So you want to study English. Are you afraid
of flying? No? Then get ready to open your parachute and jump. If
you catch a prevailing wind, you’ll end up in Canada, probably
in the province of Ontario (which means ‘Beautiful Water’),
and quite likely in the beautiful city of Toronto.
But before you jump, ask yourself a couple of questions. Could
I survive in a land with thousands of lakes and rivers, wild parklands
with towering cliffs, waterfalls and sand dunes, dense forest, canyons
and gorges, caves, moose, wolves and black bears, farms, and ranches,
where I could walk a thousand kilometres and not meet one other
human being?
Would I like a place where the sweat pours off me in the summertime
and I’m too hot even in a bikini, and in the winter I need
snowshoes just to get across the street, and I’d rather just
lock the windows and doors and sit in front of the fireplace with
my friends while the wind howls outside and the snow is piling up
to the roof?
How about a country billed by the United Nations as the best country
in the world in which to live, a city international ratings agencies
call one of the top ten cities in the world in which to live, the
United Nations calls the most multicultural in the world, and the
business magazines call one of the best cities in the world in which
to do business? If yes, then ….. Welcome to Ontario!
Tell Me More!
Ontario is a million square kilometres of natural wonder. It is
Canada’s first choice tourist destination.
Ontario has 250,000 lakes and more kilometres of rivers and streams
than anywhere else in North America and more lakeside resorts than
anywhere else in the world. The Great Lakes are the largest body
of fresh water in the world. Ten percent of Ontario is parkland,
divided among 260 provincial parks, much of which can only be reached
by boat or plane. Would you believe that southern Ontario is in
the centre of North America!
Ontario is a place of contrasts, with the most snowmobile trails
in the world and yet 400 golf courses. The First Nations’ Pow
Pow is North America’s largest; we hold one of North America’s
largest winter fairs; and one of North America’s largest winter
carnivals, alongside the longest skating rink in the world, takes
place in Ottawa. The biggest Oktoberfest beer festival outside Munich
is in Kitchener.
Toronto means ‘Meeting Place’ in the Huron language -
a good name for the world’s most cosmopolitan city. It is Canada’s
1 visitor destination. Toronto is the home of 45,000 Koreans, 60,000
Poles, 100,000 Greeks, 200,000 Chinese, 300,000 West Indians, 400,000
Italians.
Some of its names and nicknames past and present are Toronto, York,
Muddy York, Toronto the Good, The City of Steeples, Hogtown, Hollywood
North, T.O.
Toronto has the world’s largest Caribbean festival, and the
biggest Country Fair in the world (CNE).
Only London and New York sell more theatre seats; and the second
largest film festival in the world takes place in Toronto every
year.
If you don’t know how to reach all of these amazing places
in Ontario, simply follow Yonge Street, at 1900 kilometres the longest
street in the world.
What will it Cost?
Rent will cost you CD$350 or $400/month; Food maybe $250 or $300/month;
school fees are typically $500-$800/month.
Toronto is half as expensive as Paris, and twenty percent as expensive
as Tokyo. Canada has the lowest food costs based on income and the
value of the dollar in the industrialised world.
So?
In, Toronto, you will feel more welcome as a visitor from another
culture than in any other place in the world. Toronto is a bid,
international city with every kind of convenience you can imagine,
yet we live on the edge of a natural paradise for pleasure seekers.
You will find a large number of schools and colleges in Ontario
with programs in English as a Second Language, some of them the
oldest and the largest in Canada. Our school serve as training grounds
for the TOEFL, TOEIC, Cambridge Certificate, and Michigan exams,
as well as College-Entrance, Technical and Business English, and
schools and universities for the specialised training of Translators
and Interpreters. There’s likely no subject in the English
Language that you won’t find in Ontario, with its very high
standard of education and its powerful economy (40% of Canada’s
total production).
A great many of our schools organise activities for the students.
These include trips, to Niagara Falls, New York, Chicago, Quebec,
the North, Theme Parks, and Casinos, sports such as tennis, skating,
rollerblading, skiing, soccer and baseball, often involving a little
friendly competition among schools; and student parties.
So, have a look at your goals. If they include an excellent education
in the English Language in an exciting place that feels as cosy
as a warm blanket, then come to your second home in Ontario.
Enjoy your stay!
The Author: Earl Warhus / Hansa Lanuage Centre
This article first appeared in Studying Abroad magazine
