Wednesday

We got up early this morning. Sarah and I were up around 4am. At 5:30 I got a newspaper and some bran muffins from a convenience store on the corner. (Bran muffins ... another thing I missed in England.) I'd tested the keys on the way out, and this was my first trip outside the flat. I survived pretty well.

I didn't have any appointments until 11 but I left around 7:30 anyway to have a leisurely breakfast and explore and learn. On the bus ride in (a double-long, not a double-high bus) I was still looking at the world with European eyes. I should savour it before they go away. But it was shocking. I saw pickup trucks. People driving to work, alone, in pickup trucks. And these wide streets. Some don't even have sidewalks! And some very shabby storefronts. Tut, tut.

It was rainy again. I found a coffee shop with an Italian name. The coffee was all right. I got a bran muffin and read the newspaper. The morning paper seems pretty light - I sped through it in minutes.

As it opened at 8:30 I was in a driver's licensing centre in a downtown shopping mall. Despite the online information, I need more proof of residence than our landing record - they require the permanent residence card. We're sending in our application (as soon as we receive pages that can only be mailed to us by the immigration office) but it will be weeks before this is returned to us. So no driver's license for me - my Oregon license expired on my birthday last month and it can only be renewed by mail. Not too much bother - I don't plan to drive often anyway.

I spent the rest of the morning trying to find things. Like a shop that could unlock my two older mobile phones (Cingular from the States; Virgin from the UK). No luck. I also got more coffee, and then found a drugstore that sold transit tickets and got some. I used my Portland bank card at an ATM to see if I could still remember the PIN. I could.

I'm still getting used to the currency. Every time I use change I look like an idiot holding up the coins and looking for the numbers. Quarters again, but no 20 or 50 cent pieces. I'm remembering to say cents, not pence. The dimes are smaller than nickels.

After my first interview I found a Rogers shop that would unlock my oldest mobile for $35. Perhaps I will. Margo and I are still comparing mobile providers.

The sun was also out partially and the city looks much nicer with sun. I got a bit of build-your-own-salad for lunch and then wandered near the north shore to take in the view and the water and mountains.

After my second appointment (which I was really excited about) I took the bus home and felt like an idiot again as I needed help putting the bus pass into the slot the correct way.

At home Margo cooked us a first dinner - ground beef patties with caramelised onions, and sides of new potatoes and peas. Sarah was asleep; we woke her up just long enough to eat, then she was crashed again. We're all tired come afternoon.

Margo got Sarah nearly registered at her school today. We don't have two proofs of address - just the one rental agreement - as all utilities are included and don't have our name on them. I'll call the district tomorrow and see if I can facilitate things.

We're learning where the light switches are. An agent dropped off a second set of keys. I'm listening to a public radio station at the bottom of the FM dial and it's all in French. It's feeling a bit more like home.