To put the first couple days in one succinct format is a bit difficult so I'm going to break down the days in point-like form - not as fun but the past couple days have felt like checking things off the list.
Sunday, August 16:
- Arrive in the airport and wait in long customs line.
- After customs I get sent to Immigration - the woman rolls her eyes after looking at my passport and shows it to her colleague, saying something in french. He laughs.
- After quite some time I'm issued a study permit and sent on my way.
- I share a taxi with a fellow confused traveler to downtown where I am staying - the taxi driver is friendly and chats with us, asking us why on earth we would come to Quebec when Toronto is so much better. He pointed out the graffiti and cracked highways as we passed - telling us how corrupt the city and its officials are. Unaffected by taxi driver pessimism I ask, "What is good about the city?" Our taxi driver states with a laugh, "The corruption."
- Settle into hostel and try to make friends with a French girl who is uninterested in exploring because she is moping on the computer to her boyfriend (gross).
- Leave purely for survival purposes (hunger) without turning more than two corners (for fear of not finding my way back) and find a park.
- Feel lonely and stupid for coming all this way just to eat a $10 sandwich on a bench by myself.
Monday, August 17th:
- Talk with another girl, Yulia, in the hostel and get better luck; we make plans to hang out that night.
- I force myself to turn all sorts of corners (if you know my sense of direction you may understand the - dare I say - terror this inflicted on me)
- Find a bank and withdraw funds - this boosts my confidence in myself.
- With great difficulty and many footsteps from getting turned around I find the mall and purchase a phone.
- Discover how friendly and welcoming people are - Montreal is familiar in that it has a San Francisco feel, just much more friendly and French.
- Find my campus and immediately get acquainted with the library.
- Use the Metro (by the by, public transportation here beats San Francisco)
- Meet for a housing appointment - didn't like the location.
- Eat poutine (fries with cheese curds and gravy sauce - so good)
- Walk along the water of Old Montreal where my hostel is located.
- Hang out with my new friend from the hostel and her mates at a beautiful French restaurant. With Yulia and her friend from back home in Russia, we walk along the streets of Montreal, enjoying the warm night.
- Might I add that the humidity here is almost too much to handle and makes my hair look like a crazed woman's or the offspring of Medusa. My most prized possession is my Sigg bottle - a worthy purchase for its hydrating powers.
- Feel accomplished and content as I work to sleep in the heat
Tuesday, August 18th:
- Go to the International services office on campus, get my insurance card
- Stay online all day in the library trying to figure out housing
- Make six appointments for the following day
- Hang out with Graham (Another Cal State kid going to UQAM - one of the French speaking universities)
- Feel happy and excited at the end of the day because I've been so active during the day and had social opportunity at night.
Wednesday, August 19th:
Today was the day that ended my "honeymoon phase" as the international orientation dubs it a few days later. Overstretching my capabilities is a weakness of mine and I sure overscheduled my day as I ran around trying to make appointments on time and explore different neighborhoods in a city I still don't have a handle of. By the end of the day I was exhausted: my body ached, I'd gotten a pretty nasty sun burn, I'd lost my three day unlimited metro pass and my precious Sigg on a bus. Throughout the day I'd met three people that had been so lovely it almost made up for it. A friendly girl at the bus stop struck up a conversation with me because she was familiar with California and before I knew it she was writing her number down assuring me to call her any time just to grab coffee. Another woman at a food counter took the time to speak with me about how independent I must be to come here and find a place to live. Dan, the landlord that I warmed up to right away had also taken the time to really talk with me about how I liked the city and the differences between Canada and the states. Not only that but his little son wouldn't stop looking up at me and smiling.
Montreal, it seems, is renewing my faith in other human beings. Aside from the immigration office, every time I've interacted with people here I've felt so welcomed. Seriously - good, genuine people live here.
Still, I'm very upset with myself because I overspent on transportation and overall don't have a very successful room hunting experience. Writing this out I realize how awful hard I was being on myself; most of my harshness with myself was due to the fact that my hostel stay ran up on Saturday morning and I'd no idea what it would be like trying to book something so late. I'll admit I panicked: mentally kicking myself for being unprepared and trying to do so much on my own at such late notice.
Walking by an old cathedral of sorts I see a few homeless individuals sleeping around its perimeter. I try to picture myself making it on the streets: taking up residence on an Old Montreal chapel's doorsteps - what a glamorous life it would be! The glamor of homelessness disappears when I see the ripped pants of one of the sleeping men, nearly exposing his butt cheek.
Graham calls and I begin to explain my day. The phone cuts out. My minutes have run out. I go to refill my minutes over the phone but can't with an American card. Now no one can even contact me about housing - great.
Refusing to spend more money on food I only allow myself my leftovers. I'm tired and feeling very anti-social so when I sit down at an open spot I eat fast and don't make eye contact with the girl next to me. In the hostel room by myself I lay down and force myself not to cry or panic. The girl at the table walks in, Joana is my new temporary roommate. I feel bad for my previous behavior and explain myself. She is a student from Germany looking for housing as well. We exchange numbers before she takes off.
My body aches from stress, moving around so much, poor shoes, and a sunburn to boot. I thought I would fall asleep soon but instead lie awake worrying. The Beatles song,
Help! comes into my head out of no where. Pissed off by the lyrics in my head that don't help my worries, I plug in Erik Satie and breathe deeply. Two hours later I conk out.
Thursday, August 19th:
- I wake up feeling better knowing its orientation for international students and that I'll get to see Camille (another Cal State individual coming to Concordia)
- Attend orientation and talk with Camille's parents who offer their hotel couch for the weekend
- Get my ID card
- Refill my phone in person
- It is pouring rain outside (unexpected by me because of the heat) and I'm in a sundress and sandals so I make my way back to the hostel to change, late for two housing appointments
- I've directed Joana to the landlord I liked because I want to live with other students and he said if I get two other girls to live with me he'll make arrangements for the 50 year old woman who is renting month to month.
- Call a hostel near the university - they have one opening for Sat-Mon. YEAH!
- Stand by a crazy man in a bus line. He speaks only French as he screams to invisible people. Crazy is one thing but a crazy you can't understand can make you all the more uneasy.
- Graham and I make plans to hang out with Joana. Joana likes the apartment but I'm holding out for the one I found today that I love so I tell her to go for it even though I know without my going for it now I loose the spot because Dan wanted it filled right away.
- Graham feeds me raviolis at his place and lets me use his internet (hostel internet is unpredictable)
- Joana, Graham, and I make our way through the city and find a spot with live Irish music. The night is so relaxing, and the company so good, I forget my worries about housing and really start to enjoy the city.
Friday, August 20th:
- Go to Concordia and stay on library internet, writing and arranging for more appointments.
- A girl calls me and tells me I have the room if I want it. I'm ecstatic because it was my second choice (only because it is a kind of cramped space). I tell her I'll give her the answer tomorrow because I'm still holding out for choice number one.
- In the evening Graham and I go to an appointment I've made (the people were no shows - LAME) on the street that makes me want to settle down and never leave Montreal.
- With no luck we make our way over to where his friend works at a bistro. Gabriel is the sweetest thing and the food is so delicious and inexpensive! We sat outside in the candlelight on the corner of a street in the district I like best eating yummy quiches. I love it here.
- I decide that night that I'm going to room with the girl who contacted me because it is very cheap and located in the district I like. I'll feel better about living somewhere half the rent I was paying at Sonoma because it will allow me to enjoy nights like this more often and I'll have more money to travel.
Saturday, August 21st:
- Camille and her lovely parents are so kind to pick me up and take me to my new hostel located by campus.
- I call the location in order to let her know I want it. She is still having an open house because I gave a maybe - understandable, but I'm in panic mode again.
- Graham and I venture to the bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec (I drool slightly)
- I spend some time watching the life size chess matches in the park
- We go to Mile End for one other (last ditch) appointment. Fail. I wait for the call from my one option.
- Graham tries to make me feel better by offering me sips of juice. I'm irritable and hungry so we go to the mall and eat microwaved fast food burritos - a mistake, as we expected, because we've been some spoiled little Californians and this was not Mexican food.
- I get the call from the girl and I HAVE A ROOM!!
- We join Joanna, her French roommates, and her friend Marcel (also from Germany and going to my school) for Greek food and a little cafe with many cushions to sit on. These nights keep getting better.
During the course of the week I've had a difficult time but I must make clear that it has all been worth it. I love it here, and yes, I would plan better and do things differently if I were given another shot, but never once did I regret coming. Now that I have the stability of a permanent living space I'm able to relax and really enjoy where I live.
Also, my blogs won't be this long from now on and if you got this far, well, I didn't expect anyone to get this far. Thanks for reading.
We passed through the art festival going on. They had blocked off a main street for street performers and sales. I went with a few of my buddies to Ben and Jerry's after - 3 scoops for $3!
Can you see why I'd want to paint it? Pictured is my sweet $5 desk that I purchased from a dude around the corner.
And this is my awesome closet - you need a ladder to get to the higher rack of clothes.
