Intro and Toronto

As you might be aware, I started sending email updates out, but have since found that I don't actually end up doing this. Instead, I'm starting a blog where I'll post about my adventures in Toronto, Northern Ontario, and England!

These first two posts will just be copies of my first email update, but then new things will be posted! The emails were sent July 3rd, to put that in context!!

Ch. 1: Toronto
Living in the Aparliament - Apartment on Parliament!

After finishing second year at McMaster I moved to Toronto for 2 months, where I was a tour manager with Chapman Cultural Tours. Every week I brought a grade 8 class or two up to Ottawa (usually), where I facilitated their graduation trip. It was tiring, but really fun! However, after that I feel like I can never eat another buffet dinner again - especially not a Chinese buffet. One of the highlights of these trips was that I got to see my brother Eric quite a bit. I think I saw him more in 2 months than I had in the previous 2 years! One of my last weekends I stayed in Ottawa and ran the Relay for Life with his team. It was an amazing night, and the Bytown Boys - made up mostly of reservists that Eric worked with and some of their siblings/significant others - ended up winning the prize for the most laps in total throughout the night, despite some tough competition from a track team. As a team we ran a total of approximately 190 km total from 8pm until 8am, with one person on the track at all times, even when a giant storm broke out and we were the only ones on the track!

When I was actually in Toronto I was working Saturday nights at a club downtown, called Guvernment, and then the following Sunday mornings at an Italian restaurant called Piccolo. Guvernment is only about a half hour walk from my house, so I'd often meet up with some of the girls I work with and walk down with them, so I was staying safe late at night in downtown Toronto! After a few hours of sleep I'd get up for Piccolo - thank goodness it was only about a 2 minute walk around the corner or else I never would have made it on time!!