House hunting. Job hunting. I hate hunting.

The novelty wears off pretty quickly. OK, that’s a lie. The sense of wonder is gone, but there’s still a low-level appreciation of novelty. For example, every Wednesday evening, you can buy a slice of pizza at the station for a dollar, which goes to charity. I enjoyed that deal. Naturally, I bought a slice at both ends of my journey!

Still, there is a certain knowledge that this is not a holiday. I’m desperately looking for accommodation, and now for a job as well. Even though I’m spending quite frugally, the costs of eating out (cheaply) and of a few large one-off outlays have really knocked my bank balance. I’ve spent just over a thousand dollars in a mere nine days. It’s worrying in the extreme, considering I’ll need to pay two months’ rent up-front. Equally pertinent is the knowledge that my first pay cheque is at best three weeks away. The realisation has prompted a shift in mentality – Ronnie Drew and his Seven Drunken Nights have come to an end.

Checked out two more houses today; one was bad and the other was horrendous. I’m looking with three Canadians, who are quite desperate to find a place too. The upshots are that they’re cool, would be great to live with, and that we can divide our time efficiently. The downside is that finding a large property is much more difficult than acquiring a single room. Toronto's a massive city (as shown by this map), but it's impractical for me to live too far from the downtown areas. I’ll give this a little longer, but if nothing comes to pass, alternatives will have to be sought. I can’t stay in the hostel – or any hostel – for much longer. I feel like I’ve been here about a month already; it seems ages since I’ve seen any of you.

I’m trying to get work through agencies, and due to the accommodation crisis, I’ve only just begun the search. Still waiting on a callback, though from all accounts, they’re sharper than their nasty Irish brethren. I think I’ll need employment by next week, or the week after at the very very latest. Again, if the agencies don’t respond soon, I’m going downmarket and taking the first retail/café job I can find to tide me over. There’s a jobs fair on tomorrow, which I’ll head for. It was on today, and I heard it wasn’t up to much, but it’d be senseless not to try.

This all sounds really depressing, but I’m in good spirits. Have been – and am – having a good time, have met some great people, and I love this fantastic city. Alas, the holiday is over and I need to sort myself out, five thousand miles from home. Things haven’t fallen into place yet. Not that I expected them to, but I had hoped they would. :)

P.S. Before I get my first anxiety-laden message, I’m interrupting my recent spell of quiet, dry, early nights tomorrow with a SWAP night out in a flash bar. I may even bring my camera, which I’ve really been neglecting.

P.P.S. To my fellow exile in North America, check your email and send me your phone number!!!