shankaze-blog

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Dead tree close to where I work! Must've fallen this weekend during the storm business going on here! We were driving yesterday, and tye rain froze, literally the second it hit the windshield! #freezingrain #Toronto #Ontario #deadtree #dead #tree #storm #Canada in a #nutshell (at Toronto, Ontario)

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A year in Canada! Pt. 3

Second week in Canada, and we were checking in to our AirBnB which was smack in the center of downtown Toronto in comparison to our previous location. The change of scenery was remarkable! We suddenly had the ability to explore downtown as soon as the urge to do so came upon us. And we spent several hours, every day of that week doing so.

Our host at this AirBnB was also incredibly friendly. We felt welcomed right away, and felt free to come and go whenever we wanted without any restrictions. Suddenly being so close to downtown, while having had a week before to explore, we didn’t really feel that we had something we needed to see, so most of these days when we went out, we walked without a specific destination in mind. We were looking for the hidden gems, the little things that you can take the time to appreciate. Like the locations of the best Tim Hortons, good food places and beautiful parks!

One thing that happened that was very special was the weather. It was so warm! We were on the tenth floor and our room was hot as a furnace from morning til sundown. For the first time in forever, both me and vicky started getting sunburnt / tan!

Also, while at this location, we were starting to feel that our funds were dwindling pretty fast, and action had to be taken! We wrote our resumes to prepare for the job hunt, and we planned a day for us to roam the city to hand out these resumes and applications.

BUT! To our surprise, a workaway location that Vicky applied us to came through! Now we were worried about how to get there. But they delivered once again! One of the owners were in Toronto photographing a wedding that weekend and said that he could pick us up once he was done and was heading back to Whitney. We were ecstatic! Victory dances all over the place!

We had to spend the weekend in Toronto and because of this we had to find another AirBnB for 2 more nights! At this AirBnB we met two new people that are both involved in our stay in Toronto right now as I’m writing. More on that when the time comes!

Sunday came, and we had no idea what to expect when our workaway host came to pick us up. He then showed up, and we were amazed! A man with the most positive attitude! He was and is the literal definition of “high on life”! It was strangely infectious!

And that’s it for part 3! 16 days had passed since our arrival and already we had met with a few challenges.

Shankaze out!

[shankaze-blog]

A year in Canada! Pt. 2

As soon as we started going out, and in to downtown Toronto we immediately noticed the cultural diversity present here. Our impression of the city was that of a gathering point for people from every nation around the world, and this had us in awe! Though, I must admit that even though there is a transit system, it is leagues behind the transit I'm Sweden.

While we were in Scarborough we also had our first night out. We went downtown fairly early to do some more exploring. And we walked right into it! Gay Village! As it is referred to here in the city, and it was amazing! We walked around for a while, and we found a very cozy restaurant. O'gradys! Remarkable service, great food, and delicious drinks! We sat there for quite a while, and while we were there we started talking to some of the other people that were there aswel.

We were invited by this group, a flight crew, to tag along for the rest of the evening. We went to two other places after O'gradys. None of which I can recall the names of, and we had a really fun night out! We met new friends, we had some drinks, and we were at gay bars! I was told by Vicky that I was constantly being checked out by other guys, and I could feel it! Let's just say I got a tiny portion of what women go through on any regular night out. And it was fun for that one night I must admit, but also very exhausting! I'm just happy I had my girlfriend there with me to keep me safe!

We got in contact with a guy named Christian that night. And we decided to meet up and hang out. He gave us a general tour of Toronto, and took us to the Toronto Beach Island's. I'd absolutely recommend going there to anyone visiting Toronto. We hung out at the "clothing optional" beach, but we all kept our shorts on! And every person we met and talked to was so incredibly friendly, and open to have a conversation with a stranger. Felt kind of opposite to back home in Sweden where you get the stinkeye for saying hello to a stranger. (in most cases)

And as we were creeping closer to the end of our week that was booked at the AirBnB in Scarborough, Vicky started hunting for the next one for us to stay at. And it did not take long! A few hours passed and we were confirmed at an AirBnB downtown! We were pretty excited about getting closer to all the fun stuff, and getting away from the hour long transit.

Going to end part 2 on that note!

Shankaze out!

[shankaze-blog]

A year in Canada! Pt. 1

On the 4th of August 2017 was our date of departure from Sweden. I was feeling pretty excited, and I am sure Vicky was too, but she also had her worries and thinking about everything we left back home.

One of our friends drove us to the airport that morning, and we all kept a straight face upon splitting up, but some tears were shed once fully separated. Vicky and I had a cider each at one of the airport bars to help calm our nerves for the long day of flights ahead of us.

The first flight took us from Sweden to Reykjavik, Iceland. While there, we had a few hours to kill so we went and got ourselves some food and soda. I must say, what we could see of Iceland while coming down for the landing, and whilst at the airport was not very interesting. Though, I am intrigued to find out what Iceland has to offer for tourists.

The next flight was the longer one. From Iceland to Toronto, Canada. 6 hours in the air, and nothing interesting to see through the window. Until we came over Canadian soil, I woke Vicky and told her to look out the window! I was in awe at her reaction. She got a slight blush, and a few tears trickled down her cheeks. I couldn't help it, but seeing her that happy was absolutely stunning to me!

Once we touched down, we knew serious business was awaiting us. Going through customs and bordercontrol! Vicky was expecting the worst and was worrying a lot about all kinds of stuff. But every step of the way could not have gone smoother!

Once through, we tried to figure out how we would get to our first "home". But both of us being super hungry, made it impossible for either of us to think straight. Vicky has gluten intolerance (celiac), and all we could find was Subway, Tim Hortons and some kiosk. Vicky ordered me to get a Subway sandwich and she took a walk while I ate it. We didn't know at the time that Subway here in Canada has gluten-free bread.

We ended up taking a cab from the airport, to our first place in Toronto. An AirBnB in Scarborough. Once we arrived we were met with the most amazing hospitality! We felt welcomed right away, and we got a tour on Googlemaps on where to go to get food for both of us.

On that note, I will be ending this post. And the story of our journey so far will continue in part 2!

Shankaze out!

[shankaze-blog]

Canada, and why.

When me and my girlfriend first started dating, she told me about this dream she has that she wants to fulfill. Go across the Atlantic Ocean and stay there for a year. Immediately I found an interest in this, and asked what I would need to do to tag along to make it something like a challenge we overcome together, as a team.

When she mentioned this visa to me and how to obtain the preliminary one, she said she already had hers approved, and that it would expire by the 5th of August. My immediate reaction was that now I need to hurry and get mine so that we're good to go before hers expired.

Come May, my preliminary visa was approved, and we had the green light to go! We decided to go as close to her expiration date as possible, just so that we were able to work over summer and cash in as much savings as we possibly could.

For us, it is somewhat of a getaway from everything we have at home, the bad stuff and all the good.

Why the good? You may ask. After a certain amount if time at one place, it can get really hard to realize what good you actually have. As the saying goes: You don't realize what you have, until you lose it. Yeah, there are certain things we miss in Sweden, mainly all our friends and family, but there is also all the little things. Also, there is something exciting about doing something challenging like this with someone you love!

So in short, as some of my new coworkers have described it, I'm doing this because of love. And I am extremely happy with my decision. There is something thrilling about going away from all your comforts at home. Not on a vacation, but to survive in a different culture and society.

Shankaze out!

[shankaze-blog]

Introduction - Who am I?

My name is Tony, but online I go by Shankaze. The reason why I chose this tag is because I usually play a lot of video games, and if the game I'm playing has a sneaky/stealth class, that is my goto pick!

I'm 25 years old, 26 on the 28th of November (sagittarius). I'm half Norwegian, half Swedish, and currently I'm in Canada on a "Working Holiday" visa. Basically an open work permit that is valid for a year after entering the country.

I've actively been livestreaming on twitch for a few years now. The game I mainly play on the stream is World of Warcraft. I do also dabble in the other Blizzard titles, such as Diablo3 and Overwatch. Also enjoy a casual night with Playerunknowns Battlegrounds with my friends.

I have a girlfriend whose name is Victoria, whom I love more than anything. Cheesy I know, but ever since I met her, and we started dating, she has been and will continue to be my priority number one! We're a couple, best friends and literally partners in everything we do!

This was a short intro about me, what I do, and where I am. Future posts will be going in depth about things that has happened during our travels in Canada, what is happening in my life outside of the livestream, and posts about thoughts of games that interest me.

I do also want to let myself be able to answer any question honestly, no matter what the topic/subject of it is.

Until next time!

Shankaze out!