Photo: Black Creek Pioneer Village (Toronto, Canada)

Although the first day of fall isn’t until September 22nd, I feel like we’re already leaving summer behind. The weather is starting to cool down in Toronto, which is a welcome relief. 25 degrees is much more comfortable than 40! Unfortunately, the changing season also means that my allergies are starting! 

September 6th is Labour Day (celebrated each year on the first Monday of September), after which school will start again. Normally, this would be a big relief to parents, but this year there is a lot of anxiety about children returning to in-person learning, especially as Canada is entering its 4th wave of Covid-19. Although 65% of our population is now fully vaccinated, this number does not include children under 12, and there is concern that the Delta variant is affecting younger people. My mother and my aunt are both elementary school teachers who went through a lot of stress last year, so I hope things will be better for them this year. 

School is starting again for me, too! I’ll be starting my MA program in Applied Linguistics at York University in Toronto, which is both exciting and a little overwhelming. Of course, I’ll have to reduce my schedule on Cafetalk, but I will continue to offer lessons when I can. I’ve met many interesting people here over the past 6 months and I’d like to keep in touch with everyone!  

Looking further ahead, Canada will have an election on September 20th, so we will soon know if Justin Trudeau will remain as the prime minister of Canada. As for me, I had hoped to visit Niagara Falls this month, but the timing is poor and it’s probably safer to stay home. I am, however, looking forward to more walks in the forest as the weather cools down and enjoying the changing leaves in October. I have a neat puzzle and some spooky seasonal LEGO sets to build for Halloween, but we’ll have to wait until November 11th to see the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie. 

Good luck to everyone who’s starting school this month! To all the parents, enjoy your quiet time! And to everyone who loves the fall, enjoy the cooler weather - we’re almost there!