Study Abroad Day 4: Canadian gays ain't got nothing on the Dutch

Hi everyone! Today I went out without a clear plan. I mainly wanted to take advantage of the weather forecast, which claimed the day would be very sunny. Unfortunately when I looked outside of my window, everything but sun could be seen. I was about to give up on the day and planned to stay in and watch movies in bed all cosy. But then I figured, I have enough days like these ahead of me, I need to get my butt out and do something. So I decided to do a (requested) campus tour for my friends and family to see. Enjoy reading!

I walked around St. George campus to take pictures of the area near the dorms. As you can see on the map below, campus itself is huge (entire map). Starting at my residence hall, I walked down south to go Downtown for some fruit, via King College's Circle and Queen's Park.

Little did I know I would run into both a protest and a parade on my way to the centre. All of the sudden I was surrounded by mostly Egyptian people and it took me a second to figure out what was exactly going on. It was pretty obvious I was not part of the busy crowd, so I tried to get away from it quickly.

As I headed towards 7-Eleven I suddenly could not walk with the same pace I did, because the streets were crowded with people. I had almost forgotten it was Pride week in Toronto! And of course there was a "gay parade". I found it really fun to watch, and especially how involved everyone was. Almost all young people were dressed up in vibrant colors and distinct outfits. Even children wore t-shirts with the rainbow flag printed on. Anyways, I am from Amsterdam so I was not thát impressed. Those Toronto people do not know what they are missing out on, the gay pride (although ours only takes place a few days) is way more over the top in Amsterdam, hehe. With exception of the involvement of the crowd. Canadians do score major points there I must say.

Off course I had to visit Eaton Centre while I was in the neighborhood. Once again I did not shop at all, with the exception of some groceries. I show such restraint, lol.

After the Eaton Centre was closed I took a different route home, just to explore the city some more. I sat down at a Starbucks terrace for just a second to enjoy the view and some green tea lemonade. On my way back I also stumbled upon another grocery store. I was in heaven there, because there were actual fresh (and affordable) fruits and vegetables available. Needless to say I was tired as hell when I arrived to my room safe and sound.

Stay tuned for my next post on my first time celebrating Canada Day!

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Sefanja Rubina