This Essay article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Waiting for summer to come is "like waiting for rain in this drought. Useless and disappointing," as Hilary Duff once said. When the summer season does actually arrive in Toronto, the serotonin levels are finally balanced, and people in the city are ready to live their best lives.
However, with that come many odd experiences. For somebody like myself, who grew up in a hot and humid environment, I find some things weird and unusual.
Thus, here is a list of some of the things that caught my attention when I moved to Canada from the Middle East that some may say are a little strange.
1. Kayaking from the city to the island
Kayaking in Toronto.Katyenka | Dreamstime
It's not the actual act of kayaking that confuses me but rather the idea that people willingly want to take a kayak into a very, very, cold lake, and it's sort of their own mission to try and make it to the island.
The worst about this, in my opinion, is not being able to swim because it's so cold. Then, once you get to the island, not only are you too exhausted to make it back to the home base, but you don't even hop off the kayak and take the beautiful island in because you're running out of time!
As much as I enjoy water sports, this particular Torontonian activity seems pretty odd to me.
2. Using the sidewalk as a bike lane
Why oh why is it always so annoying to walk around the city during the best months of the year? Well, it's not because the whole population of Toronto is walking on the sidewalk (as if that wasn't crowded enough). It's mainly because bikes have made their way onto the pavement too.
People, pigeons, dogs, and bikes? Just no.
Oh, and what about those new electric scooters? Are you a bike? A vehicle? Or a pedestrian? You've got to choose one, and it can't be all of the above.
What's odder about this scenario is people constantly changing their viewpoint about this issue depending on whether they are the cyclist or the pedestrian, and it's freaking hilarious.
3. Buying Blue Jays tickets and leaving early or going late
Mira at a Blue Jays game.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity
It seems to be a standard agreement when it comes to a baseball game, that a ticket holder could arrive late or leave early, and it's not an unusual decision.
Whereas, if you were leaving a Raptors game early or arriving late, you'd be looked at from the bleachers.
Torontonians support the Blue Jays with all their hearts, but are they going to the Rogers Centre for the hotdogs or the game? I'm honestly not too sure.
4. Going to a pool club in your bathing suit but never actually using the pool
Whether it's Cabana or the rooftop swimming pool in the Radisson Blu in Toronto, no one actually swims!
In Dubai, where I'm from, if there is a pool of water in front of you, you will swim because it's just weird not to do so. Why wear a swimsuit if you're not going to take a dip?
When I first went to Cabana in Toronto and was told we were going to a beach club, I actually thought we were going to chill around the pool and swim. We both know how that went down.
5. Full on tanning sessions in parks
Okay, Torontonians don't swim in pools but they tan in parks?
This is odd. I've spotted people in their swimsuits with tanning oil in one hand and water in the other, lying in the park and soaking in the sun. Questionable health decision aside, where are you going to go after you're boiling hot and there isn't a body of water into which to jump?
6. Iced Coffee
Iced coffee.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity
I'm guilty of this as well but I didn't realize its craziness until I got to Canada. Still, as soon as the city hits the double-digit mark, cafes better have enough ice because Torontonians are coming running.
It makes sense, warm coffee in the cold and cold coffee in the summer. However, some Torontonians also think that 10 degrees C is iced coffee appropriate, and that is weird.
Listen, I'm not saying that people should stop doing what they are doing. In fact, it makes Toronto the city we all love today, but some things are just odd and it's okay to question them.