Canadian Boxing Day crowd at Toronto's Eaton Centre just a few blocks from our apartment.Yes, there has been a huge gap since my last posting. It is not for lack of interesting things happening here. I just seem to have misplaced my reporter’s hat.
I will try to give a quick overview of the last few months. As you read the following try to imagine the calendar pages flipping over and flying off in the background as in the old black and white movies.
October 10th
We celebrated our first Canadian Thanksgiving with Toni’s sister and her family at our apartment. The menu was the usual turkey and dressing.
October 15th
Occupy Toronto started their protest in the Financial District a couple of blocks west of our apartment. Later that evening we learned they were camping in St. James Park across from our apartment. Weeks of speeches, tents, and drumming followed. Every Toronto television station opened their broadcasts here every night. With our proximity we felt involved in a way. Toni goes through the park to get groceries and would often pick up a few extra items to drop off on the way back.
November 23rd
Occupy Toronto encampment was dismantled peacefully after 40 days of protests. The grounds were essentially ruined but a week later new soil and sod was installed from a donation by a local landscaper. Our park is back better than before.
November 24th
We celebrated our first American Thanksgiving away from America. We had another traditional turkey and dressing dinner. This time we were at a nearby restaurant with a group of expat friends. It was fun to compare notes about Toronto and Canada and linguistic differences. Other popular topics were immigration dos and don’ts and red tape horror stories. Basically we shared our common backgrounds and current situations that only expats would truly understand.
December 26th
Our first Boxing Day. This has become the biggest shopping day of the year, not unlike the day after Thanksgiving in the States. We enjoyed the extra holiday with our nephew, Jesse, at lunch at a small vegetarian restaurant on Queen Street West and then he and Toni went on for a movie later.
