canada calling

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Greetings from ca.

Slowly getting used to the madness that is Canada. Started work yesterday and was greeted with a shiney new white ibook with my name on it!

Days are mostly spent getting up early enough to get down stairs for free pancakes and coffee before 'riding the street car' (catching the tram) to work. 15 min journey. The first few days here were drowned in typical Scottish weather and grey sky mysery but today the sun is shining so brightly that I am forced to wear sunglasses with my coat on.

Another novelty! Temps are predicted to rise for the weekend and we should all be walking round in 77 degree temps. Will believe it when I see it though. Everything looks shiney and huge in the sunshine. I have a view of the tower from my window and use it to work out my east form my west. Still had not mastered the left from right and cannot remember if the sun should be behind me or infront to walk east and west. Even after the crash course from my brother before I arrived. I think girls should be issued with a compass when they arrive at immigration not a 'booklet on how Canadians live'!

Things that they never tell you. When 'riding the street car' you should be standing at the section of road with what looks like a bus stop and have to walk into the road before they will stop for you. if you dont step into the road they will just keep going. When you need to get off you should not stand by the doors waiting for them to open but walk onto the exit step so that the sensor detects you are there opens the doors and you can get off. Other wise it will continue to move and the doors stay closed (which means you half to walk half a block back to where you wanted to get off in the first place. Also check for traffic when you get off because the rails run in the middle of the road and there are cars either side of you! moving cars!

House hunt.
This has been some what grim so far. i have seen 3 now and each has got progressively better but all of then have not been particularly clean or large. Going to have a look at a 'penhouse' with panoramic skyline views and floor to ceiling windows in a place called 'spadina towers' (top pronounciation tip - spadina sounds like the end part of vagina!) but the number of this fancy penthouse is 666!!!!! Have to go and have a look for a laugh! Am tempted to take it just for the number. The 'real estate' agents here are so cheesey. Also going to see a 'condo' that will probably be like shoe box but you can see the lake and the building has a swimming pool, games room, hot tub on roof in decked 'relaxation' area. They generally come unfurnished so I could wait 3 months for my boxes to be shipped over and sit on those. I could arrange them into a sofa shape and chuck a throw on them! Or steal a sunlounger from the roof top area. Will keep you updated...

Hostel life is fun. Always someone round to talk nonsense with and play cards. I have also been playing backgammon again although have not won a game just yet. Still time. Will probably be here for another week (unless the devil worshipping works out).

Managed to open a bank account which took about an hour, and have my SIN (social insurance number) after walking the streets in the rain looking for the government office. It was the one with all the Canadian flags outside, that I had walked past 3 times!

So in all, days are filled with going to work, and trying to find somewhere to live. Not much time for anything else.

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