on canadian soil part 2: day 1

When we reached toronto, it was 1 sept, 7pm canadian time. Yi ling and I could only check in to our hostel (89 Chestnut Residence) from 2 sept, 8am onwards, so we had to put up at Global Village backpackers for the night.

Yi ling and I had the experience of our lives trying to transport our heavy luggage down the stairs to the storeroom at the basement. The next morning, we endured another back-breaking experience getting our luggage up the stairs. Luckily there was two of us to do this job! After checking out of the place, we took a cab to 89 Chestnut Residence. In canada, be prepared to shell out tips for taxi drivers, waiters etc.

At 89 Chestnut Residence, we waited in line to check in and get our luggage up to our rooms. When we went to our rooms, we realised that genevieve had already checked in. Genevieve's also from NUS. Genevieve left for canada on 17 Aug with her parents to visit her relatives. Yi ling and genevieve are roommates. As for me, my roommate hasn't arrived yet.

Genevieve's parents were in her room and they kindly took us to a cosy place in Toronto's Chinatown for dim sum lunch. The food was excellent! We ordered too much food so we took turns to finish the food bit by bit. I swear I've been eating a lot since I boarded the plane haha!

Then her parents took us to a place called Honest Ed's to shop for necessities. This place is well-known for its affordable prices. I managed to get a bedsheet for CAN$5.99, a pail for CAN$2.49, 1.5L drinking water for CAN$0.79 and sunblock for CAN$6.99! The exchange rate is CAN$1 to S$1.44, so I did my sums and found that the prices I paid are rather worth it! Cost of living in canada is very high compared to singapore. A simple meal could set you back at least CAN$4-5 and that excludes tips and 17% tax. Looks like I have to watch my finances carefully, because I wanna save up to TRAVEL :) :)

After that we went to the apartment genevieve's parents rented for grapes and cranberry juice. I was so grateful for that because I was extremely thirsty. The three of us have been drinking lots of soups these days during our meals. I've since developed an aversion to foods with little moisture content like fried foods and bread. Thanks to my st nicks pals for the 八宝袋, there were many packets of instant soup inside :)

I've since unpacked and settled down in my room. I'm so impressed by my room! It's really big and I have a double bed to myself (same goes to my prospective roommate). Plus each room has a toilet and shower! Alas, accommodation here is CAN$4974 (three meals per day included) for one semester, while in Raffles Hall, accommodation plus food (breakfast, tea, dinner) is about S$1500 per semester. See the price difference?

Apologies for the lack of photos as I haven't been taking photos... more will be up soon I promise, so stay tuned!