One of the most serene days I've had in Toronto would hands down be the cold day I spent strolling around one of the Toronto Islands. During the summer months the largest of the three islands has a fair with all of the carnival like attractions but by the time I finally made to visit the islands, they were all packed away for the winter. The island is only accessible by a ferry from the harbour front in downtown Toronto. There aren't many cars or roads on the island so many of the people that live on the island can be seen carting their bikes onto the boat. Once the boat docks at Wards Island it was very easy to feel the difference between Toronto and its islands. Ward's Island has an immediate small town, secluded feeling even as you can see one of Canada's largest cities right across the lake. The view of the Toronto skyline is amazing from the beaches of Ward's Island and it's a bit crazy to know there's so much going on in the city compared to the quiet calm of the island. Although there was nothing special happening on the island during my visit, we wandered the area and took in the beautiful views of Toronto and the unique homes. Most of the houses on the island are smaller "tiny" houses. Some are even painted bright bold colors.
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One of the very first things I learned about Toronto was how hugely diverse the city was. There are millions and millions of people in the city from just about every corner of the globe. Toronto's this is evident in the many different neighborhoods in the city limits. There's everything from the huge population of Chinese-Canadians in Chinatown to the tiny but mighty Portuguese residents in Little Portugal. The huge groups of immigrant people in Toronto are evident at every turn as you walk the city streets. There are so many people of all nationalities, genders, and backgrounds. People speaking all sorts of different languages can be heard on the subway and even walking down the street. I also have the added experience of meeting some people from all different nations through my internship. As part of my position I interview prospective new hires and a large part of them are not from Canada. I've had the pleasure of speaking with people from countries like Turkey, France, Brazil, and even someone from Venezuela. Having the opportunity to speak to people from places I've never even thought to visit is something I greatly appreciate. Especially as someone that has never left their home country before this trip.
Perhaps one of the best parts of Toronto's diverse culture is how well they work together. If the US is a big melting pot of different nationalities and cultures blended together, then Canada is a heterogeneous salad of cultures that mix well together but still retain their individuality. Seeing people take pieces of one culture and incorporating it into their own is most prominently displayed in the foods offered around Toronto. Seeing the extremely Canadian Smoke's Poutinerie offering butter chicken a traditional Indian dish as a poutine is the first example that comes quickly to mind. Toronto is an amazing place to experience many different cultures which is an amazingly unique opportunity. Before visiting Toronto my closest experience to visiting an art gallery was when my sister's after school program had a showcase of all the kids’ art at the end of the year. I had never taken advantage of Cincinnati's Contemporary Art Museum or any of the smaller galleries peppered around town. So, it's fair to say that I was wholly unprepared for the experience of walking through the impressive Art Gallery of Ontario. On one of my days off I had decided to venture out to the art gallery that I had heard about from every once since coming to Toronto. It was one of the most recommended places for me to visit, second only to The Distillery's Christmas market that opens in November. The day that I visited also happened to be the second day of the Guillermo del Torro: At Home with Monsters exhibit which featured some art from his home as well as things curated from AGO's collection by the man himself. There were sculptures, paintings, and even a wallpaper of comic books. The exhibit was set to the dark ominous music of a live stoic pianist. After finishing my walk-through of the At Home with Monsters exhibit I moved though other areas of the gallery. On the ground level, there were incredible European artworks. There were some small figurines on display as well as some paintings on both large and small canvasses. The art covered an array of subjects from religious figurines to paintings of flowers in vases. I'm far from artistically inclined but I took enough photos to give a good window into the displayed art. Some of my favorite art in the entire gallery was in their Canadian art section. Most the art in this area was paintings as well as some photography. There were paintings of Canadian landscapes, indigenous Canadian inspired art, and some abstract art. One of my favorite rooms in the Canadian art area was one with walls covered in paintings from floor to ceiling. It was a bit of a surreal experience to sit on one of the benches in the quiet room and just take in all the art. Another smaller section of the art gallery was the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre. The room is brightly lit with sunlight and has the same quiet atmosphere as the rest of the gallery. The room is also filled with massive sculptures that looked to me like they were made of a white marble material. The room was amazing comes in at a very close second in my favorites list. Finally, the top two floors of the gallery are dedicated to contemporary art. A lot of the art in this section was photography or some sculptures. It was one of the most unique areas in the museum in my opinion. I enjoyed that the art in these two floors were current and not just some pieces that were created by someone from a lifetime ago. Discovering the amazing art at the Art Gallery of Ontario was one of my favorite experiences since arriving in Toronto. Being surrounded by the overwhelmingly beautiful art and taking it all in was an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
As soon as I get off my plane in Toronto I'm a little underwhelmed. I expected Canada to be different. I thought I'd see people walking through the airport in flannels drinking maple syrup and Tim Hortons by the gallon, but on the surface YYZ looked annoyingly similar to CVG. As I follow the signs and my fellow travelers to customs I started to notice the subtle differences between where I was and where I'd come from. Signs were in English as I expected but just under the English directions and labels there was also French. I knew French was Canada's second national language but seeing it everywhere was enough of a subtle difference to remind me that I was far from home. After getting through customs and claiming my bags, it was time to exchange my American money for Canadian dollars. The difference between the two was more than subtle and almost a little comical. The Canadian $20 has a stately portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, sports a transparent strip across it and is a bright shade of green. Their $10 bills are purple, $5 bills blue, and I recently discovered that the $50 bill is red and the $100 bill a golden yellow. The money immediately reminded me of a board game. I knew that money was different in Canada- I had even heard that it smelled like maple syrup, which is a lie - but seeing it in person was a completely different experience.
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Liea M.First generation college student working hard to reach my goals and experience all life has in store for me. Follow Me!Categories |