Catching Up in the Fall
Hello to everyone out there. I know some of you have been visiting this site regularly (or not so regularly) to see what new things I would be writing about. Unfortunately, a big thing stopped me from writing. Some of you know what that thing is. It was school. Right from the first week of classes, life has been very busy. I'm finally writing not because I have great amounts of time, but because I feel like I better update my page before you all get mad at me. There's a lot I want to say and I don't know if I'll get to say it all, but I'll give it a try.
9-11
I know that all of you are very familiar with the events of 9-11. It was a very sad and scary day. Life in Canada was affected just as it was in the USA. All airports in Canada were closed that day. In fact, the airports were closed for about 2 or 3 days. It was a strange feeling to not hear any airplanes roaring in the sky.
Also, many Canadians live and work in New York. So there were many people in Canada who were directly affected by the events on September 11. Everyone knows someone who was in New York that day. There were fundraisers across the country to help those who lost family in those tragedies.
Even weeks after the events, it still seems unreal. Life has changed for a lot of people. Some people are thinking more about their families. Many have moved forward and continued with their lives. We're all trying to move on with our lives.
Mid-Autumn Festival
Many people have asked me how I spent the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. Well, honestly, it was a very quiet day for me. In the morning, I still had to go to school. It was not a holiday in Canada like it is in China. After school, I still had to tutor. I tutor Chinese students, so they offered me some moon cake. My family had a dinner that night, but I couldn't go. I do remember, though, that the moon was big and bright that day. It was a beautiful sight.
Canadian Thanksgiving
Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day on a different day from Americans. Our Thanksgiving Day is always the 2nd Monday in October. This day was a holiday, so I had no classes that day. Because Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you have, I went out for lunch with family. An aunt was visiting, so we went out with her and my grandparents as well.
Most Canadian families like to have turkey for dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Personally, I don't like turkey. It's very dry tasting. It's not like duck or chicken which are both juicy. In my family, we don't have a tradition of eating turkey. However, most other families do. So these families sometimes buy this big turkey for the big meal on Thanksgiving, but they can't finish it all. For the next few days, many people have turkey sandwiches for lunch. Poor people. They must be sick of turkey after all that eating.
School
Like I mentioned before and to many of you, school has been a major source of stress for me. Right from the first week, I was very busy. There have been an endless number of assignments, labs, and other things to keep me occupied. It's been unbelievable. I'm surprised that I don't feel more tired from all this work.
Classes end at the end of November for me, so there is just a little over a month left for me. I am eagerly looking forward to that day. I just have to finish all my assignments and I will be happy.
Trip to Toronto
As some of you might know, the city of Toronto in the province of Ontario is Canada's largest city. It is the Shanghai of Canada. However, there are only 4 million people who live in the Metropolitan Toronto area. 4 million is big by Canadian standards. Toronto is made up of many little cities. There is the real City of Toronto which has 2 million people alone. Then there are the suburb cities. There are cities like Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, and Richmond Hill. They are all a part of the Toronto area.
Let me clear one myth about Toronto. Toronto is not the capital of Canada. Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Toronto is the capital of the province of Ontario, but not of the whole country. I think many people think Toronto is the capital because it is Canada's largest city. Remember, the largest city is not always the capital.
Toronto, however, is the business centre of Canada. Almost all of Canada's major companies have their headquarters in Toronto. It is also the manufacturing centre of Canada. The Toronto area, especially Mississauga, is home to most of Canada's factories. I can grab almost any food product in my home and find that it was made in a factory in Mississauga.
Anyway, just recently, I flew to Toronto for a student seminar. A company invited my classmates and I to their factory to see how hearing devices are made and to learn more about their products. It was very interesting and educational.
The company treated us very well. They paid for our plane tickets. Then, they picked us up at the airport in a limousine. That was the first time I've ever been in a limousine. Then they also paid for our hotel rooms. On the first night, after the seminar, they took us out for dinner and a night of video games at a popular entertainment centre. The next night, they took us to downtown Toronto for an authentic Italian dinner. After that dinner, they invited us to a famous comedy club for a show. Trust me. I have never felt spoiled in my life. I don't I will ever feel this spoiled again either.
After a few days in Toronto, my classmates and I flew back home. We didn't get to see all the sites I wanted to see in Toronto. I will have to go back some other time when I have time. After the trip, though, we all got sick. I think we just burned ourselves out during that trip.