#12 - Toronto

​Toronto was never my 1st choice…
I immigrated to this city when I was 16 - honestly, I did not even know where Toronto is.
I was a troubled kid back in Taiwan, so much trouble that I got expelled from my high school (for not wanting to wear a uniform - yes, a small thing like that was a big deal in the Asian Education System). Because I have traveled abroad for summer schools twice, one is in San Francisco, and the other one was L.A - and I absolutely loved both, so my original plan was to go to U.S.A - YEAH! ​

Back in 2002, U.S.A was everything I could dream of; from the O.C. to the Disneyland, from Backstreet Boys to Brad Pitt, I couldn’t wait to get out of Taiwan and started a new life in America. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I was too young, and my parents were not going to accompany me, so after a thorough discussion with people from my church, they’ve decided that U.S.A was not a good idea. There are too many temptations and potential troubles. Instead, Canada became the choice! 

So yeah, that’s how I ended up in Toronto at the age of 16. I've lived with my high school teachers as my legal guardians, and after years of living in this country, I finally became a Canadian citizen in 2008.

Now looking back, I can proudly say that it was indeed one of the best decisions my parents had made for me. Sure, I probably wouldn't end up badly if I was in the U.S, but to be able to grow up in Canada and especially in Toronto, was such a beautiful thing! 

The city was so lovely, the people were so friendly, and I honestly had no encounter with racism or discrimination, in fact, I felt like home ever since the first day. Now two decades later, Toronto has become one of the most popular cities in North America and the world, and with the current situations in the U.S, I can honestly say that I felt fortunate to be here. 

Toronto is one of the top 10 safeties city in the world - https://safecities.economist.com/safe-cities-index-2019/
1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Singapore
3. Osaka, Japan
4. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
5. Sydney, Australia
6. Toronto, Canada
7. Washington DC, U.S.A.
8. Copenhagen, Denmark (8/9)
9. Seoul, South Korea (8/9)
10. Melbourne, Australia


Top 10 most liveable cities on Earth - https://www.eiu.com/n/
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Sydney, Australia
4. Osaka, Japan
5. Calgary, Alberta
6. Vancouver, B.C.
7. Toronto, Ontario / Tokyo, Japan
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
9. Adelaide, Australia


So to sum up, it’s a great city with massive immigrations so you will always feel like home no matter where you come from. It’s close to America, and you can access to all the top schools, companies, entertainments and be able to learn English for yourself or your children. It’s much safer than the U.S and much cleaner than many parts of the world. The economy is strong, the land is spacious, and the living condition is fantastic. 
If you ever have a chance to visit, be sure to say hi 🙂 

https://youtu.be/7uY0Ab5HlZ0
Here are the top 10 places to visit in Toronto. 


CN Tower
https://www.cntower.ca/intro.html


Royal Ontario Museum
https://www.rom.on.ca/en


Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
https://www.ripleyaquariums.com/canada/


Rogers Centre
 https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/ballpark


 Art Gallery of Ontario
http://www.ago.net/


Casa Loma
http://www.casaloma.org/


St. Lawrence Market
 http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/


City Hall & Nathan Philips Square


Eaton Center
 https://www.cfshops.com/toronto-eaton-centre.html


Distillery District
 http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/


High Park
 http://highparktoronto.com/


Toronto Islands


Hockey Hall of Fame
 www.hhof.com


Day Trip to Niagara Falls