After a hectic first week in a new city, it
might be nice to update all my readers (hi mom!). Don’t expect regular updates
though, I’ll see whether I can be bothered and whether there is something worth
writing about.
Having settled all the administrative stuff
and having finally decided on an apartment, it’s about time to enjoy the city
through which I’ve been walking and cycling around excessively the past week.
Having barely used the public transport, Benedikt and I walked around 30
kilometres over the first two days to look at apartments. Luckily, after three
days we went to a garage sale and managed to get two cheap, yet proper bikes.
However, we still had to go around the city looking at apartments, so sufficed
to say there has been enough exercise the past week. With a little luck I can
avoid public transport and do everything by bike until late November if Mother
Nature is benevolent (the weather here has also become much more unpredictable
and extreme).
Going round the city by bike has allowed me
to already properly take in the city and there were a couple of things I
noticed. First and foremost the high amount of homeless people that didn’t fit
with my, admittedly, romanticized picture of the city. They are really quite
prominently present, but most are rather polite (except for the time I got
called a ‘horrible human-being’ for not giving change).
Secondly, the amount of pugs in the city –
you know those dogs that look like they all ran into a concrete wall repeatedly
as a puppy – quite possibly the ugliest creatures in the world. I suspect it
has something to do with the elaborate gay scene that is present in this
city.
And finally, the relaxed vibe that the city
seems to give off, even with the hectic traffic all day. One of the coolest
things in that respect was the tam-tam drum group that happens regularly on
Sundays in the Mont-royal Park. When we first arrived there early afternoon the drum circle and crowd
wasn’t too big yet, but after coming back from lunch the drum circle had grown massively in
size and the park was completely full of people relaxing and enjoying the nice
weather. I spent a good time already practicing my football-throw (essential to
properly immigrate in North-America).
Benedikt and I also went to a pre-season
match of the McGill Redmen against the Carabins of the Université de Montréal.
Unfortunately, the most fun for a McGill supporter was the
tragic cheerleader that was constantly half a second behind the others, despite them not
changing up their routine for the entire 3,5 hours that the match lasted.
McGill was beaten 40-12 and simply had no chance. I was told the McGill
football team has barely won a game in the past three years so my hopes are on
their Hockey team, which I hope to attend somewhere throughout the semester.
The team spirit at the uMontréal ground was quite cool to see. An hour before
the game there were a couple of hundred students and parents enjoying a BBQ and
joining in on the school spirit, which is something I find quite cool about
schools in North-America.
Well, I'm off; we're going on a three-day kayak trip with the Outdoor Frosh. It's going to be exciting, as we will be camping outdoors, learning how to do an Eskimo-roll and descend down the rapids of the nearby river. Au revoir for now!
