Introduction

I can't believe the summer is over!

Over the past two months many people have come to study English at CISS at Trinity. People have come from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Taiwan, and Japan. People have visited some amazing places in and around Toronto.

So many students have written about their experiences and over the next few weeks I am going to add these articles to this blog. The articles are grouped according to their theme.

Happy reading!

General Reflections

Here, at the CISS at Trinity Programme, I have really enjoyed improving my English with other students from other countries. I've made a lot of friends! People should come here and visit Toronto because this city has something special to offer ... really!
Christina - Spain


It's always nice to meet people from different places. There are a lot of different countries represented at school and it's so much fun to learn about the customs of others. If you like to make friends, this is a very good place to do so. Moreover, this part of Toronto, University of Toronto's campus, is beautiful. There are a lot of things to see near Toronto as well, such as Niagara Falls. I think you would like this place very much.
Gautier - France


I've been here for three weeks and I have met so many nice people from other countires. I will especially remember two girls from Germany, Antonia and Laura. I have also met many wonderful people from Japan. I'll never forget these friends and I'm sure we'll meet again someday! It has been really nice to meet all of these wonderful people. I have not only improved my English but I have also learned to say things in other languages!
Alisa - Taiwan


While in Canada I have visited so many places, like the CN Tower and the Roger's Centre (to see a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game!). I will also go to see a basketball game (Canada versus France) at the Air Canada Centre. One of the greatest experiences I have had in Toronto was my trip to Toronto Island. It was relaxing to stay on the island and it was energizing to go kayaking in Lake Ontario! Walking around Chinatown and Little Italy was a new way to experience different cultures in Toronto!
Sergio - Spain


Toronto has a lot of museums, gallaries, theatres, and other interesting things to see. I enjoyed exploring the gallaries in the Distillary District. An amazing place I will always remember is Kensington Market, one of the most multicultural places in the city. If you want to relax you should visit Toronto Island and view the skyline of the city in the evening. It's amazing!
Pablo - Spain


Spending three weeks with CISS at Trinity College will be an unforgettable memory. I have improved my English a lot because there are friends from all over the world. With a positive attitude it has been easy for me to get used to living here. One of my favourite places is Canada's Wonderland. There are so many exciting rollercoaster rides in this park! I will never forget Toronto!
Lily - Taiwan


Toronto was a very nice place to improve my English and to meet wonderful people from different countries. I met my Kartoffel, which includes Ighor, Rosie, Lilly, J, Mario, Marco, Javier, Gautier, and Timothee. We all have big plans to visit each other! It would be difficult to write about one person so I have mentioned nine special friends! Thank you!
Antonia - Germany

I have had a lot of special eperiences in Toronto but in my opinion the best experience has been getting to know and speak with other students. In classes, on walks, on field trips, at lunch and at dinner I have spoken to many people. English has been the perfect tool and the best way to open my mind and life these unforgettable moments. If I had to choose one special place it would be Niagara Falls. The first place I thought of when I chose this country was Niagara Falls because I had always believed that the falls would be an impressive place to visit and it was true! I felt very small next to the falls. Visiting places with Sandra, Ana, Paqui, Gerogina, Africa, Paqui, Georgina, Arisa and Megumi was very special.

Monica - Spain

At first I was nervous because my English is poor and I'm shy. But I enjoyed Canadian life so much because everyone was kind and friendly. I spoke with a lot of students about our different cultures. My dream is to become an English teacher. This experience has helped me to improve not only my academic skills in English (i.e. grammar) but also my communication skills. Even if I cannot speak perfect English it is important to try to talk with as many people as possible. I have had a wonderful time and I want to thank everyone for everything!

Nozomi - Japan

This summer I got to meet so many people from so many different places. I have met people from Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, and so on. I'm sure I will see some of these students again. Six weeks is a lot of time to spend with people. Every Saturday was very sad because some students would leave to return to their homes every week. Mondays were exciting though because that's when we got to meet students who just arrived. Spending six weeks away from home can be difficult at times and I'm happy that some of my friends cheered me up whenever I missed my family. I think the best place in the city is Toronto Island. I love it! It has an amazing view of the city and it also has some nice beaches. The view of the city from the island at night is spectacular!

Paqui - Spain

I think it's important to learn to speak English because so many people use it around the world. I would like to work in film. Toronto has helped me over the past four weeks, first with the classroom and second with meeting so many different people. I will never forget my time staying at Trinity College.

Timothee - France

Toronto Island

Toronto is a really fantastic city, not only for the very friendly people but also for its many wonderful places to visit. I've visited many famous spots and I think the nicest place in the city is Toronto Island. It's a great place because you can totally relax and and enjoy nature. This summer is memorable and unforgetable for me because Toronto is an awesome city!
Irene - Taiwan


Last weekend I had a super awesome time with one of my best friends on Toronto Island. We stayed there for nearly a whole day and we had a lot of fun swimming in the water, sunbathing, biking, picnicing, and having a nice nap on the grass. I had such a sweet time and I will never forget any second of that day!
Jo An - Taiwan


I visited Toronto Island and had a great time there. I went with my best friend there and had fun riding a bike. We sunbathed. The wind was very comfortable and the view of Toronto was amazing! Toronto Island was my best experience in Canada!
Sanio - Taiwan


In my opinion the nicest place I've visited in Toronto is Toronto Island. If you're stressed or you need time for yourself, ust take a boat from the port and in a few minutes you'll discover the calm atmosphere of the island. Toronto Island offers a lot of activities. You can rent a bike or a canoe, you can go to the beach or have a BBQ while watching Toronto's beautiful skyline in the evening. While on the island you'll think you're far away from Toronto but you can actually get back to the city in about ten minutes. It's amazing!
Adrian - Spain

Canada's Wonderland

My special experience in Toronto was going to Canada's Wonderland on Wednesday August 11th. It was very cool because we played some exciting games and tried to do everything that was available in the park! My favourite part of Wonderland is all the different roller coasters. We had to line up and wait to go on the roller coasters but the rides were amazing! I love Toronto!
Noah - Taiwan


I think that going to Wonderland was my favourite part of Toronto. It is very different than Taiwan and for me that made it fun!
Zoe - Taiwan


Toronto is a really nice city and I will never forget it! There are a lot of interesting places to visit in and around the city. One of my favourite places in Canada is Wonderland. It has many thrilling rides and I had a wonderful time visiting the park with some of my friends!
Jones - Taiwan

Sushi on Bloor

I would love to go back to Sushi on Bloor because this restaurant has many delicious Japanese dishes. The green tea at Sushi on Bloor tastes very good! Also, the sashimi is very fresh. If you want to try some nice Chinese food, go to China Garden. It isn't expensive and it's a big restaurant.

Cherry - Taiwan

I like Sushi on Bloor. We went there four times! The dishes there are just like the local ones in Japan. The restaurant is very cheap and most importantly, many of the waiters can speak Chinese! I highly recommend this restaurant!

Nancy - Taiwan

I want to tell you about a restaurant called Sushi on Bloor. This restaurant has Japanese food that tastes great! You can walk to this restaurant from Trinity College very easily and you won't be disappointed!

Annie - Taiwan

AGO (Art Gallary of Ontario)

It goes without saying that Toronto has a lot of museums. Of all of these great places I like the AGO best because it is magnificent and it not only touched my mind but it also expanded my knowledge. In my opinion, the Art Gallary of Ontario is an inspiring place. First of all, it's very special because of the design of the building. Secondly, the art within the gallary is amazing. You can find many different art styles representing both Canada and other art from around the world. If I get a chance I will visit the AGO again!

Wei-Ming - Taiwan

Streetcars

One of my great experiences in Toronto is using the streetcar. If you ever get a chance to visit Toronto you really should try riding on a streetcar. There are a few reasons why you should ride on a streetcar. Firstly, it's convenient. You can hop on easily because it's on the street, and there is no need to use a ticket machine and use subway stairs. Also, streetcars come one after another so you don't have to wait very long. Secondly, it's easy to understand where the streetcar is going because they all run straight. It might be because the roads in Toronto are neat and organized. The name of the stop is the street's name. Running with other cars, streetcars follow traffic nicely. The only thing you have to be careful about is getting off the streetcar. You must watch the cars. Streetcars are such interesting vehicles! I wish I could find one in Japan too!

CN Tower

I think the CN Tower is the nicest place in Toronto. It is so tall! The skypod has amazing scenery. I was able to see Toronto beautiful skyline at night. I was even able to see America! I took many pictures while in the skypod. From the skypod I was able to see the Rogers Centre and my best picture is the one of the Rogers Centre.

Naohiro - Japan

Queen's Park

The nicest place in Toronto is Queen's Park. It's nice to lay down on the grass and have a relaxing time at the park. Queen's Park was opened in 1860 and it is named in honour of Queen Victoria. Toronto's weather in the afternoon is very comfortable in August. Also, during the summer, there are several different kinds of festivals that happen in the park. You can easily enjoy the festivals while having a stroll on the weekend. People in Toronto are friendly and you can have interesting conversations with them. This is why I recommend Queen's Park.

Risa - Japan

Harbourfront

In my opinion, one of the most beautiful places in Toronto is its Harbourfront area. I like going there and walking around in the late afternoon and staying to watch the sunset. It's a place where you can see nice boats, many different people, Lake Ontario and Toronto Island. Also, you have an incredible view of the CN Tower and the many skyscrapers in Toronto's business district. Sometimes there are people performing songs and you can hear different kinds of music.

Azahara - Spain

Shopping / ROM

I went to many local shops around Toronto. There are many kinds of shops in the city. One shop I went to is called Baya Silver. You can find this shop at Toronto's Harbourfront. I bought a pair of beautifully crafted earings at Baya Silver. I also went to some cycle shops to look at messenger bags. Some of these bags are expensive but they're very useful and they have nice designs. If you like cycling you have to check these shops out. Near Trinity College is the ROM. ROM stands for Royal Ontario Museum. The museum was opened in 1914 and it contains more than 6 million items and 40 galleries! I was impressed with the different exhibits showing different cultures of Asia.

Megumi - Japan

Niagara Falls

On my first weekend in Toronto I went with some friends to Niagara Falls. On our way we first went to Niagara-on-the Lake. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a very beautiful town and we had lunch in a little restaurant before travelling to Niagara Falls. We took a boat at Niagara Falls and it was spectacular! After that we looked around the city and returned to Toronto.

Laura - Spain

Niagara Falls is the most fantastic thing I have ever seen! You must take the Maid of the Mist boat ride and really get "into" Niagara Falls! If you have that experience it will be unforgettable! I'm glad that I chose to come to Canada and stay at CISS Trinity to study.

Gary - Taiwan

I went to Niagara Falls on the first weekend I stayed here in Toronto. I also got to see the countryside area called Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was amazing and very beautiful. The Niagara Falls area was very similar to Las Vegas.

Luis - Spain

I got to visit Niagara Falls while staying in Canada. The falls are wonderful. We went on a boat and got very close to the falls. It felt powerful. I took a lot of photos and I will never forget it.

I-Chieh - Taiwan

The nicest place that I visited in Canada is Niagara Falls. It was amazing! Take the boat ride because it is the best option. If you go on the boat you will get very near to the falls and you will feel the power of the water falling down. The view will be incredible too! I will return to Niagara Falls at some point in the future.

Javier - Spain