Toronto, Trains, & Tim Horton's

Toronto, for some reason, has become one of my favorite cities I've ever been to. And now, I have some pretty incredible, unforgettable, and special memories attached to it.

For several reasons, August 11th was a huge day for me. I said goodbye to Caublasian (Ashley, Ashley, and Paris), had TWO biology exams, left the United States, and met Vinny for the very first time. I hadn't slept much all week, and I was honesty the most exhausted I've ever been once Thursday rolled around. Once I finally arrived in Toronto, I went through customs, and waited in the international arrivals area for Vinny to arrive. I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my life for anything. No exaggeration there. I waited for about 20 minutes, and suddenly someone tapped on my shoulder. It was him! In that moment, everything in the world was okay again. To be completely honest, this summer has been especially challenging. Summer classes were beating me down. I was working hard on my health and fitness journey. I was alone most of the summer (which, come to find out, I don't particularly enjoy very much). And, I began to come out as bisexual to everyone (except my best friends and everyone at college who already knew). I think I'll write another post about that soon. But ANYWAYS, Vinny and I made our way to the airbnb on the Go train after about an hour of sitting and chatting at the airport. He was very nervous too, to the point where he was shaking when he first sat down next to me. I won't let him forget this. :) That night, we just got pizza from Gino's, and I ended up sleeping so good that night. 

Vinny and I at the ROM

The next day, we visited the Royal Ontario Museum (The ROM), tried street meat for the first time (A Toronto specialty --- various kinds of sausages/hotdogs), and walked around the University of Toronto. We actually saw a bit of the medical building. After some research, it's definitely on my list of schools that I will be applying to for medical school. Later that day, we got shawarmas and Vinny had me try Tim Horton's for the very first time. For those of you that don't know, they have Starbucks everywhere in Canada (just like the rest of the world), but what's even more popular in Canada is Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's is famous for their coffees, teas, and donuts. I'd say it more closely resembles Dunkin Donuts than Starbucks. Probably their most iconic drink, the 'Iced Capp' is an iced cappuccino and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I instantly became addicted. I had it three times during my time in Canada I believe. I can't wait till I go back JUST for the Iced Capps.

On Saturday, we hit up the Kensington Market, Eaton Centre and Dundas Square (they spell center as centre up there). It's a very big mall downtown. We also saw the famous Toronto sign that lights up in different colors. Finally we got some bubble tea and just chilled that night. We didn't even really eat dinner, we just ate a bunch of snacks we had! I remember we had a fun day riding the TTC (subway) everywhere, trying to get back to our place. I actually highly appreciate the Toronto transit system; the trains come every 3-5 minutes (Chicago, take some tips).

POUTINE from Smoke's!

The only important thing that happened on Sunday was that I ate Poutine. Poutine needs recognition because my life was changed. Poutine is french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. It is now one of my favorite foods on this Earth. America needs to start selling this stuff everywhere. Other than that, we tried to visit the St. Lawrence Market (it was closed) and the distillery district (which we arrived to too late). But nonetheless, it was fun to walk around the city! We also saw the Toronto sign again, and got to see the CN tower up close.

Monday was hard for me, because i knew I was leaving that night. We didn't do too much that day, but we did get to eat jerk chicken from Jerk King down the street, and it was so so so delicious. Once ten o'clock rolled around, it was time to get to the airport. Me and Vinny said our goodbyes, and it was off to Taiwan and Thailand! I already miss him like crazy. I'm not too sure that I can go 10 months without seeing him...

Perhaps another adventure soon? Knowing me, probably.

I'll update on how Thailand is going soon enough! 

Until next time,
Brandon