all grown up...

Summer in Toronto part 2….

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:27:00 -0400

Farewell Barry

Summer in Toronto part 2….

Summer in Toronto

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:14:00 -0400

Summer in Toronto

Someone once said …”I love Summer in Ireland, it’s my favourite day of the...

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:55:00 -0400

Someone once said …”I love Summer in Ireland, it’s my favourite day of the year.”

One warm summers day in Ireland and we run for the sun-cream, whip out the wind-breakers and head for the beach, only to come home a few hours later, our bodies beaten down by the rays. Our pale Irish skin just not meant to be left out in the sun! A day like this lifts the mood of the nation, putting a spring in our step, a glint in our eye and a Wibbly Wobbly Wonder in our hand. It’s a magical day that will be recalled for the rest of the year.

Dressed like the Michelin Man going for a trek in the Arctic, when we left home for Toronto in January, the last thing we expected or prepared for was the heat. The second May rolled around we started to feel quite stuffy in our cosy little apartment, unable to comprehend how it had become so warm overnight. By June we were begging for an air conditioning unit and the second-hand fan we acquired was the centre of the room and our attention. Every sweeping movement, a chance of a brief respite from the deadly heat.

‘You don’t have air conditioning?” the Canadians mock, “..and how many of you live in the house?” In fairness they did warn us but, coming from a country with 25 degrees is a heat wave we didn’t heed to their suggestions. Well it looks like the joke was on us. Even now that we have an air conditioning unit, which only has one speed we like to call hurricane mode, the heat and humidity are something to behold. Long gone are the duvets and the warm pj’s, replaced instead by cotton sheets and t-shirts.

The boys seems to be thriving on the heat, neither of them recognisable any more, with their golden locks and mocha coloured skin. The girls slightly less enamoured by the change in temperature guessing by the stack of sun creams in our room. So it’s a toss up between soaring heat in Toronto or rainy summers days in Ireland, neither entirely satisfying to me but one thing is for sure, no matter where in the world we go, the Irish will always have something to say about the weather!

Three new additions to the ever growing Irish family in...

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:47:00 -0400

Kate

Mary

Dee

Three new additions to the ever growing Irish family in Toronto; Kate, our favourite and for definite final house-mate. Mary, who apparently in her year off has joined some pop band called One Direction? And finally Dee, who could be spotted frequenting our sofa at weekends, with rumours that she now lives in a house made for small people;D Delighted to have you girls!

Julie’s Birthday Cake….yet another fine example of...

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:31:13 -0400

Julie’s Birthday Cake….yet another fine example of Delia’s cooking

Delia's Kitchen

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:46:00 -0400

My dad has this running joke that ‘Mr. Kipling’ does all the baking in our house… well my mother wouldn’t be known for her great cooking so it’s probably true; however all is different in Canada. From bread and butter pudding that would melt your heart, to cupcakes that would rival even the great Mr. Kipling’s, one thing is for sure Delia Duane Roche has a talent for baking. Ever since the master chef has arrived in Canada we have been treated to dessert Fridays, pancake Saturdays and cupcake Sundaes (see what I did there :) We all wait in anticipation for Friday to roll around to see what treat we’re in for, the recipes always a well-guarded secret.

Recently Delia has taken her baking to the next level, focusing on creating the most incredible cupcakes possible, designing new flavour combinations, icings and fillings. And who better to be her taste testers than us of course. With at least two different variations a weekend and her black book of recipes a promise for more to come, we must be the luckiest housemates in the world. Mam if you read this I miss you, your cooking not so much, but when I come home we’re adopting Delia so we can all share her wonderful desserts and you never know we might be able to get her to do the dinners as well!

Well, that’s all for now.

Julie

P.S. Happy Birthday Mam xxx

A flavour of Delia’s cooking

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:40:00 -0400

Cinnamon Rolls

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Smore Brownies

A flavour of Delia’s cooking

Highways, Borders and Buffalo's - our trip to Niagara Falls

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:12:00 -0400

It’s the Friday morning of ‘St Patty’s’ weekend in Toronto, the whole city is getting ready for the celebrations, so what do The Four Musketeers decide to do? Drive to Buffalo, New York of course!

So with oreos on board and a couple of practice laps around the car park under the belt the intrepid explorers head for Niagara. ‘Nancy’ the sat-nav leads us astray a few times (although I’m pretty sure she was supposed to keep us out of trouble) but we soon hit the freeway heading south…

After about an hour and a half, we’re nearing our destination, but what’s a road trip without a little detour? Luckily ’not so clever’ Nancy knows where all the IHOPs are (that’s the ‘International House of Pancakes’ for anyone not as obsessed as our driver) and after filling up we’re back running on full tanks so we get on the road again.

A little while later we arrive at the Falls, on the Canadian side of course. These are the amazing falls, horse shoe contours, thundering water with the rainbow emerging from the depths of the mists far below. An awe inspiring experience it has to be said.

About a hundred photographs later we decide it is high time we got some shopping done. Now Nancy figured it should take us roughly just under an hour to reach our destination in Buffalo. Unfortunately for us, she didn’t quite factor in crossing the border. Here, passports were handed over, waiting was done, questions were answered, forms were filled out, fingerprints taken and finally, entrance to the States was granted. For anyone else attempting a trip across the border ‘sightseeing’ is not an acceptable answer to the question “what do you plan on doing in Buffalo?” as apparently this only takes an hour.

After finally making it across the border we headed for the mall. Two hours later, laden with bags it was time to figure out somewhere to rest our heads for the night. The Holiday Inn was ready and waiting for us. We got checked in, had a quick jump on the bed and to stay in keeping with experiencing American institutions Denny’s was visited.

Now a trip to America just wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a bar. We asked a resident expert (a taxi driver of course) where would be best and he dropped us at the local ‘hot spot’. This turned out to be a tiny establishment with about 30 patrons. This didn’t deter us though, many chats were had, a game of darts interrupted, a few more photos and a little bit of (Irish) dancing done before we called it a night.

Saturday morning was spent taking tags off our purchases and disposing of, what could be considered by most standards perhaps, one too many Hollister bags. Then it was a quick lumberjack’s breakfast and a basket of puppies to go from Denny’s before heading Home Sweet Home to Toronto in time to celebrate our Patron Saint’s Day.

Until next time America,

Musketeers Out xoxo

Our Trip to Niagara Falls…

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:00:00 -0400

Our Trip to Niagara Falls…

Barry's Article for 'Ragmag'

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:02:19 -0400

Moving to Toronto

By Barry O’Shea.

Arriving in Toronto to a snowstorm set the tone for what would turn out to be a difficult yet exciting month of establishing a base in the metropolis on the shores of Lake Ontario. Like many Irish people I have made the move across the pond on a year out from University. From bank accounts to phone plans, gym memberships to apartment rental and the all important job search the process can leave you exhausted and frustrated with the seemingly endless ‘red tape’ and fast pace of life in this large city. Prior research and putting in the hard work initially means less time living out of a suitcase in your hostel and more time to get out and explore this exciting, vast and refreshingly upbeat city with its can-do attitude, as well as saving you a lots of cash on temporary accommodation. It’s all too easy to kick start your Canadian experience with a few ‘sociables’ in one of Toronto’s Irish Bars but if you can resist partying for a few weeks a clear head will do you wonders and leave you mentally prepared for this life changing experience.

One of the first tasks you will likely undertake upon arrival is sorting yourself out with either a Canadian phone or a Canadian SIM for your unlocked Irish phone. Be sure to shop around, as there are multiple providers and phone plans are complex, expensive and contract based. Lets face it, without a Canadian number it’s difficult for potential landlords and employers to contact you. Next you will need to get your social insurance number and bank account. In order to work legally the SIN is mandatory, again, I would stress that this should be applied for on arrival. There are numerous locations where you can obtain this card including Toronto City Hall. Next up is a bank account. Definitely shop around for what best suits your needs. In order to obtain a Canadian bank account you will need a permanent address, however, to rent an apartment or house you need a Canadian bank account… go figure! This is just one of the frustrating aspects of starting afresh in a new country so use that Irish charm, it will get you places. Explain your situation and use a friend or family’s address in Canada if you’re lucky enough to have any as a temporary measure.

Toronto is Canada’s largest and most populous city with 5,583,064 in the metropolitan area so the rental search can be daunting, however, there’s something out there to suit all tastes and budgets. If you’re looking for central yet affordable then you won’t do better than Bloor and Spadina in the ultra hip Annex district that attracts lecturers, grad students and the likes. The Annex is minutes from downtown on the subway and is stocked full of great second hand book-stores, art shops and coffee houses lining Bloor Street. Dufferin is a viable alternative with a large Irish population, good connections to downtown via the subway and close to grocery stores and Korea town eateries. Be prepared for endless paperwork, guarantor’s letters and requests for references from previous landlords when applying for rental. Having some of this paperwork prepared before you leave will save you a lot of headaches and phone calls home. It takes time for rental applications to be finalized so if you want to get out of the hostel you will be lodging in initially get onto the hunt early.

Of course the next and most pressing issue is getting a job. Craigslist is a good starting point as are the numerous classified papers you will find on sidewalks and subway stations. Canada is riding through the economic storm somewhat unscathed and Canadians are proud of this. Employment is easy to find for service jobs and in call centre’s. Professional jobs do take that bit longer so the advice here would be to take anything initially and then give yourself time to seek employment in your field. Yes there are many daunting aspects to making the move not least the endless interviews and apartment viewings and yes you will miss the Barry’s Tea and the mild weather back home. However, there are so many advantages to spending some time in this great vast country. From winter sports, big city life, to being within an hours flight time of major US cities such as Chicago and New York there are endless reasons to make the move not least the refreshing positivity of the country.

Photo

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:09:05 -0400

Phil

Barry

Delia

Julie

So here it all begins.......

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:54:00 -0400

We have just graduated from college and with little hope of getting experience in architecture at home we have ventured to Toronto, Canada with the aim of getting jobs, exploring new cultures, making new friends but most of all having fun. We have started this blog so our friends and family at home can see how we are getting on and to help document all the adventures we are sure to get up to on our travels. Our group includes Phil (the astute businessman who is set to be a millionaire any day now), Delia (the mother who looks after us all and bakes amazing cakes), Barry (the caring, artistic home-maker) and me, Julie (the group messer and ice cream addict).

The beautiful thank you card we got off Andrea :D

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:53:00 -0400

The beautiful thank you card we got off Andrea :D

Photo

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:36:23 -0400