My summer abroad in Toronto

Before we dive too deep into university life, I thought I'd introduce myself. Who am I? An Anthropology student going into my third year, navigating my way through my first summer in Toronto. My name is Francesca, everyone calls me Fran, and I grew up in Peru. Moving to Toronto meant shifting my understanding of EVERYTHING. Christmas no longer brought summer with it, and school started in September instead of March. Winters were no longer humid and dark, they were snowy and way below 0 degrees Celsius. Perhaps the biggest change was not seeing the ocean, to which I'd become so accustomed during my 18 years in Lima. However, Toronto has already become my second home.

Before coming to university, I had only visited Canada during winter. I was certainly not used to Canadian winters, anything below 15°C was cold for me, let alone negative temperatures. The thing is, no one ever told me much about Canadian summers,  but any small hint I'd ever received never came close to what I'm experiencing. I stayed in Toronto this summer with no idea of what was to come. All I'd heard was that the city came alive, and I was ready to experience it. Just like I've learned to love winters, it was time I made the most of summer. These months are full of endless possibilities. I'm a faithful advocate of making the most of your opportunities, and living in this city was my biggest one yet. Winter might have kept me binging shows on Netflix, but as it started getting warmer, my adventures began. I started exploring parks, and a few days ago I finally made it to The Beaches. The TTC has been my greatest ally, trust me.

I'm also learning about myself. For example, I've learned I love Kensington Market and every so often I'll treat myself to trying out a new restaurant. If you love food as much as I do, this is something I definitely recommend. And I'm always looking for a patio, this weather won't last forever. I also realized how much I appreciate me-time, so I've gotten some books that I'm determined to finish before school begins. Yes, reading for school might seem like enough, but nothing beats reading a good book on the grass with an iced coffee in hand and the sun above.

So if you're interested in knowing which books I've been reading or which parks I've explored, stay tuned! I'll be sharing much more about my life as a student and how I'm navigating my time here. Let me know in the comments if there's anything you guys are interested in hearing about, or if you have a book recommendation, I'd love hearing from you. See you next week!