Toronto Life

All going well over here. School work has become kind of hectic, so that has been my main focus of the last couple of weeks.
There was a really heavy snow in Toronto last week, so it has been rather novel dealing with proper winter life. Everything is just that little bit more challenging.. requires that little bit more effort.. But like I said, it's pretty cool for someone so foreign to the concept of snow.

I haven't been taking many photos, I think mainly because it is so cold and I don't like having my hands out of my pockets! But here are a couple of snaps to give an idea of my life at the moment.

This is my house! My room is the arched window on the top.

There is a very distinct style of building, I think it's cute to see them all lined up side by side.

View from my window.

Another view from my window.

Tomorrow I am taking a break from the cold and flying to Mexico!! Will be down there for two weeks, very excited :D

Back to School

I've been in Toronto for just over two weeks now. The transition into living here was really smooth, easier than I expected. I had organised my room before I arrived, and was very happy to find myself living in a cool area, right by a subway station. The first couple of days here I spent wandering the streets of the city for hours. Toronto has surpassed all of my expectations. The city has an energy that I wasn't expecting to find and was very excited to discover! Small little shop-fronts line the streets, languages from all over the world fly around the subway, the place is lively - despite the cold winter weather! Not a all the corporate city I was prepared for.

The transition into school has not been quite as willing... Everything is straight forward, and I'm happy with the subjects I'm taking. But, it's not the same as traveling! Not to worry, I'm sure the semester is going to fly by and before I know it I'll be making new plans!
The school itself (York University) is BIG and a bit out of town. The train ride out there takes a while, but I'm very happy reading and just glad that I'm not living out there.

This weekend I went out to the country, a little holiday I guess! I went to visit family friends, who I'd actually never met, but who were warm and welcoming as though I'd known them forever! I took the train to Kingston (saw Lake Ontario for the first time - I've never seen so much fresh water!), then travelled out into the sticks to a little lake house in the woods. That night we went to a "hootenanny" (a country-style music party) in a little hotel bar in a little near-by town. I was just as great as it sounds!

Next day I got to see the beautiful surrounds. A frozen lake lay before the cabin, with rugged hills curling in and around it. We spent the day in the snow and on the lake, walking, exploring, skating, ski-dooing (snowmobile, I even had a drive!), making snow angels, huddling around the fire and taking sips of fireball whiskey. A weekend full of cliches and I loved it!

Here's me on the ski-doo. Yee-haa!

This is the beautiful Kevin, a real snow dog.

Back home in Toronto now. Trying to get some work done...

Entering the Winter, I See Snow!

We crossed back over into Nevada, heading North for hot springs in Idaho.
We spent the night at Great Basin National Park. I was really excited to go there to see the Bristlecone Pines (the oldest non-clonal living things, some of these trees are like 4, 000 years old!). Sadly, upon arrival we found out that the road up to the trees was closed for the winter, due to snow... So we would have to hike the 10kms to get up there... We had intentions to do so, but after a freezing night (literally) camping, we were both too cold and stiff to feel like walking anywhere! So, back in the car with the heated seats on! I'll go back there some other time - the trees aren't going anywhere.

Today we made it to Sun Valley (Ketchum), Idaho. We're out of the deserts and into the snowy mountains!! This trip has been good to ease me into the winter - starting off in shorts in California and adding layers day by day! Now I'm getting kind of nervous knowing that I won't be in warm weather again for quite some time... But it's beautiful up here. We pulled in just as it was getting dark. The little town is all decked out with Christmas lights and there is snow on the ground! Feels like a "proper" festive season. I'm excited to explore in the morning.