Getting settled

So yesterday was my first day in Toronto, and there were things that I needed to do. A few months ago, my friend Daniel gave me the name of someone at the bank. Till now, everyone has told me how difficult it is to get credit in a new country and that nobody would give me access to a line of credit and that it would take my a year before anyone started looking at me seriously. So I thought I would be proactive and I emailed the guy at the bank. And so we started the process of me sending him paperwork, and him asking me questions. When I told him I was coming he asked me to come to the bank and met with him.

I went out for dinner last night and everyone laughed when I told them which branch I schlepped to. They said that between my home and the branch, there were probably a thousand other branches that I could have visited. Here's why. I arrived a little early and walked into a small branch of the Royal Bank of Canada in a suburban street north of downtown Toronto. There were no glass partitions, security doors or guards like there are in South Africa. A lady came up to me to ask if she could help and I told her who I was. It was like something out of a movie, the next thing the bank manager was grinning at me and shaking my hand, introducing me to everyone who walked past, offering me coffee and something to eat and telling me all about his family and which clients at the bank also work in the medical field. I went from office to office and slowly met everyone. At the end of my three hour visit I had an unsecured credit card, a personal checking acccount, cheques, a debit card, a pre-approved mortgage and a personal and business banker. The bank manager then called me a cab and escorted me outside. I guess it helped to email ahead.

I then went downtown to the Canada Service Centre to apply for a social insurance number (SIN). It took me all of 15 minutes. Next was a cellphone and a local number and voila, I'm part of a city that works.

Now all I need is for Keith and the dogs to arrive.