When I moved to Canada, I had to immerse myself into unfamiliar waters. I didn’t really know what to expect, but one thing I knew for certain: Toronto will be cold. And in hindsight, I can easily say I have witnessed more snowfall these past months than what I have seen in my entire life in the Netherlands. Now winter is coming to an end. I was surprised to discover that the transition from winter to summer here is not a gradual process, but an abrupt leap from freezing cold to scorching heat. The seasonal differences are so drastic and sudden, it feels like I have entered a parallel reality. I live in a totally different city, with tree-lined avenues and street patios and food festivals and families heading to the beach island.

Springtime in Toronto is over in the blink of an eye. It’s why I paused and took this photo of the campus, capturing the first leaves budding from the trees. It took these trees only a couple of days to turn fully green. In the background you can see the McMurrich building, which reminds me of Oxford's architecture. Just out of frame is my lab building, which could easily be considered the most unattractive structure on the entire St. George Campus. It has that vacuous 70s look. A monument of functionalism, worse than the Sylvius building. I'll spare you it.