Well. That's it. I'm currently sat in bed watching "Goals of the Season 1999/2000" at 4.04am. It's cold. I just had a bag of Quavers. I think I'm generally considered to be at home. A chapter of my life is over. Time for a sum up.

Last time I communicated with you through the medium of blog, I was preparing to go on my trip to D.C., which you can read about below if you haven't worked that out yet, Dorkus McCorkus. But before that, there was a few things to sort out. I left work a few days before my trip, which I can honestly say, in the end, was pretty sad. I've made some great friends through work and although it wasn't the best job I've ever had, it wasn't the worst, and everyone made me feel very at home in Toronto. There genuinely wasn't that many days where I really didn't want to go in due to the people I'd see there. And thanks to work, I've watched a helluva lot of movies over the 11 months and it's finally got me hooked on em' forever. Let's just say it's gonna be hard to fork out any paper from my wallet to watch a movie on a big screen from now on.

When I got back from my trip, I had only a few days to pack my life in Toronto up. Some into a bag, some into a bin. I closed my bank account, I picked up my life-saving tax return and I bought some stuff for the folks back home. On the last day, I handed my keys back to my landlord and being the absolute gent that he was, he didn't even want me to clean the room. My easy-going landlord was one of the best parts of living at 1959 Dufferin Street and I was lucky to have a bloke who once let me pay my rent two weeks late so I could buy a Metropass. A lot of people came and went from the house so it was generally just a place to sleep and doss after work or on days off if I wasn't hanging out at someone else's. It was a bit of a shithole to be honest (bastard mouse) and I probably could have moved, but then, you could say the same thing about the job.. and the city. I was clearly at home and didn't really need to move.

The last night was awesome, but totally sad. As I said, I've made some really good friends in Toronto, especially through work, and especially (but not limited to) those beautiful people in the picture above. It's always hard to say goodbye, but at the end of the day, that's the nature of travelling. I've seen a lot of lovely, interesting people come and go as well, but I can honestly say there's plenty I care about both in Toronto now and others who went back to their respective countries.. and to those, I will see again. Some sooner, some later. Thanks for making my year what is was. You people know who you are and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!111

Ahem, ok, wipe away the tears. So I got on the plane last Friday now, with a hangover and generally, it was just an annoying flight. There was a bloody baby crying and there wasn't anything good to watch and I was sat in the middle and the food was shite and it took too long. Then I had to lug all my luggage into London and hang around for ages and then get a cramped coach back to Leeds. It was cold (total culture shock, I've been wearing shorts since May), it was wet and it was depressing.

Unlike Toronto at this time of year. Ah, Toronto. Looking back at the city I can fully appreciate how much I enjoyed living there. When people ask me what I like about it, I kind of struggle to answer them. I don't really know. Perhaps it's because there's so much to do and so many places to go and that walking five minutes in one direction can take you into another world or another culture. Perhaps it's because you can walk around pretty much any area at any time and feel completely safe, unlike any other city I've visited. The people may be accused of being unfriendly, but they rarely brawl in the streets and everyone, no matter what race or wherever you're from (and there's a helluva lot) get on, like a big fucking Benetton advert. The transport system may be accused of being outdated, but you can go pretty much anywhere 24 hours a day. I just think Toronto works as a city, and in the right context, I would love to call it my permanent home. The events of the G20 just show how shocking an upheaval it was to people who are genuinely proud of their city. If you're ever in the area, seriously, visit. You'll bladdy lav it.

Obviously there was things I missed when I was away and now I'm home I've been lauding them up as much as possible, especially seeing my friends and family again, the cheapness of certain things (Toronto isn't cheap), the countryside, certain foods and, of course, my Xbox. However, now I've been savagely bitten by the big city, I'm going to find it hard to stay in Menston for too long. I'll now jump at any opportunity to both go out further into the world and see things and live, at least in the next few years, in a vibrant place like Toronto.

My plans at the moment are all still a bit up in the air, mainly because it really hasn't quite sunk in that I'm back at home for the forseeable futures. It's kind of weird to be honest. It's like I never left, but just odd that I've been removed from Toronto and placed in a different world, at home with my parents. So, once I've found a job (journalism or not), I'll look to move out and onwards and upwards, yeah? But there's every chance I could be back in Canada sooner than I thought, especially since I'm allowed to do another working visa before I'm 30.

If I have any regrets for my year away, it would be that it's been kind of non-Canadian. Yeah, I lived and worked in Canada and made Canadian friends, but Toronto isn't particularly "Canadian". I originally planned to do more travelling in Canada and go to Vancouver but that didn't happen due to money, but if I come back, will be the most likely place, a long with some proper Canadian lauding; dressing up as a mountie, riding a moose and shouting "Eh buddy, it's aboot time ya moved" (yeah, they do say words like that, no lie) whilst eating a box of Timbits.

So that's it. Thanks for reading the blog this year and I will carry on with.. well.. at least movie reviews. All that remains to be said is... thanks Toronto. You're lovely.

Love,

Paul