Winter Is Coming

Winter is coming and I was in desperate need of a proper coat. I did bring my winter coat from Germany with me, thinking it would do. Unfortunately, I was cold already. And it would only get colder. Therefore, I took a study break to go downtown and look for a coat. I was hunting high and low for a nice coat but I had real difficulties finding an affordable coat that fit. Either the sleeves were too long or the coat was too long in general or it was too tight at the chest. One shop assistant even tried selling me a coat that was literally dragging on the floor. I got really fed up and frustrated. It did not help that the shops were naturally heaving at this time of year and people were pushing and shoving. In the end I found a really nice coat which I loved. Only trouble was that the fur trim on the hood was real fur. Normally, I hate people wearing real fur and I would never buy a coat like that myself. I found that it is really hard finding a coat that has faux fur on it here in Canada. Mostly, all of the coats have real fur on their hoods. I don´t know whether it is some kind of tradition originating from the Native Inuit or so. Anyway, I ended up buying that coat with its fur trim. On the one hand I was relieved I eventually got out of the shopping mall and I did not have to freeze anymore, on the other hand I felt awfully guilty. I did my research though and apparently the Canadian government supports hunting local coyotes (which is what the fur is on my coat) because there are too many of them. Still, the methods that are being used to kill those poor little creatures are horrifying. So, I admit that I have blood on my hands and I am well aware of it. Maybe I can donate some money to some wildlife charity for Christmas to make up for it though…

Just a few days after buying the coat it started snowing. I had spent all day studying in the library, so I was quite amazed when it started to snow. And it wasn´t just a few snowflakes. These were really big snowflakes! It did not take long for the flakes to form a thick layer of snow covering the whole landscape outside. Therefore, I had to take a walk through the snow. It was really peaceful. Since lectures are over now and exam period just started there was rarely anybody left on campus. I stomped through the thick fresh snow totally enjoying the crunching sounds my shoes made.

Apart from these little joys, there wasn´t a lot to enjoy these days. In fact, the last weeks at Uni were rather stressful, because I had to study a lot while there were still several assignments due. Also, there were several power cuts on campus. This made working rather difficult, since there was neither electricity nor WIFI. Even the shops in York Lanes shut down, so there was no food. Still, it was rather spooky being stuck in the library with all the lights turned off and a handful of students walking around with torches. The situation reminded me a bit of one of those horror movies....

Meanwhile, I had a terrible nightmare one night. In my dream it was time for me to leave Toronto to go back home to Germany. I was in my room on Campus nowhere near ready to leave, since all my belongings were still scattered across the room, while the housing people were already knocking on my door urging me to leave. To be honest, this isn´t the worst nightmare I ever had but I was a bit stressed out the next morning, keeping in mind that this dream will soon become reality. And thinking about it, this dream made me realise that my departure was approaching far too soon.

It´s quite sad that now that I got settled here at YorkU I am uprooted yet again and chucked out. I can´t even stay in my room during Christmas. I met so many nice people while I was here and I learned so much that it´s hard to just leave it all behind. Still, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to come here and the experience of it all definitely had a great impact on me. It feels like I have been here forever and still, I am not quite ready to leave just yet. This is why I talked to my travel agent and I changed my flights going back home. Now, I am staying until February! Also, with all the trips and adventures that I have planned for the next few weeks I will be travelling more than 10.000 kilometers. So, there is definitely a lot to look forward to. Canada, I am not done with you yet!