First

This is my first post here in Canada and so, I'll be writing about my first impression about her too. Canada is very different from Singapore. Some of the examples are the climate, food variety, food serving, culture, transport system, type of house, living, etc, etc, etc... But I have to admit, there are also some similarities here and there.

Canada is a HUGE country. I mean here, I'm staying in Byng Avenue at Scarborough which is inside Ontario in Toronto, Canada!!! While in Singapore, I'm staying plainly at Tampines in Singapore... Neighbours here tend to be really friendly too. They greet each other 'good morning' when they meet... But in Singapore, I haven't even seen my neighbours yet. Streets here are filled with pine trees, and withered trees (if that is what you call them... I don't even know what the name is).

Transport wise... Well, it is almost the same except that in Canada you can choose to either choose a daily pass, weekly pass or monthly pass and the rides are unlimited. But in Singapore, you have EZlink that you need to top-up every time the balance finishes up. Its pretty cool you know? Buses here also has the bus stop button. I actually thought you have to shout at the drive to stop the bus or something. Oh yeah, I remember... In trains, they say 'the next stop is Victoria Park station', 'Arriving at College'. But in Singapore, the announcement seems to be very precise... 'Next stop, Aljunied'.

If we talk about weather, its really cold in here... I mean, FREEZING COLD! I came from Singapore, a country located very near the equator and here I am in Canada like an Orang Utan stuck with a bunch of penguins and polar bears. To those who see me in my usual day, they would realise I'm a singlet/sleeveless wearing person and here, I had to wear layers and layers of clothings just to protect myself from the cold weather. Another thing to adopt into. Yesterday, my face burned due to the freezing weather and my whole face turned red. I can feel that my face is going to peel any time now...

There are many types of houses here. You can choose to either, buy a house, rent an apartment, rent a basement and live in a condominium (there might be more, but I don't know...) In Singapore, even though you can buy or rent condominiums, buy or rent your won landed property, most of the people live in HDB flats. My uncle bought their own house and we are blessed that they actually "adopted" us into their nice home.

Food servings here is not really as big as I thought it would be. When I came here, I was actually expecting a JUMBO size food in front of me, but that didn't happen because the food size is almost the same. Somehow it is bigger but not really that much of a difference. Branded items is cheaper here than in Singapore. Electronics are cheaper here too. You have to bring your own plastic bags when you shop because they'll charge you money if you want one. Recycling here is a huge part of the people's way of living. You have to put the recyclable materials in a separate garbage bag. Fast food restaurants are mostly self-service here. You have to clean up your table after you eat.

If I would write every difference and similarities, I know you guys wouldn't want to read the next few post that I'll be posting because I have already blabbered so much about what I saw in just a few days... So I guess I have to stop here. I know I have plenty more of experiences and things to say as I stay here...

Abimere