Some things have taken a while to get used too (and I'm still adapting.) There is of course the cultural/structural differences- almost everyone either has a cat or dog, transport tokens are tiny coin like things which get mixed up in my purse with regular money coins, the 'subway' does a weird juddery thing as it stops in each stn, there are no roundabouts. But I think most striking is being very much alone- I cant just call up a friend and meet up for a coffee/food/drink, and everything is very foreign, or I'm foreign to it! Even to figure out where to buy groceries from, I could wander round the city for an hour and still not find a place to buy fresh food. I'm looking forward to the point when I dont have to have my nose buried in a map/tourist guide/or such other similar article.
Saying that I have been making progress. I now have finally pulled out my very indecisive self and chosen a place to live, woohoo! I was torn between living the uber convenient downtown or going for the very cute leafy suburb of High Park, i went with the giant park:) Right decision? Who knows, but it is a lovely area, and I may even venture out onto the streets with a bike at some point (a big step for me!) Also got a great mix of housemates, a british chef, bhuddist lawyer and hip video editor. Another important aspect- its very guest friendly;) I'm actually going to quite miss the lovely house and family I've been living with until now though.
And super cool if not slightly scary job development. On Monday I popped over to the office for 'Free the Children- MetoWe' to have a chat about possible job opportunities and ended up having a grilling 45 min interview for a 2 year job. How did it all happen- through the guy I was sitting next to on the plane (apparently pretty famous here.) Cool times. May not actually get the job but nonetheless a good start I think. And if I do get it, that's the next 2 years of my career decided...
Other things I have dabbled in thus far- attended my first couchsurfing event, have attained my Hot Docs volunteer tshirt and scheduled to start for Saturday and and...well actually that's about it.
Still going through uncertain ups and downs, strong pangs of homesickness, but at the same time things are moving forward and once I have a bit more of a routine I'm sure it'll all fit into place.
Time to chose what documentaries I want to watch with my complimentary festival tickets
:)
