My mother works on Yonge Street near Finch Avenue in Toronto. It is our version of Broadway and one of the most popular boulevards in the city. My close friend lives a block away, and I spent my teenage years eating Chinese food and playing computer games at internet cafes in this neighbourhood.
Yonge and Finch, as it’s colloquially known, is the northern intersection of the corridor of road where a rental van was driven into crowds of pedestrians. It was with a shocked numbness between seeing patients in clinic that I read notifications on Twitter about the attack, and several more agonising minutes before speaking with my mother ensuring that she was safe.
I was born and raised in Toronto by an immigrant Ismaili Muslim family from Africa. I grew up surrounded by people from all walks of life and learned about their experiences through the richness that is our incredible mosaic of cultures. It was through my exposure to this pluralism of food, language and the arts that I grew to love Toronto.
More at the source: Toronto will recover from fatal attack
Ismailimail 