July started well with Uri completing his final week on call. As the new fellows had arrived, he was able to pass on the torch. So even though he wasn't on holiday yet, it certainly felt like the start of a summer break and a welcome taste of freedom.

We enjoyed our time, taking things a little slower with market visits, fruit picking, bike rides, swims and (plenty of) ice cream.

In between, there was also time to connect with friends and family, look through old photos, watch movies and reminisce about the dear friend Uri recently lost and who is in our thoughts everywhere we go.

world cup recap

Meanwhile, we could no longer ignore the football-mania. Even though Toronto hosted six FIFA World Cup matches, we haven’t been dedicated followers. We did get (a little) excited by these highlights⚽️

🐐 The final match in Toronto bringing team Portugal and off course Christiano Ronaldo to the city! The crowd gathered outside their hotel even earned a post on Ronaldo’s Instagram.

⬛🟨🟥 Belgium kicking USA out of the tournament! We received so many cheering messages and reactions that, for a brief moment, we believed football really can unite the world.

🍻 Ann discovering there is such a thing as a Belgian Social Club. The watch parties featuring beer and fries weren’t so much her thing but it was interesting to see that there are quite a few fellow Belgians around.

from cottage to city, in great company

As we write this, we are still on a high from our latest visit. We had the pleasure of welcoming friends, who chose a trip to Ontario for their family holiday and we loved being part of their Canadian adventure!

The preparations for the trip were in excellent (female) hands: 📝Lieselotte did an amazing job organising most of it, 💡Ann contributed a few practical tips and tricks and ⚠️Céleste made sure everyone was prepared on the hygiene and safety front!

First stop was a lake-side cottage in the Georgian Bay, an area that has over 30,000 islands, making it the largest freshwater archipelago on earth. Our days were exactly what the photos show: a great mix of exploring 🛶🥾🎒 and slowing down 💦☀️🍹.

After that, our adventurous group continued into Algonquin Provincial Park where they paddled, explored, spotted wildlife and bonded like pros. Unfortunately the moose and bears seemed to have taken time off…

To round off the trip, we reunited in Toronto, where the real survival challenge began. A massive water leak in our garage meant no water, no elevators and a middle-of-the-night fire alarm in our building. But that couldn’t stop us from having the time of our life!

♪🌃 We were able to soak up the (summer) vibes we love so much in this city: the posh crowds of Yorkville, the countless BBQs on the Islands and the fun and (very) alternative atmosphere of Kensington Market.

👦🏻👧🏻 The Gen Zers in our group made us rediscover the city once more: from nightlife and car spotting, to vintage stores and Japanese-inspired shopping.

🦝🦝 To top it all off, during our final walk home we spotted two raccoons crossing the street. Judging by everyone's excitement, this was the perfect cherry on top of an already wonderful trip.

🔎refreshment in the city

With summer in full swing and temperatures occasionally running high, we've come to appreciate the many ways Toronto helps its residents cool down:

⛱️ The waterfront, beaches and islands offer plenty of space to relax by the water. Just be careful after it rained you might find yourself swimming in water with elevated E. coli 💩💩 levels rather than crystal-clear lake water.

🏊 All 50 outdoor public pools open for the summer and they're completely free to use. During heatwaves, some even extend their opening hours until midnight, giving everyone a chance to cool off after a hot day.

🛝 In almost every park and neighbourhood, you'll find splash pads and seasonal wading pools where both children and adults can enjoy a bit of refreshment.

So, by now Substack is telling us we're almost out of space. We hope you're all making the most of summer, whether that's big adventures or fun moments at home. Stay hydrated, stay cool, stay positive and we'll see you next month!

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But most of all, we’re enjoying the patios (including our own, thanks to our new outdoor furniture), the greenery and the atmosphere that takes over the city during these warmer months.

Montréal

While Toronto was getting ready for one of the biggest events of the year, the World Cup, we left the soccer celebrations behind for our first proper travel exploring another part of Canada: Montréal!

We enjoyed our time in this city, which we would describe as a mix between our hometown of Ghent and (the south of) France: with its historic architecture, cobblestone streets, cosy terraces and relaxed atmosphere.

🚩We learned how both France and Britain have left their mark on the city.

🗣️Ann could put her French to good use, although the Québécois version proved to be a challenge 🤔

🥘We finally enjoyed a proper poutine! This famous Canadian comfort food feels familiar: think Belgian fries and carbonnade, but with cheese instead of meat.

💒We admired the stunning blue-and-gold interior of the Notre-Dame Basilica and understood why Celine Dion chose to get married there.

🖼️We spotted the mural of another well-known Montréal resident, Leonard Cohen, which resulted in Uri whistling Hallelujah non-stop.

hello and goodbye

Thanks to Europe’s recent heatwave, Ann enjoyed a tropical visit to Belgium!

• Celebrating the (almost) end of her mom’s treatment and the amazing way she has dealth with this journey.

• Catching up with friends during lovely summer evenings.

• Spending quality time with her friend and wonderful host Kim.

The end of June also brought a few goodbyes, as the fellowships of Joao and Ronette came to an end and they have since returned home.

• The group enjoyed a final trip to Buffalo General Medical Center, a renowned institution with impressive facilities and a strong focus on research.

• Back in Toronto, everyone wanted a chance to say goodbye so there was no shortage of farewell dinners, drinks and gifts.

• Everyone complemented them on their great teamwork and it will be an adjustment for Uri to continue his fellowship without them.

While saying goodbye to friends is one of the more difficult parts of life abroad, we are happy to be staying a little longer. Toronto is finally starting to feel familiar and that makes us excited to enjoy another year in the city.

One more thing: these past few days Uri also had an unexpected reunion with friends and family, following the loss of a dear friend. We are still processing this but decided to share the newsletter in the version we had already prepared.

🔎 a green city

With summer unfolding, we’re reminded how green and shaded the city is. While we still see plenty of room for quality of life improvement (🚲better cycling infrastructure, 🚗lower-emission transportation and 🚇a more extensive subway), we do appreciate the abundance of trees and natural spaces throughout the city.

While downtown continues to grow into a forest of high-rises, the rest of the city does its best to provide some balance.

🌳The residential neighbourhoods are filled with well-kept front gardens and impressive trees. Toronto’s tree canopy covers about 30% of the city, earning it recognition as a Tree City of the World since 2020.

🛝There are plenty of public parks. Most offer not only green space, but also off-leash dog areas (off course 🐶), skating rinks, tennis courts and excellent (water) playgrounds for children.

🛥️The waterfront, beaches and islands provide also cooling and green spaces within reach of downtown.

That’s it for now. Thanks for following along with us for almost a year! Enjoy your summer, and most of all, cherish the time with your loved ones.

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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May might be competing with October for the title of our favourite month in the city!

Nature, and with it seemingly everyone in the city, fully came to life, skies were beautifully blue and despite the occasional colder-than-expected wind there was plenty of sunshine to enjoy ☀️

But it wasn’t only about admiring the beauty of nature or smiling at the endless photoshoots, we also learned a couple of things along the way:

🌸 In many Asian countries (of course Japan, but also South Korea and China) blossom season is widely celebrated with the short-lived flowers symbolizing both the beauty and fragility of life.

🌱 Many of Toronto’s cherry blossom trees were gifted by the city of Tokyo in 1959 as a symbol of friendship and gratitude.

🌷May 9 was ‘Toronto Tulip Day’ honouring the history and friendship between Canada and the Netherlands and commemorating the liberation during World War II.

a family visit

We wrapped up this already wonderful month with a long-awaited Belgian family visit!

Everyone was a little nervous beforehand: about the overseas trip, the weather, the activities and perhaps even about spending ten intensive days together. And while we did encounter a few hiccups along the way, it was simply fun to spend time together and to share a glimpse of our life here in Toronto.

We even got to enjoy quite a few ‘firsts’ ourselves.

• We finally checked a visit to the CN Tower off our bucket list! We opted for lunch 350 metres above the ground and as the restaurant slowly rotates we were treated to spectacular views of both the city and Lake Ontario.

• We also visited several first-time Toronto attractions including Ripley’s Aquarium, Little Canada and even the red hop-on, hop-off double-decker buses.

• Finally we also got to see Niagara Falls from a new perspective: from walking behind the falls, to (virtually) flying over the park and walking along the wild Niagara river.

While we are still recovering from this action-packed week, we do want to hand out an award for our most enthusiastic visitors: Ann’s cousin Anthony and his girlfriend Tiffany 🏆🥇👏

With their daily jacuzzi visits, friendly chats with our concierges, truckloads of souvenirs, enthusiastic cheering for the Blue Jays and monitoring of the Niagara Falls live webcam, they proved themselves worthy winners!

reality check

But even in memorable months, there have been some real life happening.

• Uri had some busy weeks: with a few colleagues absent and the final stretches of the scientific study he needs to complete as part of his fellowship, there were definitely some long days (and nights).

• Meanwhile, Ann underwent a nerve-wracking dental surgery. The surgeon describing it as “his greatest challenge” didn’t help. After a recovery period that proved to be more demanding than expected, it appears that everything went well and her teeth (and gums) have been saved!

• During our family visit, we had an uninvited guest: a virus. As a result, almost all of us felt under the weather at some point during the trip. We had to adapt our schedule and take things a little easier and Ann’s aunt even had to sit out a couple of days to rest and recover.

• As the cherry on top, their journey back home was delayed by 24 hours due to mechanical issues with the plane. Fortunately, meanwhile everyone has arrived safely back home and has been reunited with the rest of the family!

🔎 patient comfort

Following our previous health-related topic, we will conclude this edition by taking a closer look at patient comfort, one of the top priorities in medical services here.

💉😴 Uri has noticed this at work, where some procedures he would normally perform under local anesthesia are done under conscious sedation. This means patients are kept in a drowsy, relaxed state and may drift in and out of sleep during the procedure, all with the goal of minimizing discomfort.

🦷👩🏻‍⚕️ Ann noticed something similar during her dentist visits. Maybe she got lucky with her dentist, but never before had she been offered 🕶sunglasses🕶 to protect her eyes from the bright lights, a 📺TV show📺 of choice on the screen above or regular layers of 👄Vaseline👄 on her lips during a treatment.

⚕️📞 Aftercare is also followed up really well. Patients typically receive a phone call the next day, often from the doctor personally, to check on their recovery, answer any questions and ensure everything is progressing well.

And with this, our newsletter comes to an end. For the first time, we realised we hadn’t taken a single selfie, so this one was captured yesterday in the reflection of our balcony window.

Enjoy the final weeks before summer vacation!

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spring has sprung

Weather-wise, April has served some confused energy. In a single day, we could go from the last bits of snow and subzero temperatures to rain and then sudden sunshine. But little by little the city is finally shaking off winter:

• we’ve been enjoying proper spring days with blue skies and warmer temperatures

• those beautiful evenings with soft light and people everywhere are back

• the trees are finally turning green and the blossoms have arrived

spring goals

The shift out of winter also came with a bit of a personal reset, especially for Ann and her social life. The goal? Take more initiative, make plans and put herself out there a little more. Not always easy but most of the time rewarding.

💛 She wrapped up her French lessons, but not without exchanging numbers with Mona, who might just be her first spontaneous friend in town.

🥐 To keep the momentum going and the French alive, she’s joined a conversation group that meets weekly at a café, where it’s strictly en français, bien sûr!

🧶 A friend of a friend introduced her to knitting and crochet, which she turns out to really enjoy. This opened the door to a whole new world of knitting socials and workshops.

a full circle visit

This month we got to welcome three of Uri’s colleagues from his department in UZ Gent. The annual SIR conference (Society of Interventional Radiology) happened to be in town, which made it the perfect opportunity to see where Uri has been spending his fellowship. They visited both Toronto Western Hospital and SickKids, meeting Uri’s Canadian colleagues and sharing presentations on their research topics.

Beyond that, we spent time exploring the city together and even picked up a thing or two from our very active, ever-exploring visitors! Think city walks, trying out new restaurants and catching one of the final ice hockey games of the Toronto Maple Leafs… No better team-building, really!

Why was it a full circle moment? Prof. Defreyne supervised Uri’s master’s thesis and was the one who introduced him to interventional radiology, a field Uri didn’t even know existed at the time. And here we are, about ten years later!

🔎 dog days

Whether it’s a busy, sunny day or the coldest, snowiest one, there’s one constant in the city: people out walking their (beautiful) dogs. Since arriving, we’ve noticed just how many people have one and how dog-friendly everything is. Luckily, most dogs are well-trained and well-behaved but at times it all feels a little over the top.

👚 One of favourite things is spotting cute dog outfits: from denim jackets to full-on rain gear and even tiny shoes.

🦴 Many places offer dog treats and water bowls for their four-legged visitors.

🚿 Our building has a dog wash station, complete with shower, shampoo and dryer.

🌳 Almost every park features an off-leash area, often with time slots for dog walkers and sometimes even events to meet other dogs and their owners.

🎉 A few weeks ago, we spotted a dog birthday party in our building’s party room: half the room was people, the other half dogs… all celebrating together.

So, these are our April updates! If you have one: enjoy your long weekend.

One last thing: while May 1st is recognized as International Workers’ Day in many countries, it isn’t a public holiday in Canada (or the U.S.). Instead, Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September: a shift meant to distance it from May Day’s association with more radical labour movements and turn it into a “neutral” holiday.

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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hospital update

Meanwhile, Uri’s fellowship has been progressing well.

• He performs more procedures independently and is enjoying the high volume of cases.

• He appreciates the international environment and the many short- and long-term visitors from around the world.

• One of the hospitals of the Toronto University Health Network was recently ranked the second-best hospital worldwide. This led to an appreciation campaign across UHN hospitals throughout the city.

• He’s getting used to the presence of company representatives, who weekly observe cases, present new materials and (of course) bring snacks for the staff.

volunteering update

Ann has also found her place in volunteering.

🍞Fort York Food Bank🍞

Why she still loves it there:🔗the connections with the Thursday crew and clients, 🛒 the variety of tasks, ⚡the energy and vision of the director Julie, ⭐the five-star Google reviews, 👩🏽‍🍳the visits from private chefs and 🎥the regular media coverage.

🗣️English conversation circle🗣️

Why this is still her favourite volunteering: ❤️ the lovely group of newcomers, ✎ᝰ.the challenge of creating activities for different needs, 🌏the ever-surprising stories from around the world and 🙏 the appreciation she gets.

In the meantime she has also started a new engagement:

📖afterschool club director at Orde Public school📖

• This is part of Start2Finish, a Canadian charity that aims to break the cycle of child poverty.

• It has been quite a ride, as the running & reading club started from scratch and everyone involved had to find their way.

• One of the highlights was the volunteer summit. Ann couldn’t help but smile at the “American approach”: think audience repeating motivational quotes and lots of emotional testimonies.

• But somehow it worked. After wondering whether she wanted to continue, she now has a more active crew and things start to run more smoothly.

• Pictures to follow!

maple syrup season

One of our weekend highlights was a visit to Elliott Tree Farm. March marks the peak harvest (or ‘sugaring’) season for maple sap. So besides enjoying all-you-can-eat pancakes, we were curious to learn more about the process.

🍁 With Canada producing about 80% of the world’s maple syrup, we were definitely in the right place!

🏹 Indigenous peoples were the first to discover and refine maple sap harvesting.

🌡️ The season runs from February to April, when the alternating freezing nights and warmer days cause the sap to flow.

🪵 It takes around 40 litres of sap to produce just 1 litre of syrup.

🔎 the food scene

To wrap up, we’re sharing a few more typical things about living in this city.

During winter, we might have been cold and a little homesick but we definitely haven’t been hungry.

🏠 Most of the time, we enjoy our home-cooked meals, but 🍴 whenever we can, we explore Toronto’s diverse food scene. 🌯 We usually skip the fancy spots and opt for street food from the many local communities.

The options are endless, but here are some of our favourites from the past few weeks:

• Lunch at Heavenly Perogy: a Ukrainian church with a kitchen in its basement.

• Friday dinner date at Lao Lao bar: an upscale Laotian restaurant with great flavours.

• Weekend tea and snacks at Maha Café serving delicious Egyptian food.

• An evening with friends over Korean BBQ at one of the nearby restaurants in Koreatown.

🔎 smell of weed

One last topic we wanted to touch on is something we noticed from day one: it smells like weed here. At first, we thought it was just our Airbnb (remember those days), but we quickly realised it’s pretty much everywhere.

Since 2018 buying, possessing, consuming and even cultivating cannabis has been legal in Canada (within limits). Exporting it remains illegal but is apparently quite lucrative. Flemish media recently reported a sharp increase in marijuana trafficking through the port of Antwerp. Almost all of it coming from… Canada!

We may have mentioned to some of you we’ve been on a high since arriving so now you know what we really meant.

That’s it for now. Have a wonderful Passover and Easter and if you’re lucky, enjoy some time off!

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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blue skies

February surprised us with early sunrises and many much-needed sunny days, which did wonders for our mindset.

• At the beginning of the month, the city hit another record: 20 consecutive days of negative temperatures — one of the longest cold streaks in more than a decade (link).

• Meanwhile the temperatures went up and down but anyway the (dirty) piles of snow along the streets aren’t going anywhere. Catching a streetcar sometimes feels like a small climbing expedition before you can even get on.

• After a while, it becomes easy to spot the cars that haven’t been used for a couple of days.

• And even though it isn’t always quite as cold anymore, a warm (and Scandinavian-style) package made Ann’s day halfway through the month!

10 000 steps

Whenever we can, we head outside to keep exploring the city. On weekends, we wander through new neighbourhoods, visit interesting stores, stop for food or coffee and before we know it, we did our workout for the day.

One of our favourite routes is along the Martin Goodman Trail by the lakeshore: a perfect spot for walking or cycling, with beautiful viewpoints and scenery that changes with the seasons.

an early spring break

Despite the sunny and slightly warmer days, we were craving something more. So over the past days, we were lucky enough to head off on a proper holiday under even bluer skies in the sunshine state Florida.

We felt a little nervous before leaving because of the polarized climate in the U.S. and weren’t quite sure what to expect. In the end we had a great time and never once felt uncomfortable (well, maybe our wallet did 😰).

First, Uri attended the LINNC Seminar Americas in Orlando, while Ann had the difficult task of acclimatising by the pool. After that - although some might disagree - we skipped the theme parks and headed further south to Everglades National Park, the Keys and Miami.

💰Thanks to the “America the Beautiful” Act, entrance fees for national parks have increased for non-American visitors but we decided it was still well worth it.

🌊We walked, cycled, drove, kayaked, snorkelled and sailed through mangroves and turquoise waters, spotting alligators, turtles, iguanas, otters and plenty of other wildlife.

🐢 One of our favourite visits was to the turtle hospital, where Uri briefly considered a career change.

🏙️ Miami pleasantly surprised us with its great food, lush little islands and beautiful Art Deco architecture, along with Hajo delivery robots roaming the streets and Waymo self-driving cars passing by.

🔎 Asian influences

After a sun-soaked section, let’s head back to Toronto to wrap up this edition with another daily-life observation.

Living in Toronto is the first time we experience an environment with such strong Asian influences. That’s no surprise as China, India and the Philippines are among the most represented countries of birth in the city. Immersing ourselves in these new vibes has become one of our favourite things about living here!

🐉 Heading to Chinatown (one of the largest in North America) to buy fresh vegetables or try new dishes.

🐎 Seeing Lunar New Year celebrations pop up all over the city as we welcome the Year of the Fire Horse.

☕ Discovering countless cute Asian coffee places.

• Enjoying coconut-based drinks at the Vietnamese Cộng Cà Phê.

• Heading to the Korean Davang Luna to try out their black sesame lattes and rice cakes.

• Getting settled at the Japanese listening bar Rooms to discover the latest music vibes surrounded by a very hip crowd.

🧴 And with many of her Belgian and European brands unavailable here, Ann has become a late adopter of Korean skincare and it’s definitely here to stay!

📷

For the close observers: you may have noticed a change in some of our pictures over the past few newsletters. That’s because next to our phones we are using our new camera and we’re slowly learning to make the most of all its features.

❤️

Last but not least a shoutout to our families who are each in their own way going through challenging times 🫶🎗️

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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snowpocalypse

While we received beautiful snowy pictures from Belgium, the real winter was unfolding right here. Mid-month, Toronto was hit by a proper snowstorm, dropping impressive amounts of snow in a short time. Since then, temperatures have stayed below zero and more snow has kept falling…

🐻‍❄️🥶 link: on Friday January 23, Ontario was listed as one of the coldest places on earth! And yes, Uri cycled to work that day like a champ🏆.

⛄❄️ link: only two days later, we were hit by what was said to be the largest snowfall in ages. At that point, Uri had no choice but to switch to public transportation (which, thankfully, kept running quite smoothly).

blue january

Winter definitely comes with its challenges and surprisingly the cold isn’t really one of them. Instead it’s the 🌨️grey days, 💨dry air and skin, 🧂salt and slush everywhere, 🚲getting around taking more effort and 🧣the cycle of layering up only to start sweating the moment you step indoors…

We both felt the January blues kicking in at some point.

• Uri had a demanding time at the hospital with two exceptionally difficult cases. The team lost young patients and spent time supporting their families and each other.

[After all that, the next lines might seem trivial but they reflect what has kept us busy.]

• Ann meanwhile felt stressed by a few doctor’s visits (nothing serious, but not fun either). On top of that her beloved winter jacket was stolen during the coldest week of the year, triggering her first wave of homesickness.

Luckily it hasn’t all been doom and gloom. We’ve been enjoying the little (and bigger) joys a true winter brings:

🍵staying in, watching the city from behind our windows

☃️ walking through a winter wonderland after a snowstorm

🥾 snowshoeing at Highlands Nordic Narnia Trail and finding out it’s exactly as magical as the name suggests

👕 laying our woollens outside to be cleaned by crispy snow

🐾 seeing dogs in their adorable winter outfits disappear when they jump into the snow

⛷️sharing our first cross-country skiing experience, including all the (literal) ups and downs that come with it

Thank you Dor, for capturing this real-life proof, starring Jiao 🥰 Highly recommended for repeat viewing on rough days.

So, with January behind us, some promising (read: sunny) personal and professional prospects ahead and a new jacket on the way, we’re ready for a new (and short) month.

six months in

Meanwhile, Uri is halfway through his first fellowship and we’ve been in Toronto for over six months. As we’re beginning to feel a little more settled, we wanted to share a few observations from our daily life in the coming newsletters.

🔎 North-America

Before coming here, we imagined Canada as something like Europe but larger, colder and with more nature. The longer we’re here, the more we realise that picture didn’t quite match.

Canadians might not love hearing this, but many things feel quite American to us: from city layouts, communication styles and credit scores to sports, food, aesthetics, car culture… And it’s these kinds of observations we’d like to explore a little more.

🔎 living in a condominium

Right from the start we knew we wanted to live in a condo. This means the unit is privately owned (by you or someone else), while an apartment is typically rented from one big landlord. Condos also tend to come with better amenities and management. And that turned out to be a great choice!

We love all the great extras our building has to offer. Think 🎥 movie nights in the theatre (maybe with some Heated Rivalry on the big screen), 🛁heading downstairs in our robes for a soak in the jacuzzi after a freezing day, 💪sweaty workouts in the wonderfully equipped gym or 🤓having the conference room all to ourselves when we need to get some work done.

On top of that, our building has wonderful staff who keep everything clean, organised and running smoothly. It’s funny to realise how much they know about our lives (when we leave and come back, who visits, what gets delivered…) but their friendliness and helpfulness have truly made us feel at home.

So far we love our condo life: it makes everyday (winter)living so comfortable! If they were a thing in Ghent, we’d definitely consider it. For now, we’re simply enjoying the fact that we really have no excuse not to make it to the gym.

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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London

At the beginning of December we flew to London to meet Uri’s parents.

🏙️🎄The city was so vibrant: people everywhere, festive markets and endless lights. We filled our days with performances, exhibitions, musicals, restaurants… You name it and our organisers Nava and friend-of-the-family Yossi had thought of it.

Oxford

After that, Uri continued on to Oxford for a five-day ECMINT course about aneurysms.

🤓📓The last day comes with an exam you don’t want to fail, so he spent the entire week attending lectures and studying in a Harry-Potter-like environment.

Belgium

Meanwhile, Ann travelled to Belgium to spent time with friends and family.

🏠🏰Thanks to her friends Toos and Kim, she landed true Airbnb dreams: superhosts and guest-favourite stays in the city.

❤️🔥Her days were filled with friendship, warmth and good conversations. With many people around her going through difficult moments, being there in person felt especially good.

❤️‍🩹💪🏼Ann accompanied her parents to her mom’s first chemotherapy session. This means the new year starts with some challenging times, but hopes are high and the mindset is good.

wintertime

After 10 busy days, we returned to Toronto with full hearts and new energy.

❄️Winter has officially arrived: the free ice-skating rinks across the city are open and proper winter gear is no longer optional.

☃️The city feels like a whole new place to explore: a white winter backdrop, frozen lakes and the endless network of indoor walkways that let you cross downtown without stepping outside.

👣 Embracing winter: we kicked things off with a day trip to Algonquin Provincial Park. Our first winter hike turned out to be both beautiful and educational.

• 🔥Hiking keeps you warm so we quickly had to shed a few layers.

• 🥾Walking on icy snow was the biggest challenge and Ann missed her beloved walking sticks.

• 💦Frozen lakes aren’t fully frozen yet, so if the snow looks like a perfect little path… Don’t trust it 😅

holidays

Officially, it wasn’t a white Christmas in Toronto but with all the snow and frost we’d seen over the past month, it certainly felt like one to us.

We enjoyed spending the holidays here: ✨ Hanukkah and Christmas lights everywhere, 🎶 indoor and outdoor carol concerts, 🎥 movie night in our theatre, 🛁 jacuzzi evening with old-time friends Tzuli and Aya, 🏀 our first NBA game,🎆 fireworks at the waterfront… And, of course, 🍽️ far too much food.

And finally: wishing you health, (inner) peace, patience, softness, curiosity and positivity for the new year 🤲🏼💫 May 2026 be full of comforting routines, unexpected (high)lights and good company! And if you’re in doubt: just do it and come visit us: link 😇

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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but first: let’s talk weather

After sending out our last letter full of fall colours, we were caught off guard: just a few days later, Toronto decided it was winter. It snowed for two days and the views (and temperatures) changed overnight.

The snowfall was announced but we didn’t believe it would actually happen or be that heavy. It was unusually early and it taught us a quick lesson: do not wait to buy winter jackets and snow boots 😅.

We’ve since corrected that mistake and went winter shopping. The snow has melted but many of the remaining leaves came down with it, temperatures dropped even further and we can definitely feel winter settling in.

in the hospital

By now, Uri has fully settled into his routine at Toronto Western Hospital.

❤️ He’s getting along really well with the other fellows: the atmosphere is great and everyone is genuinely collegial.

🤓 He’s learning a lot and is increasingly performing procedures on his own.

🚀 Things have picked up: a higher volume of cases, longer working days and every three weeks he’s a full week on call.

🥵 Those call weeks can get pretty intense: regular workdays combined with busy weekends and middle-of-the-night procedures.

Meanwhile, he has also sorted everything out for his next fellowship starting next summer. He’ll be working at SickKids Hospital, the largest children’s hospital in Canada, where he’ll subspecialize (yes, he just keeps going) in pediatric interventional neuroradiology.

volunteering

Ann finished her first cycle of conversation circles at the Salvation Army: her favourite volunteering so far!

🍁 She got to know Bob the Canadian whose channel was helpful in the preparations.

🔤 She learned new words herself. By the time the snow came in she knew what flurries, accumulation and slush mean. And did you notice the “cozy” in the title of this newsletter? That’s the Canadian (and American) spelling of the word.

❤️ Week after week the group grew closer and the atmosphere became warm and supportive.

❤️‍🩹 That also meant people started opening up about their lives and the challenges they’re facing. That could be tough but it mostly motivated Ann to make everyone feel safe, welcome and confident in English.

Next to that she also started a weekly shift at the Fort York Food Bank. At first she thought handing out free groceries couldn’t be that hard.

☹️ Maybe it’s the chaotic environment, maybe it’s the 300+ people who pass by every shift, maybe it’s the (sometimes) demanding customers but after every shift she’s pretty worn out.

😃 Luckily the other volunteers (about 15 per shift!), the nice conversations and many smiles, the sense of community and the well-run organisation (complete with workshops and volunteer get-togethers) more than make up for it.

weekends

Next to giving our best to the people we work with, we keep using our free time to discover more of the city and enjoy everything it has to offer.

🍽️ We’re still loving the diverse food scene and we try to stick to our tradition of testing at least one new spot every week.

🖼️ Thanks to our library card, we get to enjoy free museum visits. Since we’re living in the city’s “museum quarter,” this has quickly become our go-to plan for a cold or rainy Sunday.

🎵 We enjoy the many concerts happening in town. So far we’ve seen Cautious Clay and Dijon. Since they’re both recent Spotify discoveries, it’s entirely possible that we only realised after the warm-up ended that the main act hadn’t even started yet…

🎭We have also checked out an occasional play in the stunning Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre and the charming Soulpepper Theatre. Sadly, we were snapped for a “best-dressed crowd” Instagram feature… Only to discover we didn’t make the selection. Honestly, being left out felt worse than not being asked at all!

👥 We’re really happy about all the wonderful people we have met so far: from new “fuck-the-small-talk” friends, to colleagues or renewed primary school friendships.

Last but not least: the city has fully switched to holiday mode. Lights, decorations and music are popping up and we’re not complaining. In the meantime we’re wishing everyone quiet moments of peace, little sparks of happiness, cozy Christmas or Hanukkah lights and the mindset to keep going at whatever pace feels right 🎀🎗

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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Chicago

In early October, Uri attended a conference in Chicago and we decided to turn it into a long weekend. Ever since watching The Bear we’d been curious about the city. Little did we know it would sweep us off our feet the way it did!

• The trip started with a short flight from Billy Bishop airport, a small airport located on one of the islands just off downtown Toronto. That means two things: spectacular views to the city and a smaller, slightly wobbly plane.

• At the conference, Uri joined lectures on the latest developments in stroke treatment. He also met interventional neuroradiologists from South Africa, Brazil, Peru and the Philippines - all of them doing fellowships in Canada or the U.S.

• Meanwhile Ann joined a guided walking tour that ended up being surprisingly fun: four girls (Ann, Anna, Annabel, and Alicia) exploring the city together under the enthusiastic lead of Bruce, a true Chicagoan.

• After that, we spent some time together exploring the city: we strolled along the beautiful Riverwalk, biked with views of the skyline and Lake Michigan, took the Brown Line train looping around the city and joined an architecture cruise that left us speechless (and with way too many photos).

• Can you tell we were absolutely thrilled by Chicago? Only the food scene felt a bit less diverse than what we’re used to in Toronto but that couldn’t stop us from declaring this one of our all-time favourite city trips ♡♡.

welcome fall

After coming back from our unexpectedly summery trip to Chicago, fall was waiting for us. Temperatures started to drop, morning bike rides required gloves, the leaves turned all shades of yellow and red and Halloween decorations began to take over porches and front yards.

visitors

By the end of October, we had another highlight waiting for us: our very first visitors!

🚲 We kicked things off with a sunny fall bike ride along the Lake Ontario shoreline: red and golden trees, blue water and plenty of “just one more stop” moments learning new photography rules from Annelies along the way.

💦 Then came the Niagara Falls and their stunning surroundings. It took some effort to dodge the Vegas-style chaos of the town itself but we found a beautiful trail that did justice to the river and nature.

🏙️ We explored the Toronto Islands for postcard-perfect skyline views and a little tranquility as it felt like we were the only ones there.

🏒 And last but not least, we went to our first ice hockey game. We cheered on the Toronto Marlies, got distracted by all the mid-game entertainment and jumped in shock every time a player slammed into the glass right in front of us.

But the real fun of Toronto lies in the city itself and the surprises waiting around every corner.

• The engineering student who built his own skateboard train and offers free rides around campus.

• Stumbling upon people celebrating Día de los Muertos: colourful costumes, flower crowns and Mariachi music filling the air.

• Strolling through streets where skyscrapers meet quiet neighbourhoods with cosy porches and autumn-coloured trees.

• And of course the thousands of Blue Jays fans flooding the city in all shades of blue, cheering their team through the World Series.

the Blue Jays 💙🐦⚾️

We waited to send out this newsletter until today so we could include one of the biggest events we’ve witnessed in the city so far: the Toronto Blue Jays competing against the LA Dodgers for the World Series in baseball!

The last time this happened was over 30 years ago so you can imagine the excitement in the city! The teams have been battling it out all week, racing to win four games first. And yesterday was the deciding night… After a long, nail-biting match the Blue Jays didn’t make it. Even though we still don’t fully understand all the rules, we do know it was undeserved. The city will be in mourning for the next few weeks ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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And what does Ann do all day?

In our last newsletter, we focused on Uri’s busy days. The second most asked question would be: “And what does Ann do in the meantime?” So, as promised, let’s zoom in on that.

First of all, she’s embracing her time off! Ann has always been a fan of a slow(er) and mindful life: taking time for daily things such as cooking, reading, working out, strolls…

Some recent book favourites: Hou je stil (Marjolein Visser), Ik ben Eleanor Oliphant (Gail Honeyman), Je bent prachtig (Ann Napolitano), Wat ik van je weet (Eric Chacour), Amerikanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie).

Second, she loves studying 🤓 and learning new things. This is her chance to dive into the investment e-course she’s been meaning to complete for a long time, attend tours and lectures to dive into the city’s history (and present) and refresh her French.

Third, she’s finding ways to contribute and share her experience from working as a teacher trainer by volunteering in different organisations.

• Her first experience was at Good Shepperd Ministries, an organization that offers different forms of support, including the largest free meal program in the city. Every day between 2 and 4, anyone who needs it can come by. Ann was stationed at the dessert table (not the easiest job when there are so many tempting options!) and also poured tea and coffee. Despite being nervous at first, it turned into a positive experience: an opportunity to get more connection to the issue of homelessness that has been on her mind since arriving here, while also having conversations with people she might never have spoken to otherwise.

• By mid-September, she also began facilitating English conversation circles at the Salvation Army. Each week, she meets with a group of 6 to 8 people who want to practice their English in an informal setting. This role is a great match: it blends her skills in creating safe and fun group dynamics, experimenting with different learning methods and supporting language development*. Plus, it pushes her to brush up on Canadian knowledge: from learning the provinces by heart to explaining Thanksgiving and even the story behind the flag 😅.

• Her third role, also at the Salvation Army, is giving workshops in an employment program. Ann is responsible for sessions on (inter)personal skills such as communication at work, stress management, conflict resolution and more. This starts in October but after previewing the materials, which turned out to be refreshingly up-to-date and practical, she’s excited to get started.

*In 2024, Ann returned to school to earn her teaching qualification in Dutch as a second language - a step that sparked her interest in exploring the language field as a new direction.

All of these positions are temporary, so Ann is keeping her eyes open for new opportunities. If something exciting comes up, you’ll hear all about it!

So she might not be saving lives but helping people discover their strengths, coaching them toward goals and navigating sensitive conversations… That is also working on a healthy society, isn’t it? 👏So let’s give social jobs the same applause we give doctors: same amount of heroism, same amount of fascinating stories.👏 Maybe just slightly more coffee breaks.

shared fun = double fun

As much as we enjoy working or having some solo time, our favorite moments are when we’re out exploring the city and getting to know both the city and its people a little better.

• We’ve attended our very first baseball game and somehow already managed to see the Toronto Blue Jays twice! The first time, we grabbed tickets for the nosebleeds (that’s what they call the top seats in the stadium). Honestly, we didn’t mind: the view of the CN Tower was spectacular. The second time Uri’s colleagues had extra tickets for a private suite and suddenly we went from hotdogs and plastic cups to catered food and padded seats.

• We’ve started taking our bikes on the metro to explore different places. Outside of rush hours and on weekends you’re allowed to bring them along, which opens up new routes to explore. Going back to non-electric biking takes a little adjusting but we make up for it with shorter rides and plenty of breaks along the way🍦🍪🍹.

• Sticking with the bike theme, Ann had quite the adventure. In just one month, her bike was stolen, she bought a new one, and then—plot twist—the police recovered the first one. So now we’ve got an extra bike looking for a new home. It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster but at least we learned our lesson: always take the extra 10 minutes to find a good parking spot, double-lock or just bring the bike along whenever possible.

As we have mentioned before we love our little stops for drinks or snacks on our walks and bike rides. Coffees, shakes and lemonades are just as good as what we are used to at home. There are a few differences, though:

• Ordering an Americano is sensitive. Some places have turned it into ‘a Canadiano’!

• You’d think ‘Ann’ is an international name, but apparently not! On one occasion, her order ended up addressed to “N” because the barista just couldn’t quite get it.

• Tipping is everywhere. Even though we’re getting used to it, we still feel some resistance to leave a tip for a quick coffee or ice cream.

some meta-facts

To wrap up this fourth newsletter, we thought to share a few behind-the-scenes facts:

• With meanwhile over 100 subscribers, it’s honestly a little nerve-wracking to hit “send.”

• Writing these letters has become one of Ann’s favorite things. She’s always loved writing: starting with poetry competitions in primary school, moving on to essays and later course books for work.

• Each edition takes about 3 to 4 hours from start to finish: writing, deleting, rewriting, picking and cropping photos, Uri’s reviews, running the text through AI and adapting again. As my colleague Simon says: “writing is labor” and he is right.

• The platform Substack was designed so creators can keep ownership of their work and community. Therefore it gives us fun little stats like who opens the email and how much of it gets read. But don’t worry: if you’ve made it this far, you’re safe 😇.

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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But first, we’ll start on a slightly more serious note, since work has been a big part of our lives over the past month.

work hard

So first: the reason that we are here (aside from a possible midlife crisis).

After finishing his radiology training, Uri began working as an interventional radiologist in the Vascular and Interventional Radiology Department (VINRAD) at Ghent University Hospital. This means:

• He is not a diagnostic radiologist (those are the ones mainly interpreting CT or MRI scans).

• Instead, he performs procedures on patients, ranging from destroying tumors to stopping internal bleedings.

• These procedure are minimally invasive as they reach the target area by navigating tiny instruments to the sick blood vessel or organ.

• Imaging is crucial, guiding the instruments during the procedure.

This field is relatively young but holds promise. After all, it’s easy to see how avoiding surgery can make a difference for patients.

During his time at VINRAD Uri was most drawn to brain (or neuro) interventions and started looking for ways to gain more experience in the field of Interventional Neuroradiology or INR. That led him to apply for a fellowship in INR at Toronto Western Hospital.

Here he has the time, supervision and resources to deepen his skills: the focus is exclusively on neuro-procedures, often involving more complex cases. Next to Uri also João (a neurologist from Portugal) and Ronette (a neurosurgeon from Jamaica) have made it to the program.

An interventional neuroradiologist treats mainly 3 conditions:

• strokes: this is when an artery to the brain is blocked by a clot. The treatment, called thrombectomy, removes the clot either by aspirating it through a catheter or by pulling it out with a stent-retriever. This is one of the most time-critical and effective procedures in modern medicine! Fun fact: VINRAD was one of the first centers in Europe to perform thrombectomies back in the 2000s. (As we said, this is still quite a young field.)

• brain aneurysms: these look like tiny blisters on arteries and are weak spots that might rupture and cause bleeding in the brain. Using INR, these aneurysms can be treated in several ways to reduce or prevent the risk of rupture.

• vascular malformations: these are abnormal direct connections between arteries and veins, which aren’t supposed to connect and can also lead to bleedings. With INR they can be sealed off using glue-like liquids.

👉 To summarize: interventional neuroradiologists are the plumbers of the brain and spine (and as we all know a skilled craftsperson is priceless!)

Meanwhile, Ann has also been working, wrapping up the academic year remotely. She spent most of her time conducting oral exams (often confusing the students with a ‘good morning’ when it was already afternoon for them) and correcting assignments from afar.

As many of you know, Ann can get a little sensitive when Uri’s work steals the spotlight while teaching doesn’t always get the same recognition. So she will also share a bit about her professional life too… but not in Uri’s shadow. In the next newsletter, she’ll take her turn to shine 🙂. That will also be the perfect moment to tell you more about the volunteering position she’s about to start in September.

play hard

While work has kept us busy, we’ve actually had more time to take trips and explore the city. Now that we’re settled in our apartment and most of the admin is behind us (yes, driver’s license sorted, yes parking spot rented out and yes tenants in our house in Ghent) we could start enjoying life here.

We’ve started to feel more comfortable getting around and making use of all the options the city has to offer: walking, metro, buses, taxis and cycling. It’s become part of our time- and budget-management to pick whatever option fits best, which makes the city feel more accessible. So far our favorite has been cycling. More than just getting from A to B, we like cruising around: the nice evenings and good weather make it fun to ride through the city and explore farmer’s markets, exhibitions, parades and festivals (every community seems to have its own).

Alongside exploring, we’ve also been investing in getting to know people. We’ve already told you about Uri’s friend Dor and Uri knows even more people we can rely on when necessary: the international Jewish community is truly something else when it comes to making connections. Also Uri’s colleagues have been a great help. Many of them moved here from abroad themselves, so they made us already feel a little less like the new kids in town.

Beyond that, our friends have been amazing connectors.

• Ann’s Ulpan* friend Joanna connected us to Myriam and Oskar, two academics working at the University of Toronto. They reminded us that building an academic career requires quite a bit of (international) flexibility and patience.

• Through Katrien we met Thomas, a Belgian banker who has been living in Toronto for about two years. Having also spent some years in the US, he shared his insights about the similarities and differences between the two neighboring countries.

• Tomer set Ann up on a blind date with Christian: one night Tomer bumped into Christian in Ghent and discovered that he’s from Toronto and had lived in Ghent in his twenties. Since he wanted to keep up his Flemish, he was eager to meet - which turned into a funny, slightly awkward** but ultimately lovely dinner in Flemish.

*Ulpan is a Hebrew language course that Ann has taken several times.

**It quickly became clear Ann hadn’t been on a (blind) date in quite some time: she ordered a noodle soup and spent most of the evening wrestling with her food having a hard time focusing on the conversation.

Beyond introductions through friends, we’ve also taken some initiatives ourselves. We’re slowly getting better at starting random conversations, joined guided tours and group activities and experimented with online groups through Meetup, InterNations or Groupvibe to meet new people.

• That’s how Uri ended up playing beach volleyball with a bunch of locals.

• While Ann discovered a silent book club (yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: everyone just brings their own book and reads together).

• And a special mention goes to Epic Llama, an organization that hosts community-focused events around the world. Ann joined one called “F#ck the Small Talk” and despite the somewhat brutal name, it turned out to be a warm, comforting experience that brought her right back to the feeling of meeting new friends from all over the world in a previous lifephase (told you, possible midlifecrisis).

our friend Chat

As the title of our newsletter shows, the last month we have been trying to find our routine. Both of us felt that the excitement of the last weeks (and months) left us sleeping less well but it feels like things are slowly settling. Luckily, we have our friend ChatGPT, who helps us with random questions we don’t have answers to yet.

Some examples we dug up from our chat history:

• Is there a deposit for glass items in Ontario?

• Can you take your bicycle on the metro?

• What is the best place to take French classes in Toronto?

• I noticed some kind of encampment around a church in College Street. What is it exactly?

one more thing

From time to time we have asked ourselves whether it feels right to share updates about this very privileged experience we’re having. In the midst of all the fun, the violence and injustices in the world are always on our minds and wherever we are, divisive politics, hatred and war touches and worries us deeply.

Still, not sending this newsletter doesn’t feel like the answer: we truly enjoy writing it and it’s an important way of staying connected to all of you. So maybe the best we can do is focus a little more on connecting and showing love and appreciation to ourselves and others. Because in the end, we believe empathy is the only way forward.🤍🕊️

Wishing all (grand)parents, caregivers, kids, teachers and school staff a wonderful start to the new school year. Here in Canada, September 1st is Labour Day so we’re kicking things off with a long weekend 😋.

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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Spoiler alert: our efforts paid off and we’re officially ready for part two of the adventure!

a place to live

We’ve found an apartment and even better, we’re already moved in and writing this from our new home.

We had a few boxes we wanted our new place to tick:

• budget: enough to get a comfortable place, but definitely not unlimited

• location: within walking or cycling distance of the hospital

• overall feel: spacious, clean and bright, ideally with 2 bedrooms

• building amenities*: preferably good service and a decent gym

• furnished: ready to move in without too much hassle

*many newer buildings here come with shared spaces for residents like a rooftop terrace, gym or pool

We saw a lot of places, both online and in real life, and it was not easy to find something we actually liked: too dark, too small, too high up or just too “lived-in.”

Then we came to this apartment and we were immediately excited. We’d seen it online but had some doubts about the location. In person, it turned out to be in a central yet quiet area and the overall quality of both the building and the unit was far above anything else we’d seen.

There were two downsides: it was over budget and it was unfurnished.

Still, we decided to take a chance and made a rental proposal and to everyone’s surprise (including our realtor’s), the owners accepted. So this is it: our new building and condo.

For the furniture, we took inspiration from others who’d done this before (thank you Roi, Dor and Yuval), rented a van and set off to collect the great secondhand finds we’d tracked down online. Along the way, we finally understood our friend Sara’s golden thrifting advice: always give the buyer something, it makes them feel they scored a great deal!

Big thanks to Kijiji, Marketplace, Value Village… and of course Ikea.

If you’re ever thinking about visiting, you’re more than welcome to stay in our guestroom! You’ll have your own private bathroom and the best view in our unit located on the 18th floor.

Not a fan of heights or elevators? There’s also a guest suite available in the building: a comfortable, hotel-style room that we can book for friends and family at a reasonable price.

Other features we are loving so far:

• A friendly 24-hour concierge who’s always around to help with any question.

• A great, well-maintained gym and pool. There are machines, but also a yoga room where Ann follows her work-outs with Reset while Uri does Yoga with Tim.

• A lovely shared outdoor terrace with BBQ facilities (a definite upgrade from our earlier park picnics).

• Before we had furniture or stable internet, we found ourselves booking the boardroom a few times just to have a proper spot to sit and get some work done.

Since many of you appreciated the honesty in our first update, here’s one more important note about our apartment search: we honestly couldn’t have done it without Uri’s friend Dor, who’s lived here in the city for years. He connected us with a realtor who went the extra mile to help us find a place that was right for us. He stayed in close contact, guided us through the process and negotiated with the owners on our behalf. We’re not sure we would be able to find a place like this without his insider help.

administration

Meanwhile, we also continued navigating the paperwork. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been ticking off:

• Uri: university enrollment, work permit, Canadian medical license and professional insurance.

• Practical: registration at the Belgian embassy, Canadian phone numbers, opening a bank account, receiving a local credit card, getting enrolled in Canada’s public health system and add extra coverage through Uri’s employer.

• Money: figuring out how to use Wise, a platform for cheap and easy international money transfers (let’s be real: we couldn’t have handled this without some savings.)

Just as we were about to write about Toronto’s efficient and flexible public services, we hit a bump in the road (quite literally). It turns out that exchanging our Belgian driving licenses for Canadian ones isn’t as easy as we’d hoped, thanks to some missing paperwork. So, that story will have to be continued…

highs

• We’ve had the chance to meet some really lovely people. We have mostly met Belgians and Israelis. While we don’t feel the urge to stick to people from our own nationality, it is nice to share experiences with people from a similar background.

• We’re still loving the food. With so many communities represented in the city, the variety of cuisines is incredible: from falafel to tacos to poke bowls: we’ve tasted some of the best we’ve ever had.

• We’re discovering more and more green spaces in the city: from parks and trails to actual beaches. We’ve been using the Komoot app for a while and it turns out it works just as well for urban trails too.

• There’s so much to do. We discovered BlogTO, a platform that lists all the events happening around town. From paid concerts and sports games to free festivals. There’s no way to keep up with all their suggestions but we’re trying!

lows

Since leaving our Airbnb and moving into our own place, the lows have been rare.

Warning: the following falls into the first-world problems category, brought to you by people who have everything they need but still enjoy a little harmless complaining now and then.

• We are still figuring out the best way to get around the city. Public transport is convenient but involves a bit of walking and takes time. During our move, we experienced it’s fun to cruise around but traffic and parking quickly kill the joy. Uri now has a bike (yes, the white one from the earlier photos) to get to work though we’re still figuring out whether it’s the best choice for our free time also.

• Cooking has been a bit of an inefficient process so far: oven temperatures in Fahrenheit, unfamiliar appliances, an overwhelming variety of products at the store and no car to get everything home. Luckily there’s one thing Ann is especially happy about: her digitised cookbooks. Many of you found the idea funny but turns out they’re actually super handy!

• Several of the electrical appliances we brought didn’t seem to work. After thinking the flight ruined all of them, we learned it’s because of the different voltage used here. So yes, we now own a transformer and Ann can finally blow-dry her hair again!

• No one has asked us, “Where are you from?” We were hoping this meant our English was perfectly fluent and accent-free. But then came BoldVoice Accent Oracle, which kindly reminded us of our Dutch and Hebrew roots. Turns out, people don’t ask where you're from because everyone’s from somewhere else.

  

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  That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.

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what is this?

After ending so many conversations with "we’ll be in touch," we figured… maybe we actually should. So here we are: trying out Substack (thanks to one of Ann’s favorite podcast VSR) and giving this newsletter thing a go.

Here’s the deal:

• We’re writing as we, but let’s be honest—Ann’s mostly driving this. She’s got the time and pen.

• It’ll be in English, so everyone can follow along.

• Our English is fluent but yes, the writing might occasionally get a little help from an AI-assistant behind the scenes.

• Expect updates every month, maybe two, or whenever we feel like we’ve got something to share.

• Content? A mix of photos, thoughts, mini-stories, tunes and whatever else sparks joy.

Ghent

June was all about final strolls, farewell dinners and goodbyes with a few (stressful) last-minute jobs around the house to be done.

• We enjoyed our last bicycle trips through the city.

• We revisited some of our favorite places such as Kantien, Yalo, Zuru Zuru Ramen and Way Coffee Roasters.

• We gave our final bursts of effort at MSA and Cyclo Studio Gantoise.

We’re hoping to find a new neighbourhood, rhythm and routine soon. We will definitely miss Ghent, ranked 9th best ‘quality of life’ city for good reason! And maybe by the time we return, the city will be debt-free too ;)

above the ocean

Tuesday, July 8th, 5:00 AM: our alarms went off, we packed up the last of our belongings and jumped into a taxi heading to Brussels Airport. With six bags we made our way through check-in and boarded our maple-leafed plane: Canada bound, a bit tired and sad but mostly excited for what’s ahead.

Our dear friend Kim considers long-distance flights a kind of bliss: one of the rare moments in modern life when you’re completely disconnected with only limited things to do. We’d never thought of it that way. For us, the secret to surviving those hours in the sky comes down to a few essentials: earplugs, compression socks, e-reader and plenty of water (and off course complementary aisle seats).

Whether it was Kim’s mindset or our tried-and-true tips, our (direct) flight turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. That was a good thing because we needed to arrive sharp: there was still (some of the never-ending) paperwork to tackle at the airport.

Luckily, everything worked out. We stepped outside, ready to walk into Canada’s largest city!

Toronto

Our first week has been all about settling in: taking in first impressions, getting to know the city, handling paperwork, beginning the search for a place to live and meanwhile enjoying our time off together.

So far, the city is living up to our expectations…

• The weather welcomed us with sunny skies and high temperatures.

• People are very friendly and open.

• Speaking English is a joy: everyone understands what you need and you can eavesdrop on the conversations happening around you.

• The cityscape is interesting: a mix of high-rise buildings and charming low-rise brick homes, where busy commercial areas blend into alternative and green neighborhoods.

• We didn’t expect the beach vibes (complete with tanned, fit bodies) along the long Lake Ontario shoreline.

• The food is delicious, with plenty of kitchens to choose from.

• The visible diversity and mix of communities is present everywhere and seems to be a natural part of the system.

There are also a few things we need to get used to:

• The distances are something else. We keep catching ourselves thinking, “Oh, let’s just walk” or “We’re basically there already”, only to spend another hour on foot before reaching our destination.

• Some parts of the city are very busy, loud, warm and at times feel a bit sketchy. Maybe we’ll get used to it or maybe we’ll just keep avoiding those areas.

• There is a biking culture here and some infrastructure to support it. But it’s definitely not car-free Ghent (though maybe the e-bike is what made the difference there).

• And then there’s one very sad observation we can’t skip when talking about Toronto: the presence of homelessness. Some people are mostly spending time on the street but others are clearly in distress or under influence. We have seen some people completely folded as an effect of fentanyl use. These are painful scenes to witness and they leave us wondering why the city isn’t doing more to care for the most vulnerable.

This is ‘Yonge-Dundas Square’, one of the busiest spots in the city and not exactly a place we feel the need to return to. Unless maybe to visit ‘Little Canada’ which might ring a bell for Belgian viewers of the heartwarming TV show ‘Boris’, filmed right here in Canada.

behind the scenes

We’re mostly trying to keep this update short and fun—but moving abroad has taken a lot of preparation and it hasn’t always been easy. Since a shared burden is a lighter one, we also want to give you a peek behind the scenes at some of the challenges we’ve been navigating.

• We booked an Airbnb for the first month but despite the 5-star reviews, we don’t really like it. It’s tight and dark and sometimes smells like weed (and it’s not ours).

• We’ve been dealing with a lot of paperwork: every document seems to require a visit to a different office and of course, there’s always a fee attached.

• Ann’s working permit was denied due to recent legal changes. We are hoping to turn this around the coming months but in the meantime we have to be creative with how we spend our time and rethink our budget.

• We already miss our colleagues, friends and family. Uri has been through this before but Ann had a few emotional days. First saying goodbye to VIVES University College, where she gave her best for 16 years. Leaving our home wasn’t easy either. But the hardest part? Saying goodbye to Ann’s dear parents. We’ll miss them big time.

  

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