Photo: My friends and I at a gift shop in Saskatoon

So, in September, I wrote a grand total of zero articles! What happened? Where did I go? Well, for one thing, I went to Saskatoon! What is “Saskatoon”? Well, let me tell you about it…

Saskatoon is the biggest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan (though it is not the capital city!). Saskatoon is named after a type of berry that grows in that area, with the original name translating roughly to “at the place of many saskatoon berries” in the Cree language. The city was founded in 1882 and today straddles the South Saskatchewan River (which means that the city is located on both sides of the river).

Saskatchewan is a very flat province, great for agriculture but not very attractive to tourists. So, why did I go there? Well, my friends moved from Toronto to Saskatoon last year, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone (to achieve two aims at once) by visiting Saskatoon for the first time while also hanging out with my friends and staying at their new house! 

I spent four days in Saskatoon, during which I had a chance to check out a rib fest (a food festival featuring barbecued ribs), the zoo, the University of Saskatchewan, and an interesting restaurant called The Cave (which was like a cave inside!). I also joined in on some family activities with my friends, such as attending a karate class, watching their daughter’s soccer practice, playing mini-golf, and having a little house party with some of their other friends and their kids. 

Although there are some rough areas downtown, Saskatoon surpassed my expectations, and I was impressed by the amount of development and growth that I saw. Compared to major cities like Toronto and Vancouver, Saskatoon is still very affordable, and it has clearly attracted many people, especially young families, who are seeking the chance to buy a home and enjoy a more reasonable cost of living. 

So, what kind of souvenirs did I bring back? Well, I got a cap from the University of Saskatchewan, a Saskatoon t-shirt, some chocolate-covered Saskatoon berries and also some Saskatoon berry jam, and some bison pemmican (a traditional kind of dried meat, sometimes mixed with berries). Unfortunately, the locally-made bottle of hot sauce I bought was too big to put in my carry-on bag on the plane - oops! I also brought back some great memories of my visit and my time with my friends, and I hope to visit them in Saskatoon again next year!