Day 250 – June 29th

Today is one of those days where the true spirit of Toronto comes to the fore…………and the full diversity of the city I now call home becomes apparent, in fact I would be amazed if the events I describe later could ever take place in Britain (Or at least the parts of Britain that I’ve lived in) but that is for later as today was one of those days that seemingly stretched on for ever.

It started with a 9:30 pilates session and it is fair to say the shine has been removed considerably from my Pilates instructor, I am not sure if it as a result of her (probably not) or the pain in my left hip (probably so) that occurs but I no longer enjoy the sessions and as a result will not be renewing when my current contact expires.

I go for my traditional Sunday stroll earlier than usual so that I can catch the Spain/Germany game on TV. I choose to watch the game in Dundas Square and am surrounded by mainly Spaniards a few Germans and a splattering of other nationalities like myself. The game is actually a good one considering the importance of it and being English am obviously pleased with a Spanish win, even more so because the winning goal is scored by a player of the club team I support Fernando Torres of Liverpool…….it is a good goal, but what oh what is the German keeper thinking. For a split second I feel for the German’s but soon things return to normal.

The Spanish are singing and dancing in the square, the Germans whilst disappointed are conceding defeat graciously and the rest of the crowd are having a great time singing and dancing in the street…….there is no trouble and no one appears to feel as though they are in danger and this is where the first striking difference between my old and new country becomes apparent. The most diverse city in the UK is probably London but can I imagine a huge street party going down in Trafalgar square to celebrate a world cup final between say France and Italy probably not.

Following this I catch the end of the Pride Parade and again this is in stark contrast to where I have lived before, can I imagine a huge party to celebrate peoples sexual diversity occurring where people of all races, creeds, nationalities and sexual orientations come together and party as one. Again probably not, and the day people of all ages can walk past a temporary store called “Your Jockstrap” without even regarding it as anything out of the ordinary is again something I had not previously witnessed prior to moving to TO.

Sitting back in my apartment as the evening draws to a close, the full extent of the diversity of the city hits me like a truck…………..and once again I am proud to call Toronto home.

Mood for the day 9 out of 10.