New to Canada

Caroline is from France here on a three month internship study at the Toronto Public Library. Following are her experiences when she first arrived.

My first impressions about Toronto
It's huge! When I was looking for the North York Central Library, I discovered that Yonge Street is much longer than France! When I arrived at the airport, I really didn't know how to get to my residence. I didn't know what bus I should take or what subway station or even how to pay for my fares. But in fact, after awhile, it is very easy to find your way in Toronto. The streets are organized and there is TTC maps in all buses and subways. You can also ask the drivers. They are very nice.

First places I visited
On the first weekend, I took the ferry to visit the Toronto Islands. It's very nice! You can bike, walk, swim, lie on the beach, or look at the ducks. I saw the sunset from Hanlan's Point Beach.

Other places
I visited the CN tower – you can see all of Toronto from the top and even Lake Ontario and all the parks between the buildings. There were a lot of free places to go – I went to the Open Doors and visited the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), Inuit Art Museum on Queen's Quay, and old and new City Hall.

Challenges
The most challenging things I faced was trying to improve my English and understand those who speak English especially when they use idioms. But because I want to improve my English, I went to some English classes provided by some Toronto Public Library branches. They were Let's Talk, an English Conversation Circle program. There, I met new friends from all over the world and can learn English in a relaxed atmosphere. I find that if I also go to book clubs, I can improve my listening skills of English.