(Hoping) to have you at “Hello”

Hey friends! My name is Madeline and I’ll be blogging for the Community Crew this school year under the super cool alias of  the "Arts & Science Blogger.” I am majoring in Ethics, Society and Law with a double minor in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies — and yes, I get a little anxious when people ask me what I’m studying because, to be honest, it’s kind of hard to say in one breath. As exciting as I believe majors/minors to be, I want you lovely readers to know me beyond what job I hold or what I am studying. I moved to Toronto from a small town of 580 people about 2 hours north of the University of Toronto. My town sign says that we have a population of 700; but that is a serious overestimation. Thankfully, what my hometown lacks in population, it makes up  in beautiful scenery.

Moving to what I had always called the  "Big City” (please say I am not the only small town kid who called the "6ix" this) was a huge change and I overcame a lot of challenges during my first year living here. One of these obstacles, I am slightly embarrassed to admit, is not realizing that Whole Foods has existed for quite some time and not everyone is as flabbergasted to see inordinate amounts of delicious organic food in one place as I was. I chose U of T because I was searching for a place that would challenge me academically and also give me the opportunity to explore myself and my interests in a city that literally has everything I could ever ask for. Except for a good transit system — *COUGH* #ttctroubles — I was not disappointed! Toronto is such an awesome place to live and even though I’ve been here for over a year — there is still so much to see and experience. I lived on residence (shoutout to all my Woodsworth homies!!) during my first year and now I am living the commuter life, travelling to U of T from the west end every morning. I am horrifically bad at conventional sports, and have always felt more at home racing down a snowy mountain on skis than throwing a baseball.

I always have to read my philosophy readings out loud to myself, and I have been a barista for 5 years and counting. During the weekend, you can generally find me exploring different neighbourhoods of Toronto, napping or following my significantly more cool friends to some sort of indie music event. I am so excited about the opportunity to share my second year experiences with you through this blog, and I look forward to hearing from you as well!

• Did you move to Toronto to go to U of T and have any embarrassing I’m-not-from-here experiences? Share them with me on our Twitter page!