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HAPPILY EVER AFTER IN CANADANewcomer storiesfrom WelcomePack TORONTO - A BIG CITY WITH A BIG HEART – Jessica Borges 



Ria Kumar came rushing up to her friends in the park yelling, “She’s coming to Toronto!She’s coming to Toronto!” She had a super excited smile on her flushed face.“Hi Ria. Who’s coming to Toronto?” asked Alia.“My aunt Vinita… my favourite aunt…. I’ve missed her so much…. You’ll love her….She’s fun!….” Ria ran out of breath and stopped, while her friends laughed, all happyfor her.

A bubbly tornado - that was Aunt Vinita. She loved to paint. And cook. And cycle. Anddance. And eat healthy. And explore the world. Ria knew her Aunt Vinita would LOVEToronto!Vinita brought a whirlwind of laughter and activity to the Kumar home right from thetime she landed, breathed deeply, and exclaimed, “I love the smell of spring in the air!”Ria woke up the next day to Vinita’s yoga chants.“Good Morning Ria!” she called from her Surya Namaskar yoga pose. “What should wedo today?”“If you are not too jet lagged, we could go to High Park to see the cherry blossoms onthe Sakura trees”, said Vijay Kumar, sipping his chai.“I’ll pack us a picnic lunch”, said Priya laughing, as she watched Vinita teach Ria theyoga Tree pose.An hour later they were driving to High Park. This is Toronto’s largest green space, anearly 400-acre oasis. Vinita loved the beautiful trees, and the stately Victorian andEdwardian homes they passed.In the park, they spread their picnic under a picture-perfect, cherry-blossom tree.Vinita lay back, breathed in the perfume and gazed up into the pink and white flowerclouds. “This is heaven”, she whispered, as the children ran squealing joyfully to theplaygrounds and animal paddocks.After a wonderful day of sun and fresh spring air they headed back home, stoppingat the Bloor West Village for melt-in-the-mouth pastries, freshly brewed coffee, andsome homemade Ukrainian perogies that Vinita had never tried before. She was totallyenchanted by the boutiques, patios, pubs, bistros, and authentic European bakeries. She took many pictures for future memories.

That Friday evening the Romano’s invited them over for dinner, with Vinita as the guest ofhonour. They chatted and laughed over delicious Spinach Gnocchi, Chicken Parmesan,Pasta Primavera, and to finish off, a cheese platter, and Ria’s favourite, Panna Cotta.“Where do you get all these amazing cheeses?”, asked Vinta nibbling on a slice.“From St. Lawrence Market”, replied Rudy Romano. “In fact we go to St. LawrenceMarket and Kensington Market every Saturday. That’s tomorrow. Would you like to comewith us?”“I’d love to”, smiled Vinita.Saturday morning found Vinita at St. Lawrence Market. They first visited the North Marketwhich is known for the Saturday Farmer’s Market. Isabella Romano filled her basket withfresh local produce for the week. Vinita exclaimed over the variety of fruit and berries.“If you love antiques, you should come here on a Sunday”, said Isabella. “They are opentill 5 p.m. and admission is free.”They next made their way to the South Market which Vinita was told, houses over 120specialty vendors, known for the variety and freshness of their fruit, vegetables, meat,fish, grains, baked goods and dairy products, as well as unique non-food items.“I bought the cheeses you loved from here”, explained Isabella.After they loaded their purchases into the car, Rudy drove them to Toronto’s famousKensington Market where Vinita was amazed by the variety of multicultural shops.“This is a world in a market”, she exclaimed, as they looked into shops, restaurants andcafés with spices, food and sweets from Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, SouthAmerica and Asia. The buzz was addictive and invigorating. “I would love to open a yoga shop here”, mused Vinita, busily clicking snaps.

‘Aunt Vinita’ soon became the star attraction for Ria’s little friends. She taughtthem Bollywood dancing, and had a kid’s party where she applied beautifulmehendi designs on their hands. So it was not surprising that when the Wangfamily planned a trip to Centerville, little Mei asked her parents if Vinita couldcome along too. Vinita was happy to accept Jun and Li Jing’s invite, and theyset off early one Saturday morning to Center Island.They first took a ferry from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. Vinita and the childrensang songs as they skimmed over the blue expanse of water with the windblowing through their hair. Once they landed, they rented bicycles, and weretold they could also rent boats.The day passed in a haze of fun. They enjoyed the rides at Centreville AmusementPark, petted the animals in Far Enough Farm, toured the Franklin Children’sGarden, visited the Children’s Theatre, got drenched in the splash pad andbeach, and all this activity made them hungry. So they devoured the deliciouspicnic lunch Li Jing had packed, and Vinita also chomped down on her very firstfunnel cake.They returned home tired but happy. Vinita had loads ofsun-drenched pictures of her day out with the Wang family.

It was getting closer to the time for Vinita to leave, and Ria was feeling low.“Hey Ria, let’s take Aunt Vinita downtown. We’ll show her the sights and grabsome lunch. It will be just us three girls, what do you say?” asked Priya Kumar,to cheer her up.Ria’s face lit up. “Let me get Aunt Vinita”, she said running off.An hour later they were gazing up at the CN Tower - 553.33 meters of wow! Theymade their way to the observation deck for unforgettable views of the landscapebelow, and the horizon which stretched out to the sea. Vinita enjoyed the world-famous glass floor with Ria, both peering down to the ground below. Priya didnot have the courage to look down. They saw people suspended on the rim doingthe CN Tower EdgeWalk. Vinita and Ria applauded their daring. They took in therestaurants, the theatre, and Vinita picked up some souvenirs at the gift shop.Next, they made their way to a streetcar and rode it to the Harbourfront Centre.Vinita was thrilled with the ride, and thanked the driver as she got off. She wasequally impressed with the boardwalks and promenades of Harbourfront. Sheloved the trees, the beauty of the lakefront, and the cultural dance and musicevent, taking place there. Ria and Vinita laughingly joined thedancing crowd, and even managed to convincePriya to dance along!

After a late lunch, they took a cab to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). One look at thedistinctively shaped building and Vinita was in heaven! A painter herself, she wanderedthrough the collections and exhibition rooms completely immersed. A couple of hourslater, Ria fell asleep and Vinita helped Priya carry her to a cab home.One morning, a few days later Ria woke up feeling sad. Aunt Vinita had left to returnhome by the night flight. The house felt emptier as she made her way to the diningroom for breakfast. As she sat down at her place, her eyes fell on a little package onthe table markedTo: RiaFrom: Aunt VinitaShe opened it curiously to find a handmade scrapbook. On the cover was a photographof Vinita and Ria doing yoga together and laughing. Inside were pictures of Vinita’sholiday in Toronto…. the diverse cuisines, the friendly people, the spectacularlandscapes, the colourful flowers, the stunning landmarks…. Ria smiled as all thememories came flooding back. She turned to the last page. On it Vinita had written:The beauty and warmth of amazing Toronto,are the same qualities I see in you, my Ria.Can’t wait to see you both again.Love,Your Aunt Vinita



HAPPILY EVER AFTER IN CANADA – Newcomer stories from WelcomePack.This is the eighth in a series of short stories from WelcomePack Canada. Ourheroes are new immigrants, and we follow them on their journey towards theirCanadian dream. This story in our ‘Happily Ever After in Canada’ collection isentitled ‘Toronto - A Big City With A Big Heart’. Enjoy the story and follow the linkbelow to get to know Toronto better.Important link:http://welcomepackcanada.com/canadian-living/exploretoronto ®WelcomePack and WelcomePack Canada are the registered trademarks of WelcomePack Canada Inc.