Life is easy in Canada. Sure, moving to a new place across an ocean has challenges. But Toronto is a good place to settle in. It’s a vast land, and there is not much infrastructure. So, one of the next tasks will be to find a good 4x4. But the main challenge lies not in Canada but still back in Europe. There is a boat to store and potentially transport over to the new world. There is a “Dacha” to finish and a home to dissolve. It is funny that the main administrative challenges are not to settle in Canada, but to leave Germany.

Where I live, East of Toronto (pronounce “Tronno”) people are very friendly. That’s the reputation of Canadians and it really is true. But who is Canadian, really? It’s such a mélange, and it feels just natural to be an immigrant and much as it is to be born in Canada or being the descendant of those living here for many centuries. I consider it a great privilege to have the opportunity to spend a part of my life in this country - a little unprepared, but this is how it always was.

I always say, that if you want to know how friendly people really are, then look at their dogs. They are such a good mirror of society. Dogs here are a playful, peaceful, but of the tough type. When I watch my 28 kg Australian Shepherd, playing in the morning on the beach of Lake Ontario with a 90 kg sled dog that looks like just coming from Iditarod, I sometimes hold my breath. But, except a few scratches, it always goes well.

I listen to the French Radio on 90.30 MHz (FM) and I love it. It is a different kind of French. It’s not what you would call sophisticated, but it’s super cool. But who am I to judge French accents? I also will brush up my Chinese. Like in many former British Colonies, it’s not easy to get quality food supplies. So, I stroll to Chinatown for shopping, and it’s wonderful.

But I am not in Canada, to dwell in a city. It’s a frontier country. It is a country rich of beauty, minerals, natural gas, coal, even gold. It’s time to make plans how to explore all this.