Its hard to believe that only twelve months ago, Monika and I were newbies in Toronto, staring google-eyed at every CN Tower view, marvelling at all the amazing restaurants, and so excited to be embraced within the creative community in Toronto.
Since June 2017, we have - in stark contrast to Berlin - been stationed and settled into one single home. We have gotten to know the city and the community we live in, and dove head first into our jobs here as marketing and digital entrepreneurs. Thus far, we’ve both celebrated our birthdays, our dating + wedding anniversaries, Easter, Christmas, and New Years, all in Toronto, and suffice it to say, I think we are both beginning to feel like its home.
In the last twelve months, we’ve also been met with some of our most amazing moments in our career and our personal lives, along with some challenging and difficult situations that we truly never believed we would be in. All that to say, this past year in Toronto has definitely come with its fair share of lessons, and today, I am breaking down the top five things I have learnt since living in Canada’s biggest city.
Time differences don’t mean anything to real friends
From Berlin to Toronto, from Calgary to Singapore, from London to Dubai, my realest friends have always found a way to get a hold of me, and to let me know they're thinking about me. And similarly, regardless of where I've been or what I've been doing, I've made time for the real ones. Shoutout fam, ya'll know who you are.
The companies and brands that I have been able to partner with, the experiences I have found myself in, over the last year, are seriously the stuff of dreams. I could have never even imagined that I would partner with Lexus, go backstage at NYFW with Revlon, or attend the CAFA Awards with NARS. But all of that means that there is lots and lots of others, in close vicinity, who are itching for the same thing. And sometimes, when confronted with those colleagues in work settings, it can be uncomfortable.
With limitless opportunities comes a lot of competition
Everyone has a very different definition of friendship
Further to my point about the realest ones, over the last year, I have discovered that (not incorrectly) everyone has a different way in which they define their friendships. People in Toronto seem to categorize their friendships, or maybe it's just at this phase in my life, or maybe its just me? Regardless, the nuance of adult friendships is real, fam.
I assumed this giant city full of different people from 100s of different countries would mean I would keep meeting brand new people who were disconnected. Wrong. My new doctor here in Toronto is from Calgary, and her father (who is also a doctor) is actually my dad's doctor. The city is huge, but like the rest of the world, people are very connected, and I keep meeting people that I know from someone else.
Toronto is a huge but yet still a small city
some have good intentions, some do not
Maybe this is just a 'growing up' thing, but I've talked to a few other people from Toronto, and they're confirmed that a lot of locals here are very cut-throat-y when it comes to their business. And I always believed that everyone came from a place of grace and goodness, but um, no. Some people really just have bad intentions.
This was not meant to be a negative / angry list! As a person growing into my business, my life, and myself, sometimes we need a stern reminder of what life is like, only so we can truly enjoy ourselves and not agonize over why certain things are the way they are. Toronto has been the most amazing time of my life and I can't wait to continue making memories here and learning lessons.
