Summer of ´17

I guess this is what they call „Indian Summer“: incredible hot weather followed by cold spells. Although it currently seems as though the hot weather will never end I am sure that very soon the temperatures will drop.

I love this city and I love this University! There is always something going on and you have an infinite choice of things to do or get involved in. This week was definitely proof of that!

While it was 36°C outside and I spent my days hidden in the lovely airconditioned library the “Invictus Games” took place in Toronto.

The Invictus Games were launched in 2014 by Prince Harry to give wounded and sick veterans the opportunity to compete in various sports. 17 different countries were invited to this year´s Invictus Games and they competed in 12 different disciplines.

I only realized that they were actually hosting some of the athletics events at YorkU when I received an email informing me that my whole road would be shut down for the duration of the event. Thinking this was a great opportunity to go and see the Games (since they would literally take place on my door step) I went online and bought tickets. Unfortunately, tickets for the Closing Ceremony were sold out at that point.

It was an amazing event! The weather was incredible (incredibly hot!) and the crowds created a fantastic atmosphere by cheering wildly and waving flags frantically. The veterans were competing in different categories depending on their injuries/ disabilities. There were people suffering from PTSD to multiple-amputees. There were a couple of moments where I got quite choked up. A guy was being interviewed and he was saying that he was badly paralyzed after he was injured by a bomb in Afghanistan. Two years ago, he could not even hold a spoon to eat his cereals in the morning and his doctors told him he would never be able to walk again. Yet, here he was taking part in the Invictus Games and competing in athletics. Another time a young man won a medal and as he was being honoured and congratulated by all the officials a little boy came running across the field crying “Daddy! Daddy!” and finally hugging his dad´s prosthesis. When he was being interviewed after the ceremony he smiled broadly into the cameras and exclaimed “I am so proud of my Dad!”. Shortly after, when the races started, all the participants lined up at the starting line, their behinds sticking up in the air. As soon as the starting signal sounded the bulk of runners went off. While the first runners were heading for the finish line I noticed that one of the runners must have tripped. Several volunteers were already by his side helping him up. He continued the race, obviously the last one on the track. Nevertheless, the whole audience stood up to give him standing ovations and cheered him on giving him greater support than any of the other participants received. But then, this event was not really about winning. It was about the journey to get there, about challenges, support, hope and endurance!

As the week went on there was a welcome-back event going on called “York Fest” for all the students who returned to campus for another semester of studies. Every day there were several highlights like a Bingo night on Tuesday or Art & Wine on Wednesday. Tory Lanez gave a free concert on Thursday and the “Village Festival” took part on Wednesday. This festival was a bit like those things you sometimes see in American college films where all the student clubs introduce themselves, hand out leaflets and you can sign up to join. Naturally, it was really busy and I had difficulties getting across campus without being included in some kind of musical performance, having to eat sappy donuts or adopting an elephant in Indonesia.

Of course, there were several really interesting clubs among this huge selection of over 300 clubs represented at YorkU. I signed up for the photography club, refugee aid, international students, Tedx Talk and Amnesty International. I do not really know in how far I will be able to get involved in all of these clubs but even if I just go to some of their events, I am sure it will be a great experience!

I was really surprised when I went online during the week and saw that there were a handful of tickets for the Invictus Games Closing Ceremony back on sale. Of course, I grabbed this unique opportunity at once. So on Saturday night we made our way to the well-known Air Canada Centre, a massive big stadium. Our seats were right up the stands but at least we had a good view of everything. Everyone wore bracelets that were lighting up, so it looked as though there were thousands of little fireflies in the stadium. The audience was in a happy mood again, with people cheering and chanting loudly. The show itself was brilliant. Kelly Clarkson was first to perform, then there were a few speeches (as always) from people like Sophie Gregoire Trudeau (Trudeau´s wife) and Miles Teller. Then Bryan Adam entered the stage and the crowd was going crazy to songs like “Summer of ´69”. The next act was none other than Bruce Springsteen who sang some of his songs and was later joined by Bryan Adams to perform together. In the end Prince Harry gave a very inspiring speech. He not only pointed out that the participants of this year´s Games came a long way to be able to compete but now the Games were over, they had all reached their goals. He claimed that anything was possible, if you had the will. Also, he challenged the audience with the question whether we are living up to our true potential and asking us to set ourselves an “Invictus Goal”. I think his speech was really remarkable, because he had a point. There are a lot of people out there struggling and everyone can make an impact. Whether it is the person itself who is struggling, whether it is family and friends or whether it is just anybody getting involved. As Prince Harry has put it: “The sky is the limit”.

When we got out of the Air Canada Centre it was really really cold. Temperatures had dropped to only 6°C. I have never experienced a temperature range in one week that was as crazy as this. Still, the night was not over yet. The city was heaving because not only were several roads blocked (thanks to the Invictus Games) but a contemporary art show called “Nuit Blanche” was spread out throughout downtown. We met all the other Internationals in Yonge Street and made our way through the streets. There were little art shows everywhere, street dancers and musicians of all different styles performed for passers-by and an amazing art setup was displayed in Nathan Philips Square, featuring a giant hot-air balloon.

As I said, this city never gets boring. There is always something to do or something to see and sometimes you even get to see great stars and a sparkle of Royalty.