Uhhhhhhh. I can't remember the last time I was in bed before 1am, possibly even 2. I think my average bedtime of 3 is starting to take its toll. I'm definitely feeling like my stay in Toronto needs to be drawing to a close - which it is. Various people have now gone their separate ways and Jade and I are going to Montreal for a few days on the 7th and after that I'm going to Vancouver, and hopefully, Whistler. Just need to sort out work, and by that I mean find an opportune moment to quit, because I'm down for a shift on the 7th as well.
People have asked me several times during the last 3 weeks whether I'm missing England and each time I've given a resounding 'no' (sorry!) but I think I'm going through a phase of, if not feeling homesick, very much noticing that I don't have my usual, stable network of family and friends around me. Probably very much exacerbated by the fact that I'm actually exhausted - I was planning on an early night last night, but, once again, the club called and we danced away til 2, drank tea til 3 etc etc. Ironically, I'm sort of glad I've got a nightmare shift at work this afternoon (3-11) as hopefully I really won't feel like heading out afterwards (and more to the point, everyone will have already left, who might take me with them!).
Speaking of dear old Tim H's, there was a brand new person working there yesterday; in comparison I felt like quite the expert! Twas a nice feeling :-) But any amount of loyalty that might have been growing inside me for the place was swiftly dashed yesterday when I saw that I was working 9-5 next Saturday when I plan to be on a coach to Montreal.
Saturday 31 January 2009
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Random quote!
Another quote from Kevin, reacting to Jade checking that the Northern lights are not, in fact, in summer, but actually, in Winter over here: "NOOO, you see the Northern lights in Winter because you need the dark and in summer, there is no dark!!! Be a bit more organised!!"
La vie en blanc
My first hit from the food thieves last night. Almost an entire carton of milk gone. Grrrr. Not a happy bunny, I was last night when my cornflakes were dry and had to empty several of those tiny milk portions at the tea station onto them.
A few random thoughts and facts for this post, it'll be a bit bitty and unconnected but, hey.
Firstly: Toronto, in 1600, was a trading post used by different tribes of Indians, namely the Huron and the Iroquois, and it was originally called Teiaiagon. Because of it's location, it was the hub for 3 portages from Georgian Bay and the lakes to the Mississippi and so became a permanent settlement, called Toronto, The Carrying Place. (Toronto because it was at the southern end of le passage de Toronto.) It strikes me as really apt that it's now one of the most multi-cultural cities as it seems that it was a busy, mixing place all those years ago.
Secondly: I learnt a cool word for my tennis German vocab: abwechslungsreich. Meaning rich in variety, to be used when describing Federer's game at it's peak. Ironically, we actually used it when watching the Roddick/Djokovic match, to describe Novak's game technique and opine on what Roddick's seemed to be lacking...who then went on to win.
Thirdly: the power of the photoshop airbrush. I was in a bookstore yesterday and some busty female wrestler (famous in Canada I think) was doing a book/magazine signing. The difference between her on the front cover of the magazine and her in real life was astounding. On the cover she could have been, 25-29, real life I'd say definitely 35. So girls, it really is true what they say.
Fourthly: Amish people in the US don't pay taxes. So there's a potential little loophole to investigate if things ever get desperate in the credit crunch.
It is properly, properly snowing right now! Very exciting although makes our day trip plans seem a little more of an adventure but I think we're still going to find this damn Cherry Beach place because none of us want to be stuck indoors. Cherry Beach has proved illusive on several attempts by several people. And no, Q, we are not getting a taxi, it must be done under our own steam!
Ok, so next part of the plan for those of you interested. Montreal on the 7th Feb with Jade to meet up with Marnie who sadly left us yesterday for the bright lights of NYC. And then I'm heading West to Vancouver and any skiing that I might find. Kevin is probably heading there around the 7th and there's another girl from the hostel too who is making her way over so there should be a couple of people around when I get there, plus a few contacts that my new Canadian friend Sarah has promised to put me in touch with. And then an envoi from the UK arrives mid March... :-)
A few random thoughts and facts for this post, it'll be a bit bitty and unconnected but, hey.
Firstly: Toronto, in 1600, was a trading post used by different tribes of Indians, namely the Huron and the Iroquois, and it was originally called Teiaiagon. Because of it's location, it was the hub for 3 portages from Georgian Bay and the lakes to the Mississippi and so became a permanent settlement, called Toronto, The Carrying Place. (Toronto because it was at the southern end of le passage de Toronto.) It strikes me as really apt that it's now one of the most multi-cultural cities as it seems that it was a busy, mixing place all those years ago.
Secondly: I learnt a cool word for my tennis German vocab: abwechslungsreich. Meaning rich in variety, to be used when describing Federer's game at it's peak. Ironically, we actually used it when watching the Roddick/Djokovic match, to describe Novak's game technique and opine on what Roddick's seemed to be lacking...who then went on to win.
Thirdly: the power of the photoshop airbrush. I was in a bookstore yesterday and some busty female wrestler (famous in Canada I think) was doing a book/magazine signing. The difference between her on the front cover of the magazine and her in real life was astounding. On the cover she could have been, 25-29, real life I'd say definitely 35. So girls, it really is true what they say.
Fourthly: Amish people in the US don't pay taxes. So there's a potential little loophole to investigate if things ever get desperate in the credit crunch.
It is properly, properly snowing right now! Very exciting although makes our day trip plans seem a little more of an adventure but I think we're still going to find this damn Cherry Beach place because none of us want to be stuck indoors. Cherry Beach has proved illusive on several attempts by several people. And no, Q, we are not getting a taxi, it must be done under our own steam!
Ok, so next part of the plan for those of you interested. Montreal on the 7th Feb with Jade to meet up with Marnie who sadly left us yesterday for the bright lights of NYC. And then I'm heading West to Vancouver and any skiing that I might find. Kevin is probably heading there around the 7th and there's another girl from the hostel too who is making her way over so there should be a couple of people around when I get there, plus a few contacts that my new Canadian friend Sarah has promised to put me in touch with. And then an envoi from the UK arrives mid March... :-)
Sunday 25 January 2009
Let's Go Marlies!
Last night I completed another Canadian rite of passage and went to my first hockey game, the Toronto Marlies vs Chicago Wolves, a second division match that, due to the fact that the Maple Leafs weren't playing, had a lot more attendance than usual, according to our cab driver. One of us almost didn't make it: no sooner had she stepped out of the car, Jade suddenly realised that she'd forgotten her wallet - and ticket! Fortunately, touting doesn't seem to be subject to the same stringent rules over here so we managed to get her another one cheaply and she got in no problems!
I really enjoyed the match - and I admit that whilst I was looking forward to it, part of me was afraid that it would be a repeat of a Bluejays's baseball match a few years ago, which was less sport and more food and adverts! And whilst this match had a few breaks for adverts and the like, I got the feeling this was also to give the players rest because of the intensity. I didn't realise that hockey was so intense - the players swap round several times during the periods. I also love the clack and clatter sounds of the skates on ice, the sticks hitting the puck and the players smashing into eachother! Once I'd figured out which team was in which kit, I got into it even more! And yes, there was a fight - not a huge one, and to be frank, I think we could have done better, but it was a fight nonetheless, which no real hockey game should be without, no?
We also had Kevin, who plays hockey in Germany, explaining the rules and providing a free running commentary. Which generally consisted of groans and sighs at how bad the quality of play mainly was! He likened it to the way the English football team play - and even I could see where he was coming from - a lot of sending the puck way up the field/pitch/rink? with no one up there to receive it, instead of playing it upfield, rather like the displays we tend to put on at each major international tournament (well aware that I'm leaving myself wide open for protests and comments to prove otherwise here....)
But, in the end, the Marlies won 3-1 so we left happy. Afterwards we headed to a club in Kensington. So after walking 20 mins in minus 20 (or what felt like it) we arrived only to be held outside for no apparent reason by a bouncer that looked like something undead from Lord of the Rings. We waited possibly 5 mins and then went elsewhere for a bit! Danced away for a bit, cold walk home via McDonald's of all places, and then the usual tea and sofas in the hostel for a bit before bed.
Something else that really made me laugh yesterday: Marnie, Kevin and I went to St Lawrence market - this huge indoor market with loads of nice food stalls, and we were at a British cheese stand (hunk of cheddar for $14 anyone? No, didn't think so) and Kevin, spying Carr's water biscuits, said with much gusto and glee, "oooh this always reminds me of the Wallit and Gromice!!!"
I really enjoyed the match - and I admit that whilst I was looking forward to it, part of me was afraid that it would be a repeat of a Bluejays's baseball match a few years ago, which was less sport and more food and adverts! And whilst this match had a few breaks for adverts and the like, I got the feeling this was also to give the players rest because of the intensity. I didn't realise that hockey was so intense - the players swap round several times during the periods. I also love the clack and clatter sounds of the skates on ice, the sticks hitting the puck and the players smashing into eachother! Once I'd figured out which team was in which kit, I got into it even more! And yes, there was a fight - not a huge one, and to be frank, I think we could have done better, but it was a fight nonetheless, which no real hockey game should be without, no?
We also had Kevin, who plays hockey in Germany, explaining the rules and providing a free running commentary. Which generally consisted of groans and sighs at how bad the quality of play mainly was! He likened it to the way the English football team play - and even I could see where he was coming from - a lot of sending the puck way up the field/pitch/rink? with no one up there to receive it, instead of playing it upfield, rather like the displays we tend to put on at each major international tournament (well aware that I'm leaving myself wide open for protests and comments to prove otherwise here....)
But, in the end, the Marlies won 3-1 so we left happy. Afterwards we headed to a club in Kensington. So after walking 20 mins in minus 20 (or what felt like it) we arrived only to be held outside for no apparent reason by a bouncer that looked like something undead from Lord of the Rings. We waited possibly 5 mins and then went elsewhere for a bit! Danced away for a bit, cold walk home via McDonald's of all places, and then the usual tea and sofas in the hostel for a bit before bed.
Something else that really made me laugh yesterday: Marnie, Kevin and I went to St Lawrence market - this huge indoor market with loads of nice food stalls, and we were at a British cheese stand (hunk of cheddar for $14 anyone? No, didn't think so) and Kevin, spying Carr's water biscuits, said with much gusto and glee, "oooh this always reminds me of the Wallit and Gromice!!!"
Wednesday 21 January 2009
How not to hostel
Book in the largest, fullest dorm room and complain about the lack of wardrobe/hanging space.
Complain (whilst still up and dressed herself) that at 1am, in a youth hostel in the country's largest city, people are still up and about and not going to sleep. And that yours truly has the light on (I know rooting around in a bag in the dark is the more sensible option, but hey, I was feeling crazy).
Get offended when people ask you where in Ireland you're from when you've spent the last 15 mins ranting about the lack of facilities in a strong Irish accent.
That's right - the latest addition to Room 10 is a very cranky middle-aged woman from, yup, Ireland (we never established any more detail than that) who clearly didn't know what she let herself in for. Certainly she's not one of those folk blessed with that cheery "get down and get on with people" disposition, which, when hostelling, ranks as one of the more vital strings in your bow.
Anyway, the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, not to mention hilarity - nothing funnier than a situation when laughing would go down like a ton of bricks, or maybe the prospect of a mixed-sex dorm (the horror) - meant that I felt compelled to log on and share with you lovely folks.
Apparently Mrs Whine is possibly staying 2 nights. We're all certain she'll be gone in 24 hrs. That'll free up some valuable floor storage space at least :-)
Complain (whilst still up and dressed herself) that at 1am, in a youth hostel in the country's largest city, people are still up and about and not going to sleep. And that yours truly has the light on (I know rooting around in a bag in the dark is the more sensible option, but hey, I was feeling crazy).
Get offended when people ask you where in Ireland you're from when you've spent the last 15 mins ranting about the lack of facilities in a strong Irish accent.
That's right - the latest addition to Room 10 is a very cranky middle-aged woman from, yup, Ireland (we never established any more detail than that) who clearly didn't know what she let herself in for. Certainly she's not one of those folk blessed with that cheery "get down and get on with people" disposition, which, when hostelling, ranks as one of the more vital strings in your bow.
Anyway, the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, not to mention hilarity - nothing funnier than a situation when laughing would go down like a ton of bricks, or maybe the prospect of a mixed-sex dorm (the horror) - meant that I felt compelled to log on and share with you lovely folks.
Apparently Mrs Whine is possibly staying 2 nights. We're all certain she'll be gone in 24 hrs. That'll free up some valuable floor storage space at least :-)
Tuesday 20 January 2009
One orange mocha frappucino to go please
One of the best things about being in a hostel is the wide variety of nationalities surrounding you. At the moment, I've got Germans, French, Irish, British and Aussie in my 'family' and conversations often are made up of random dips into different languages, merging (almost) seamlessly between French, German and the occasional bit of Spanish. We were creating our own versions of Germish (ein poco Spanish) and other mixes of words sentences. Seeing as I've mentioned my 'family' it seems a good moment to write a little more about them here....
Marnie is a lovely German student who has been working in Vancouver and Banff and is returning home in February, Jade is a fun-loving French girl who is on holiday and is practicing her English all the time. Chris is a product designer from Ireland and has got a Canadian passport and has come out here to work and is very laid back and easy-going. Ray is a crazy fun Aussie guy who has been working out in Canada for years and knows loads of useful stuff, Annie, his girlfriend is sadly heading back to the UK for a bit on Friday but hopefully she'll be back very soon. Kevin is from Germany and looking for work and loads of fun as well. My mother and several people are convinced that I'm going to come back with a Canadian accent but I'm not convinced at this rate. It's more likely to be Australian or French!
But in a bid to avoid that (and start earning a tiny bit of money) I've started working at Tim Horton's, which is Canadian coffee mecca. I had one shift yesterday which went well, and all those coffee machines aren't as unworkable and confusing as they look from the customer side of the counter. Everyone was really nice and friendly and reassuring and made me feel quite welcome. And the best bit was walking home after my shift feeling like I'd accomplished something even if it was only not screwing up coffee orders, like I belonged a little more in Canada :-)
Marnie is a lovely German student who has been working in Vancouver and Banff and is returning home in February, Jade is a fun-loving French girl who is on holiday and is practicing her English all the time. Chris is a product designer from Ireland and has got a Canadian passport and has come out here to work and is very laid back and easy-going. Ray is a crazy fun Aussie guy who has been working out in Canada for years and knows loads of useful stuff, Annie, his girlfriend is sadly heading back to the UK for a bit on Friday but hopefully she'll be back very soon. Kevin is from Germany and looking for work and loads of fun as well. My mother and several people are convinced that I'm going to come back with a Canadian accent but I'm not convinced at this rate. It's more likely to be Australian or French!
But in a bid to avoid that (and start earning a tiny bit of money) I've started working at Tim Horton's, which is Canadian coffee mecca. I had one shift yesterday which went well, and all those coffee machines aren't as unworkable and confusing as they look from the customer side of the counter. Everyone was really nice and friendly and reassuring and made me feel quite welcome. And the best bit was walking home after my shift feeling like I'd accomplished something even if it was only not screwing up coffee orders, like I belonged a little more in Canada :-)
Friday 16 January 2009
Never again will I complain about feeling cold when outside in the UK. This last week, I have wandered around in a pleasant -13 in bright sunshine (nice), queued for a club without a coat to avoid the $3 cloakroom charge in -20 (silly but economically sound) and walked down to Lake Ontario in skin-burningly, face and leg-numbing cold winds. It doesn't help when you finish putting on the layers for the outside actually outside because it takes too long to do so when you're leaving, even if it does make you feel like a hardened local!
Life in the hostel is pretty chilled out and fun. There's a large communal sitting room area where lots of people hang out - everyone pretty much on their laptops! It's almost antisocial, but when everyone is sitting there doing it, it sort of becomes the way that people are spending time with eachother, much like you might spend a Sunday morning with friends over the papers. There are people from all walks of life - people like myself on working visas, backpackers, a lot of EFL students who are all about 14 years old and some randoms that you're not entirely sure where they've come from or where they're going.
But for the most part, I've met some really fun, lovely people and we're having a good time exploring the city, going out for drinks, playing cards and discussing vague plans of what jobs we're "looking" for. Although, on that note, I did send my resume off to a temp agency this morning so feeling productive AND have opened a Canadian bank account. Interestingly, if people picked their countries to visit according to how good bank accounts were, I would not have come to Canada!! Any chance they have to charge you, they will!!! I think that's the first thing I can put on my Missing from England list - a free bank account.
xx
Life in the hostel is pretty chilled out and fun. There's a large communal sitting room area where lots of people hang out - everyone pretty much on their laptops! It's almost antisocial, but when everyone is sitting there doing it, it sort of becomes the way that people are spending time with eachother, much like you might spend a Sunday morning with friends over the papers. There are people from all walks of life - people like myself on working visas, backpackers, a lot of EFL students who are all about 14 years old and some randoms that you're not entirely sure where they've come from or where they're going.
But for the most part, I've met some really fun, lovely people and we're having a good time exploring the city, going out for drinks, playing cards and discussing vague plans of what jobs we're "looking" for. Although, on that note, I did send my resume off to a temp agency this morning so feeling productive AND have opened a Canadian bank account. Interestingly, if people picked their countries to visit according to how good bank accounts were, I would not have come to Canada!! Any chance they have to charge you, they will!!! I think that's the first thing I can put on my Missing from England list - a free bank account.
xx
Sunday 11 January 2009
The first rethink...!
Have now been in Toronto staying with some variant on the cousin relation, Andy, and his wife Shan and their 2 kids, Simon (3) and Amy (6 months). Have a very nice basement annex to myself which has been great, but Markham being a fair way out of Toronto, I've decided to head down to a hostel tomorrow in a bid to be more in the centre of things and meet some people, as my company, although lovely up here, is quite limited.
This change of plan is due to the SWAP office that I was headed for an orientation meeting in Montreal being shut until end of Jan, so I've been having to do a bit of a rethink the last few days. The current plan is to hang out in Toronto until at least Thursday, when I'll go to the SWAP meeting here. Then maybe Montreal after that (where potential room might be) or stay here for a couple of months - there's a potential writing job that was suggested by my friend Jenny's brother's girlfriend, which, if it came about would be awesome, as in it would be beneficial to my career, or my excuse for one in London. But I want to head over West at some point as well, so maybe a more temporary role would be best. Who knows. For now, the plan is to have fun downtown Toronto for a few days, hopefully meet some others in a similar situation and go from there. Flexibilty is everything!
Toronto itself is cool - not as cold as I expected. Or, rather, it is cold, and if I were standing at a bus stop in Clapham in those temperatures I would not be a happy bunny, but because it's Canada, I think I'm expecting it to be like that. I was even exploring sans hat or gloves today - I'm turning into a hardened canuck already :-)
Today was a good day, productive. Booked myself into the hostel, bought some snow boots, got my cell phone (another Canadianism!) set up. Wandered around downtown, to the library, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Eaton centre (a big mall) and did things like eat frozen yogurt, stomp through snow and walk up and down the self-proclaimed longest street in the world, Yonge street, which runs through Toronto right up into Ontario and beyond. It also seems to have a large number of adult entertainment shops as well! I've also checked out Holts Renfrew (the Harvey Nics of Toronto) with Jenny yesterday - and was only vaguely tempted by a pair of severely discounted Paige jeans, and come across a massive protest against the Israel with the Israel-Gaza conflict. It's quite strange being so far from home, and yet the Queen still features on all the coins here - I've just emptied my wallet of all English change, which makes paying for things a lot quicker when I'm not discarding 5p pieces..although I wonder if they'd notice...
Next stop, Canadiana backpackers. As someone said to me earlier, the fun and the fear starts here!
This change of plan is due to the SWAP office that I was headed for an orientation meeting in Montreal being shut until end of Jan, so I've been having to do a bit of a rethink the last few days. The current plan is to hang out in Toronto until at least Thursday, when I'll go to the SWAP meeting here. Then maybe Montreal after that (where potential room might be) or stay here for a couple of months - there's a potential writing job that was suggested by my friend Jenny's brother's girlfriend, which, if it came about would be awesome, as in it would be beneficial to my career, or my excuse for one in London. But I want to head over West at some point as well, so maybe a more temporary role would be best. Who knows. For now, the plan is to have fun downtown Toronto for a few days, hopefully meet some others in a similar situation and go from there. Flexibilty is everything!
Toronto itself is cool - not as cold as I expected. Or, rather, it is cold, and if I were standing at a bus stop in Clapham in those temperatures I would not be a happy bunny, but because it's Canada, I think I'm expecting it to be like that. I was even exploring sans hat or gloves today - I'm turning into a hardened canuck already :-)
Today was a good day, productive. Booked myself into the hostel, bought some snow boots, got my cell phone (another Canadianism!) set up. Wandered around downtown, to the library, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Eaton centre (a big mall) and did things like eat frozen yogurt, stomp through snow and walk up and down the self-proclaimed longest street in the world, Yonge street, which runs through Toronto right up into Ontario and beyond. It also seems to have a large number of adult entertainment shops as well! I've also checked out Holts Renfrew (the Harvey Nics of Toronto) with Jenny yesterday - and was only vaguely tempted by a pair of severely discounted Paige jeans, and come across a massive protest against the Israel with the Israel-Gaza conflict. It's quite strange being so far from home, and yet the Queen still features on all the coins here - I've just emptied my wallet of all English change, which makes paying for things a lot quicker when I'm not discarding 5p pieces..although I wonder if they'd notice...
Next stop, Canadiana backpackers. As someone said to me earlier, the fun and the fear starts here!
Thursday 8 January 2009
Excited!
Well well well the day has finally arrived! This will only be a short entry as I've still got a tax form to fill out and some shampoo to decant into mini travel bottles and fling the last few things into bags, before heading off to Heathrow after lunch.
Over the last week I've had an uncommonly good time with very good friends, which has made the leaving bit really hard, with the realisation that I'm not going to be around for Becks's party, or I won't be there to hear all about Laura's job interview really hitting home at last. But I've pushed through that, and emerged on the other side. A few contacts and some emails arranging to meet for drinks in Montreal, and the vague possibility of a room have definitely helped, and I'm feeling more reassured that I won't be wandering around the city with only an ipod for company! So I'm and really ready to go and hugely excited!
Or maybe it's just feeling nervous anticipation because I'm flying from T5 and I might not see my bags for another month ;-)
xx
Over the last week I've had an uncommonly good time with very good friends, which has made the leaving bit really hard, with the realisation that I'm not going to be around for Becks's party, or I won't be there to hear all about Laura's job interview really hitting home at last. But I've pushed through that, and emerged on the other side. A few contacts and some emails arranging to meet for drinks in Montreal, and the vague possibility of a room have definitely helped, and I'm feeling more reassured that I won't be wandering around the city with only an ipod for company! So I'm and really ready to go and hugely excited!
Or maybe it's just feeling nervous anticipation because I'm flying from T5 and I might not see my bags for another month ;-)
xx
Friday 2 January 2009
(Not quite) Set for the off
Well hello there. It seems I'm finally doing something that seems worthy of creating a blog for - a trip over to Canada on a working holiday visa. I guess this is where I'll regale you with tales of adventure, mishap and general random snippets of life in out in the Commonwealth.
Not that I've actually left yet, so not much more to say...trust me, getting ready is so uninteresting that even I'm not doing very much of it yet (T-6 days). Packing and photocopying vital documents do not a blog post make. Although leaving drinks tomorrow night might throw up some interesting stories... ;-)
So au revoir for now, and keep in touch!
Not that I've actually left yet, so not much more to say...trust me, getting ready is so uninteresting that even I'm not doing very much of it yet (T-6 days). Packing and photocopying vital documents do not a blog post make. Although leaving drinks tomorrow night might throw up some interesting stories... ;-)
So au revoir for now, and keep in touch!
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