トロント市の北部、U字型に走るトロントの地下鉄 Yonge-Spadina-University Line の西側の最終駅、それが Downsview Station。
Downsview Station はトロントの地下鉄の中で好きな駅の一つだ。好きな理由は天井が高く、広々した感じというだけだけど。
家を出て Lansdowne Station からSt. Geroge Station へ、そこから北へ伸びる路線に乗り換えることは今はあまりない。今日は久しぶりに北行きに乗る。
St. George Station を出て、トロントに来て初めて住んだベースメントアパートの近くのDupont Station（この駅が一番好き）を通り過ぎると、駅の間隔が長くなる。Eglinton West Station を過ぎると高速道路の中央を走り地上にでる（大阪の御堂筋線みたいな感じ）。住宅街の狭間を走る高速道路と地下鉄。Yorkdale Station を過ぎるとすぐ東西を走るトロントの交通の大動脈、Highway 401のたくさんの車線を通り越し、だだっ広いトロント市北部へ入る。最終駅の Downsview Station の近くになると、昔カナダ軍の空軍基地だった空港が見えてきて再び地下に潜る。
どうして、昨日はそこへ行ったのかというと、車の免許の筆記を受けに行ったのだ（今さら・笑）。昔は、ダウンタウンにあったオフィスが閉鎖され、今はなぜか分からないが、北部郊外のDownsview Park の中にオフィスがある。公園と言っているけれど、ただの空き地じゃないか？
今日はDriveTest（免許センターの名前）日和で、あまり寒くなくラッキーだった。
待ち合い室にて、改めて移民の町なんだなと思う。英語がままならない家族、スペイン語なまりのラテン集団、「Excuse me」と言いつつ（言わない方もいる）僕の肩を軽く押して通り抜けようとするアジア人男性、英語以外の言葉を話す白人、このビルに来る前に「オフィスどこ？」と僕に聞いてきた（多分アフリカ系の）黒人の女性、などなど。
さて、待つこと２時間くらい。ようやく呼ばれ、目の検査、写真撮影と手数料の支払い。その時、すでに午後４時３０分くらい。「テスト受けるの３０分くらいしかないよ」と言われるが、また来るのも面倒くさいので受けることにした。「あ、英語でいいのよね？」と聞かれ、このテスト、カナダの公用語の英仏語以外でも、実にいろんな言語で受けることができるを忘れていた。でも韓国語はあったけれど、日本語はないんだよね。「英語でお願いします」と返事する。
結果、合格。晴れて、仮免。
これで運転の練習を付き添いとともにできるのです。
In the north end of Toronto, at the end of station on the west side of U-shape, Yonge-Spadina-University subway line, there is Downsview Station. The station has high ceiling and it is spacious. This is one of my favourite stations in Toronto.
From home to Lansdowne Station and then to St. Geoge Station, it's rare to take northbound train from St. George Station nowadays. I got on the northbound today.
After St. George Station, passing Dupont Station (my favourite station in Toronto), that is near my frist basement apartment where I lived after moving to Toronto the first time, the length between station gets longer. After Eglinton West Station, subway runs in-between of a highway (like Osaka's Midosuji subway line). The subway and the highway runs through the residential areas. Right after Yorkdale Station, the subway goes over multiple lanes of the highway 401, that is Toronto's main east-west corridor for its transportation, and reached northend Toronto where everything is big and boxy. When getting closer to Downsview Station, the subway is going under the surface by passing an airport, that used to be a Canadian Air Force base.
The reason why I went to Downsview yesterday is that I went to take a written test for driver's license. The office was located in downtown previously but it was closed down. I don't know why but they opened an office in the north end in Downsview Park. It is called a park, but I thought the park was just an undeveloped vacant land.
I was lucky because it wasn't that cold and it was a good day to visit DriveTest in far north.
When I was waiting, I re-realised that I lived in a city with new immigrants. There are families who don't speak English, a group of Latin people who speaks Spanish, an Asian guy, who said "excuse me" (there are other Asian people who doesn't say anything) and pushed my shoulder lightly when passing through me, a Caucasian who speaks something other than English, an African (I think) black woman, who asked me where the office is before entering to the office, etc.
So, I waited for 2 hours to take a written test. Finally, I was called and I finished paying the fee, taking an eye exam, and taking a photo of my face. It was already 4:30 pm. I was told that I got only 30 minutes to take the test, but I took it anyway because it's kinda far to come back to this office again for the other day. I was asked "English is okay for you?" – I forgot that I can pick a language (besides English and French). You can take this test in many different of languages, but there isn't Japanese version although there was Korean. I replied "English, please."
As a result, I passed.
I can now start to practice driving on the road.
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