seats for the third night in a row, but this time there are no name on the seats behind us, just a generic 'reserved'. We spot Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the back of the theatre, he looks a lot more relaxed attending someone else's premiere. The directors and filmstars are introduced on stage - it's an incredible line up including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving and Susan Sarandon. It's a truly amazing experience to be in the same room as these people. They receive enthusiastic applause from the audience and take their seats at the back of the cinema.

Act 3, scene 3

Cloud Atlas is quite a complex movie, I can't help but wonder if it's easier to understand if you've read the book? The special effects in the futuristic scenes were mind-blowing, but there were other elements to the movie that I didn't care much for.

Act 3, scene 4

After the movie ends, we give a standing ovation and get a final glimpse of the stars as they exit the theatre. We enjoy a quiet dinner with friends and try to work out what the film meant. We briefly spot Anna Kendrick on the red carpet and hear someone mention that Jake Gyllenhaal has also arrived, but it is virtually impossible to make them out amidst all the fans wildly snapping their cameras. By this stage we are both feeling a little TIFF'd out, so we decide to head home to rest. Can't wait to do it all again next year!

End scene, fade to black, roll credits.

 

P.S. You may have noticed that the frequency of posts has dropped off a little bit lately. I've recently started work and as it turns out, a 9-5 can really cut into your day! Never fear, it is still my intention to keep you regularly updated on all things Toronto.

Chocolatey Research

Part of the fun of being in a new country is getting to try all the different foods. I still really enjoy going to the supermarket and exploring all the North American brands and products!

So I felt like it was time that I conducted some investigative research... into Canadian chocolate. Two 'independent researchers' sampled a series of chocolate bars and provided their unbiased reviews. This process involved a lot of hard work and scientific rigour, so I do hope that you appreciate the (delicious) results.

  

Crispy Crunch (6.5/10)
Claire - Very crisp, it shatters in your mouth. 6/10
Shane -  Peanut buttery and crunchy. 7/10

Oh Henry! (7/10)
Claire - I'd liken this to a Boost, but more peanut-buttery. Nice texture with whole peanuts throughout. 8/10
Shane - It's peanut-buttery, but it should have more crunch. It's too soft for my liking. 6/10

Big Turk (5.5/10)
Claire - Not as soft as Fry's Turkish Delight, a bit like a jelly bean in terms of consistency. 5/10
Shane -  More black forest than turkish delight. 6/10

Eat More (4/10)
Claire - Salty and nutty, but not very sweet. Disappointing. 4/10
Shane - It tastes like it's from the health food section, except it's not good for you. Should be called 'Eat Less'. 4/10

Coffee Crisp (6.5/10)
Claire - Nice coffee flavour, it's like a stack of wafer biscuits covered in chocolate. 6/10
Shane - Like a coffee flavoured Chomp bar. 7/10

Wunderbar (7.5/10) 
Claire - This is like the 'Oh Henry' bar, but not as crunchy. It's more nougaty with a stronger peanut taste. 7/10
Shane - Half Mars bar, half Snickers. 8/10

Caramilk (7/10)
Claire - Like a Caramel Koala, not very exciting. 6/10
Shane - Like a Caramello, except smoother. 8/10

Canada's National Exhibition ('The Ex')

Last weekend we went to the Ex (Canada's National Exhibition), which is a huge fair with lots of food, rides and entertainment. It was a beautiful sunny day to walk around the show grounds and check it all out.

Highlights included:

• the mesmerising sand sculpting and rock-balancing exhibits
• seeing all the colourful rides and games in the 'midway'
• cute baby animals in the agricultural building
• ice-skating performance - looks fun, can't wait to try it in winter!

But by far the most memorable experience of the day was trying a deep fried, bacon wrapped Mars Bar! It tasted pretty much how you would imagine - warm, gooey, chocolately bacon, tinged with regret. We had a quick coronary bypass afterwards and agreed never to speak of it again.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

On Saturday we went to our first baseball game! Sadly the Toronto Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees, but we still had a great time watching and trying to work out what was going on. One player's baseball bat shattered into pieces after hitting the ball, so that was impressive. There was also a lot of enthusiastic crowd participation including Mexican waves, slow claps building up to applause and chants of "let's go blue jays let's go!". Actually, one guy was politely escorted off the premises by security for being too rowdy (I got the impression that it was his sole purpose in life to initiate as many Mexican waves as possible). I had an obligatory hot dog to complete the experience.

On Sunday we checked out the 'Taste of the Danforth', which is Canada's largest street festival. It takes place in Greek town (Danforth street) and involves lots of yummy Greek food stalls and free promotional sunscreen, hummus and yoghurt. Hooray! Here I am eating 'Loukomades' (honey doughnut balls).

   

Canadian Cuisine - Part 2: Dairy

Before we left Australia a friend told us about her traumatising experience buying milk in Whistler for the first time. Still struggling through the nasty effects of jet lag, she found the vast array of unfamiliar dairy options too much and became a bit emotional. While my Mother always told me "there's no use crying over spilt milk", I can certainly appreciate our friend's predicament.

At the very least, you have a choice between 0.1%, 1%, 2%, 3.25%, half & half or coffee cream. I knew that the percentage refers to the fat content of the milk, but I still found myself asking "which one is hilo?" on our inaugural shopping expedition. Fear not, after some careful research I have concluded the following:

0.1% = skim / non-fat milk
1% = semi-skim milk
2% = hilo milk
3.25% = whole milk
half & half = half milk and half cream
coffee cream = revolting

If you're starting to feel comfortable with all of that, hold on! Before you can purchase milk, you have one more decision to make. Would you like your milk in a carton, or a BAG? That's right, in Canada you can buy milk in plastic bags! You get three individual one-litre plastic bags inside another bigger bag with the milk label on the front. Then you buy a plastic milk jug which fits one of the smaller bags, so you can pour your milk easily. We tried this once for fun, but I can't say I'm a fan as it ends up being a bit messy. Oddly enough, sugar comes in a 1L paper milk carton. Who knew?

Now that I've blown your mind with milk, let's talk cheese.

Fortunately for us, we live very close to the St Lawrence Market, which has a great selection of real cheeses (amongst many other delicious things), so we're spoilt for choice. However, when you buy cheese from the supermarket, the first thing you notice is that most of it is ORANGE. 

I came across this phenomenon in the US last year, so luckily I was prepared for the initial shock. In the picture below, you can see some normal looking blocks of cheese in the top shelf, followed by the severely jaundiced 'American cheese' below. Wikipedia tells me that in the US it cannot legally be named "cheese", but instead must be labelled as "processed cheese" or "cheese product". Yum!

Apparently the orange colour comes from dyes that are added in the cheese making process. This practice ensures a uniform colour of cheese throughout the year, despite the seasonal colour variation caused by the cows' changing diet of grass in summer and hay in winter. This makes sense to me, but I still find the strong orange colour completely unappetising. What do you think?

  

This Week In Toronto...

The CN Tower

We've been living in Toronto for over a month now - does that mean we're no longer tourists? I don't think we qualify as locals just yet, so we must be somewhere in between the two extremes. In any case, we decided to experience one of the most popular tourist activities in Toronto this week: the CN (Canada's National) tower. Our tickets came courtesy of my thoughtful work colleagues as part of a farewell gift - thanks Wheatstone HR! There was a quite a crowd when we arrived, but fortunately the queue moved quickly and we were soon taking the 58 second escalator ride to the observation deck. At 350m, it provides a great view of the city and we were able to spot many landmarks we've already visited. We couldn't see our apartment from the tower as there are some other buildings in the way, but I was proud of my (usually poor) navigational ability to point in the right direction nonetheless. We took some tentative steps onto the glass-floored viewing deck, which was fun but slightly unsettling! Didn't feel brave enough to do the 'Edge Walk', where you dress up in an orange jumpsuit, get harnessed to a rope and lean over the edge of the CN tower. Maybe next time... (or not).

NYC in Toronto

Recently we saw a notice in our condo lobby advising tenants that a television crew would be filming on our street for a few days. Could this be my big break into a prime time TV series? Well, not exactly. But it was entertaining to watch them film a scene and to see our street filled with yellow NYC taxis!  If you're a fan of the show 'Alphas', please turn away now as I don't want to ruin anything for you. Personally, I've never heard of the show, but from what I could tell, this episode involves some girls walking out of a yoga class, one of them getting into an expensive looking car with a man, and the other two looking shocked as the car drives away. Once they had finished filming the first take, the director called for a re-set which meant that all the yellow taxis and other vehicles had to reverse back to the start of the street - pretty funny to watch! Apparently they film quite a lot of shows and movies in Toronto because it's much cheaper to do it here than in the States.

Personalised 'Pop'

Last week we saw a movie at the Scotiabank Theatre and tried out the 'Coca-cola Freestyle' pop fountains for the first time (I'm Canadian now so I have to say pop instead of soft drink). The machines use advanced medical technology to pour your choice of over 100+ Coca-cola beverages at the push of a button. You can even mix different drinks to create your own customised concoction - I opted for raspberry-vanilla coke zero, which was delicious!

C'est What?

Last week we went to Quebec for a short holiday that involved a lot of walking, sightseeing and eating. We decided to fly to Quebec City with Porter airlines and then make our way to Montreal and back to Toronto by the Via rail system. The small 75-seater Porter plane departed from Toronto Island, which was pretty cool as we see the flights take off and land over Lake Ontario all the time from our apartment.

After a short in-flight nap, we arrived at Quebec City. It was lovely to wander through the beautiful and historic streets of Vieux Quebec (old Quebec), stopping every so often for refreshments (crepes et cafe au lait, naturally). My favourite was Rue St Jean, a long and winding street full of many people, shops and restaurants. At night the road is reserved for pedestrian traffic so all the cafes and restaurants bring out patio chairs, tables and umbrellas onto the footpaths. We really enjoyed the 'terrasse' (outdoor dining) experience - good food and great people watching, what more could you want?

It was also my first opportunity to practice parlez-ing some Francais. While we seemed to get by okay with the basics, there reached a point (sometimes fairly early on) in each conversation where English was clearly easier for both us and the person we were speaking to. I have tentatively checked this one off my list, however I'm going to keep practising for next time!

Between espresso and patisserie pit-stops, we saw the Chateau Frontenac, a beautiful hotel dating back to the 19th century, Parliament House and the historic Citadelle and stone city walls. The 'lower town' area is home to a maze of quaint cobblestone streets called Du Petit Champlain. It was a bit rainy the first day we were there, but the seemingly endless stretch of charming gift shops, chocolate and sweet shops, cafes and restaurants provided more than enough motivation to keep exploring. We joined a food tour to visit some top-rating restaurants and sample tasty morsels such as salmon tartare, rabbit terrine, local cheese, delicious Breton-style buckwheat crepes and ice cider. The tour also included a visit to the maple syrup store and chocolate museum. Wow, I'm even making myself hungry with this description! On our last night in Quebec City, we saw an awesome (and free) Cirque du Soleil show that plays to a huge audience every night under a highway overpass - very cool.

Next stop was Montreal - our visit coincided with the Just for Laughs Festival, so we went to some comedy shows and wandered around the Festival grounds at la Place des Arts. There were lots of free outdoor performances too, such as an alien puppet marching band, dancing white balloon-people and a surreal hedge maze that contained some interesting characters. For dinner we had a duck confit and brie grilled cheese sandwich from a food van. Tres bien!

After wandering around old town ('Vieux Montreal'), the port and the trendy Plateau area during the day, we caught up with a local and his friends for dinner and drinks. The multicultural group's conversation was an interesting mix of Paris-French, Quebec-French and Tourist French (i.e. us), which revealed how out of depth I am in this language. Fortunately for us, the local Quebecois are able to slip between languages effortlessly (and often in the same sentence), so not too much was lost in translation. Naturally, we reciprocated the cultural exchange by educating our new friends about the infamous Australian drop bear. After dinner, we made our way to a japanese cocktail lounge that was so hip and underground that there was no sign anywhere near the entrance (an unassuming red door hidden between take-away shops). After more stories and drinks, we relinquished to peer group pressure by trying some greasy poutine. We've actually tried a couple of poutines since we've been in Canada, but we were assured that true Montreal poutine was simply an experience not to be missed! After experiencing it I would tend to disagree, but I can understand how the patriotic symbolism of a food can be strong enough to change one's perception of its taste (e.g. vegemite). For the uninitiated, poutine is a pile of french fries covered with gravy and cheese curds. Mm, sounds delish! I'm told that to truly appreciate poutine, it is best eaten after a long night out, similar to a kebab.
The next morning we visited the scenic Parc du Mont Royal. After ascending countless steps in high humidity to reach the 233m high lookout, were rewarded with a great view of the city and a well-deserved ice cream. The sporty types we saw running up and down the steps repeatedly didn't stop for caramel drumsticks, but then they didn't look like they were having much fun either. On the east side of the park, we came across the Tam Tam (drum) players, a hippie collective that meet up every Sunday afternoon to create catchy rhythms. Sadly it was BYOB (bring your own bongos), so we made our way back on the subway to see another comedy show.

I enjoyed our Quebec break, but alas the holiday time is over. We're well and truly back to reality now as Shane starts his job and I begin my job hunt in earnest - wish me luck! 

The Falls

We made our way to Niagara this week to see the famous waterfalls and to spend some time at Niagara on the Lake. Once we arrived at Niagara Falls, we went for a leisurely stroll in the sunshine to take in the spectacular views. In the first photo, you can see the USA and Bridal Veil falls on the left. On the right are the Canadian Horseshoe falls, which are far bigger and much more impressive - I wonder if this has caused waterfall envy in the States? Next we went up to the Skylon tower's 230 metre high observation deck, which was well worth it for the panoramic views of the area. Lastly, we decided to get up close and personal with the falls by taking the 'Maid of the Mist' boat tour - an absolute must for anyone visiting! All passengers are given a blue plastic poncho before boarding, which feels a bit silly at first, but as the boat makes its way into the centre of the Horseshoe falls you begin to appreciate its purpose. It was amazing to experience the powerful roar and spray of the water that's constantly surging over the edge of the falls. Great fun!

In the afternoon we headed to Niagara on the Lake which is a stunningly beautiful little town surrounded by wineries. The main street is decorated with colourful flowerbeds and hanging planters and has lots of little shops selling gifts, wine, chocolate, ice cream and so on. I'm sure Shane got sick of hearing me say "it's so nice!" over and over again, but it really was! We stayed at a lovely little bed & breakfast for two nights and the owners were so friendly and helpful.

To continue our theme of getting around by bicycle in Canada, we took a wine tasting tour by bike. Our knowledgeable local tour guide Ted took us to three wineries where we sampled some good drops, including our first taste of ice wine. We learned that ice wine can only be made from grapes that are naturally frozen on the vine in winter, when the temperature reaches between -8 and -14 degrees celsius. Once the conditions are just right the grapes are harvested and pressed immediately. Because the water molecules in the grapes are frozen into crystals, the juice that's extracted is much higher in sugar content and flavour which results in a sweet dessert wine. If that explanation is a bit too technical for your liking, you may prefer this shortened version: icewine = delicious.
We also visited Fort George where the British Army battled the US Army in the war of 1812. The guides that work there all dress in period military costumes and gave some interesting demonstrations of musket firing (below) and fife and drum playing.

At night we joined a ghost tour and heard all of the spoooooky tales of the town. It turns out that the locals at Niagara on the Lake love nothing more than a good ghost story and with several historical buildings still standing, it's not surprising that many of them are considered 'haunted'. While it was an entertaining tour, it didn't affect my fondness for the area in the slightest - in fact, I'm already planning my retirement there...

Canadian Cuisine - Part 1: Coffee

Ah coffee, how I miss you! While there is a Tim Horton's on every corner (about 50 in downtown Toronto alone), and a Starbucks on every other corner (about 25 in the area), it seems that real coffee is hard to find. As a fellow expat put it to us: "you have to think of coffee as a different concept here". The word 'coffee' means percolated drip coffee in North America, and sadly the words 'flat white' do not seem to exist. Let's review the two major players, Starbucks and Timmy's:

You're probably familiar with the standard Starbucks formula - cheery baristas decked out in green aprons that insist on knowing your name, offering an almost endless range of coffee products. I usually go for something simple like a grande decaf double ristretto non-fat organic cinnamon dolce latte, extra hot with whipped cream, double blended and served in two paper cups. I find Starbucks coffee reliably consistent, yet somehow unsatisfying - it feels like a coffee placebo.

The Canadian alternative to this US multinational giant is Tim Horton's, where the coffee is awful, but much cheaper (you can buy 2 coffees with $5 and still get change back). I'm told that the immense popularity of the chain stems from a strong sense of patriotism, as it's named after a hockey legend who co-founded the company. One redeeming feature of the menu at Timmy's is TimBits, which are the sugary blobs cut out from the centre of donuts. They come in a happy-meal shaped box which is designed to draw your attention away from the coffee.

Condo Life

We've been living the condo(minium) life for a week now and are feeling pretty settled in. Luckily, our friendly landlords have furnished the apartment beautifully, so we haven't needed to provide much more than our suitcases. There is a nice view from the balcony facing the harbourfront, and the nearby St James cathedral chimes a helpful hourly reminder of the time. We are situated in the St Lawrence Market area, so there's a great fresh food market and lots of nice restaurants within walking distance. Actually everything in Toronoto seems to be within walking distance, so we've covered a fair few ks exploring the city. Everyone who lives here seems to own a small dog and we often see them coming in and out for walkies too.

Yesterday we made use of the Bixi system (short term bicycle rentals) and rode down along Lake Shore Boulevard, which faces Lake Ontario. There were some nice parklands and small beaches, I bet it will be even prettier in the Fall/Autumn. 

Oh Canada

Happy Canada day everyone!

Actually it was Canada day yesterday, but just like home, Canadians still claim the Monday as a public holiday to celebrate/relax/enjoy the sunshine.

We first celebrated with consumerism at Canadian Tire (think Bunnings crossed with Kmart) and later checked out the festivities at the Harbourfront, pausing to take in the beautiful scenery and some live music and dancing.

Happy Pride!

That's right, it's Pride week in Toronto, a huge festival celebrating the diversity of the city's LGBTTIQQ2SA community (that's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, 2 Spirited and Allies... here are some helpful definitions if you want to learn more). The Pride parade is one of the largest in the world with 30,000 people marching over the space of 3 hours and a crowd of over 1.2 million spectators! All in all it was a happy, fun and very colourful day out in the sunshine.

Hello From Toronto

Our first week in Toronto has been great! We've had a lot of fun exploring our new home and getting a feel for the different areas of the city. Most of our time has been spent condo-hunting and sight-seeing. We joined a double-decker tour bus to get our bearings, and checked out the Distillery area, St Lawrence Markets and Toronto Islands to name a few.

Things I have learnt about Canada:

• Summer actually happens. There was a "heat wave" of 32 degrees Celsius last week, which was the major news story of the day. I thought this was quite amusing, but then I managed to get sunburnt, so the joke was on me after all.
• Toronto is one of the world's most culturally diverse cities, with around 50% of the population born outside of Canada. These different cultural influences can be seen in the buildings, street names, and most importantly/deliciously, the food.
• At the moment, it doesn't get dark until 9pm! I'm enjoying the sunshine while it lasts. 
• Canadians really do say 'eh'. Not all the time of course, but it's there if you listen for it.