Toronto

Author: Effie Tassiopoulos

1. the largest city in Canada, the provincial capital of Ontario.  Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario.  Population: 2.5 million+ residents.  Fifth-most populous municipality in North America.  One of the most diverse cities in the world; 49% of its population was born outside of Canada.  City with low crime rates, clean environment, high standard of living.[1] One of the best cities in the world to live in.
2. city that my grandparents fled to for a better life.  Location in which my parents decided to raise their children to give them all the opportunities they did not have.  A new start.  A different life.  A space of endless possibilities for the future generation(s).  A place of options.  Freedom.
3. where I am from.  My birthplace.  My home.  City that I grew up in.  Place where I learned to speak, read and write in Greek, English and French. 
4. home to my mother, my father, my sister, my oldest friends, my neighborhood.  The Danforth/Greektown, Little Italy, Little Portugal, Little India, Little Korea, Chinatown.
5. big city, trains, buses, cars, noise, music, parties, clubs, bars, the beach, the park, the TTC, the Eaton Center, Queen street, Yonge and Bloor, East York, North York, Scarborough, everything.