hurricanes and jelly beans

Last night we had the most beautiful first snowfall I have ever seen. At 2 in the morning, big, fat flakes began falling on Toronto, and it was so refreshing. I love snow, because it just feels magical and covers the entire city in a fresh beginning, as cheesy as that sounds.

I went running out in my flip flops and pajama pants and wandered around alone in the blizzard. It was one of those moments where I cannot believe how fortunate I am to be living in such a beautiful place, and I'm unsure if there's a more beautiful one in the world.

When I stand on my doorstep, I see a beautiful courtyard and buildings from the 1800s. Literally. And if I walk for about 30 seconds, I can see the front campus of my college and the front of its buildings, or the most stunning, hidden away courtyard I have ever seen. Alone, with snow falling, by moonlight, I have never felt more fortunate or at peace. I love it here.

Here are some photos of my college in winter, although unfortunately not the hidden courtyard, which is my favourite place in the world.

This is the front of my college, attached to the buildings beside my residence and about a 5 second walk from where I live:




This is Croft Chapter House, one of the original buildings of the university. It is one, large, dome-shaped room which has twinkling lights and a chandelier and is part of all of the other buildings. You can see it both from my doorstep and the front of the college. This is also where I attend our student council meetings:



This is my residence, Sir Daniel Wilson, and part of its courtyard. The bottom photo is of my house in particular, Loudon (yes, houses like Harry Potter.)




Finally, these are photos of the view from my doorstep. These buildings are part of the "U" shape including the front campus first shown and the Croft Chapter House. The "U" hides my favourite hidden courtyard, which I get to through the archway in the second photo, which is directly across from my doorway. In both pictures, you can also see the large and stunning stone patio.




I'm truly in heaven. I'm much happier, but it's also difficult for me to concentrate. Thank goodness my last exam is on Friday morning. After that, I am immediately going skating with some friends in Nathan Phillips Square.



Then after that, Jasmine is coming to visit! As I've previously mentioned, every year my parents and I go to see Stuart McLean do his annual Christmas show. However, given that I've moved away, I'm not able to go with them anymore. Because she's lovely and we share a passion for CBC and storytelling, she's coming with me to see him in Convocation Hall, which is literally 30 seconds from my doorstep as well (my, isn't everything just convenient)!



I really started to feel good and the Christmas spirit again when I went caroling with some friends for Unicef. My face is looking unusually shiny, and my eyes are closed, but I'm wearing my favourite scarf and my new coat. We sang our fool hearts out on busy street corners like Bay and Bloor, and sounded horrible but enthusiastic, and people enjoyed it! We ended up raising $125 in an hour, I was so proud.



More Christmas tales to come!