In which I still don't have a bed, but I do get drunk quite a lot.

Short post, in lieu of extreme tiredness.

This past week has been quite strange. I have an apartment, but am sans furniture, so I have been staying with a girl, E, from my home university in her accommodation, which is more of a halls-of-residence set up. It was really jolly nice of her to put me up, as we didn't really know each other before we arrived in Canada. I've had a great week staying there and E's flatmates are all really top notch people.

It was the first week of term so naturally lots of fresher's week, or 'frosh' as it's called here for some bizarre reason, events have been going on. And when I say events, I mean Trips to Ye Olde Pub. It's been good fun. I love this time, when you're just making friends with any poor sod who happens to drunkenly trip over your feet. You probably won't stay in contact with everyone, but it's nice that everyone is just so willing to chat/dance/make a tit of themselves with you.

Of course, you have to actually become friends with *some* of these people, otherwise life would be a bit dull during the day/when you're not playing beer pong. Luckily this has happened for me. I've met some great people even if they are slightly unfortunate by way of being Australian and/or German. Montreal is a great city to just be in. It's buzzy and exciting like any sizeable city, but also pretty and chilled. Picnics are fun here. There are friendly squirrels.

xxx

Dear Montreal

It has been very hot today. Too hot. This unacceptable level of heat has been going on for a week and I would urge you to promptly Stop It. I may sound like a whinging child when I say that 32-35 degrees is an unreasonable temperature. I am British. We are unused to such climes. Unless we are vulgar lardarses in the Costa del Sol shouting at Pedro, we tend not to experience this phenomenon know as "summer". We may have sunshine yes, but any temperature exceeding a comfortable 24 degrees is rare and then it is offset by a good thunderstorm and some rain. Whilst a British person will inevitably complain about this, due to 'complain about the weather' being our default setting, we actually like it. We do not know how to cope in real weather. As such, a centimetre of snow brings our country to a halt and we fry like bacon in the heat.

I have been wandering around Montreal this week attempting to find an apartment. This process has been greatly hindered by aforementioned weather. Walking around has not been comfortable. I have sweated so much that, I am convinced, the salt water running down my back could create a new Dead Sea. I am stressed and my hair is frizzy. This is not a good impression to make upon potential housemates.

You may dismiss the level of responsiblity you hold with regard to climate. "I can't control the weather!" you might say. Whilst I accept this is a valid point, I also feel that if you can keep me for nearly three hours at customs and immigration, then you can certainly give the sun a good questioning with regards to his intentions before you allow him into the city.

Yours sincerely,

Laura O

Bonjour, Montréal!

I've been in Montreal for just over a week now. First week was fun. I did fun things like open bank accounts and befriend Germans. I discovered the wonder that is poutine. For anyone who wonders what chips, cheese curds and thick helpings of gravy tastes like, the answer is yummy goodness that leaves you with a 24hr aftertaste of the sense of an impending heart attack. Good stuff.

My dad flew home yesterday and now THE FEAR is starting to kick in. I'm in this hotel room for a week and then that's it. I need to be somewhere else by then, but the apartment hunting is not going fantastically. I am genuinely terrified of being homeless. I mean, I know I won't end up homeless but I panic about these sorts of these things. Because I'm like that. A BIG GIRL.

I don't really have a lot to say at present. Nothing's really started yet, so I'm feeling slightly confused and displaced. Not bad or unhappy at all, but just a little bit strange. Hopefully the adventure will start soon.