Money, money, moan.

I don't have to pay any tuition fees, because we don't have them in Finland. But there are some additional fees that we don't have here either, like a bus pass etc.
Some people don't want to discuss money matters but I don't really care so here's everything I've had to pay so far or know I will have to pay soon:

(1 CAD = 0,71 EUR / 1 EUR = 1,41 CAD)

- First there was a 500$ (CAD) application deposit for the residence
- Well actually the flight was first: 454,71€
- I'll spend one night in a hotel in Toronto before I transport me and my heeeavy luggage to my final destination. (This is because the move-in day is the 4th and if I wanted to move in early I'd have to pay 30$) The shuttle bus from the airport is approx. 75$ and the hotel will probably be around 70$ unless I stay in a hostel
- The rent = 2538$. I decided to pay the whole rent in advance so I won't have to worry about it while I'm there. (well actually there were only two options... to pay it all by 15.11. or in two parts, the first by 15.11. and the second by 22.1.)
- 574,27$ for the miscellaneous fees
- I'll get the ESTA so I can cross the border of Canada's only neighbour. That's 14$ (USD)
- I also had to get a new passport and even though it's not just for the exchange I count it to the budget. That was 52€ plus the pictures, 19€
- I'll also have to get a travel insurance but I have no idea how much that will cost. I did a quick investigation on google and it seems it will cost at least 100€ and more if I stay longer

I think that's it. I certainly hope so... I'll of course (or probably, hehe) have to buy a return flight at some point but let's try and not to worry about that now.......

Summed up that's 3,771.27$ and 625,71€ -> 3,301.70€ or 4,653.27$

Oh crap now I'm frustrated cause the sum is a bit different depending on how I convert the amounts and count it... Blehhhh. I know it doesn't have to be exact but that small perfectionist in me is nagging and I'm tired and oh whateverrr who cares. The point is that it takes a hell of a lot of money even without any tuition fees. And since I'm not a millionaire I really have to search for the money. I've worked a little (would have worked more if I'd had the opportunity) and I've used my student loan for this semester. I'll get 900€ as a grant from my university but not until January.

Loonie, toonie & friends. (1$ coin = Loonie & 2$ coin = Toonie)

I don't want to complain and I know it's money perfectly spent and I won't regret it but it's just very stressful and sometimes frustrating thinking about money all the time. And it's not just the money that makes it stressful but also all the applications and deadlines and all the other arrangements. And that's one thing no one else understands cause for them it just seems stupid and annoying that I'm sometimes 'complaining' that this is so exhausting etc but it's constantly on my mind and that really is tiring sometimes. 
How will I get the money? Will I get enough money so I can pay everything by the deadline? Will the papers get lost in the mail? When are they going to answer me about the apartment? Will I get an internship? If I do, where will I live then? Have I chosen the right courses or will I have to change some of them?
These are just a small part of all the questions and thoughts that are running through my head all the time.

One other downside to this is that I'll miss the last semester our whole class is still together and I probably won't see them so much after I come back. I'll really miss them!

Fanshawe College and my living arrangements

"Fanshawe College is one of the largest colleges in Ontario, Canada. The main campus is in London, Ontario, with additional campuses in Simcoe, St. Thomas, Woodstock, and Tillsonburg. There are approximately 17,000 full-time students and 26,000 part-time students. Fanshawe College has more than 150,000 alumni."

I'm pretty sure the Fanshawe London Campus will seem like a city compared to our little Porvoo "campus". There are several restaurants and cafeterias (Tim Hortons, Pizza Pizza, Outback Shack etc), gym and squash courts, pharmacy, student residences, hair salon, radio and tv stations etc etc...

Here is a link to a video about the campus.

I will not be staying in the student residences that are on campus but in a Townhouse unit (Kestrel Court) which is just on the other side of the road from the main entrance.
The apartments have two floors, and there are six bedrooms on the upper floor and two bedrooms and a kitchen on the lower floor. Light housekeeping once a week is included in the rent.
I chose  Kestrel Court mainly because a meal plan wasn't required like in the campus residence. Also, there is a proper kitchen.

Here is link to a video about the residences. Kestrel part starts at 1:25.

Kestrel Court

London Campus

Main Entrance

The courses I selected. Let's hope I can take all of them and don't need to do any changes...

What? There's another London?

Well yes indeed there is. Even I wasn't aware of it's existence until I started applying for exchange.

Nickname(s): "The Forest City"
Motto: Labore et Perseverantia ("Through Labour and Perseverance")


This one is the original one's little sister. There's a river Thames snaking through the city and the street names are very familiar to even me who's only ever dreamt about going to that original London. But Canada is a Commonwealth realm and a part of the Commonwealth of Nations and is ruled by Queen Elizabeth II so it's not a surprise that they've a lot in common.

The city is located in the southernmost part of Canada in the province of Ontario. It's approximately 200 km from Toronto, Detroit, MI, Niagara Falls and Buffalo, NY, and on the other side of little Lake Erie is Cleveland, OH. 200 km might sound like a LOT but compared to Canada's almost 10 million km2 area it's really not that much.

London is the 15th largest city by population in Canada with it's 366 000 + inhabitants which is a bit over half of Helsinki's population. The area is just 420,57 km2.

The city seems quite small but very cozy and it has a reputation as an international centre of higher education, scientific research and cultural activity. In addition to Fanshawe College there is also another university called University of Western Ontario, so there's bound to be a lot of buzz amongst all the students!

Only 52 more days to go!

What, where, when and why?

So... I decided it's time to start this blog because I was annoying my friends with constant blabbing about Canada... Sorry for that guys!
I'm going to write all my posts in English so all my friends can read this blog if they're interested.

Here's a summary of what this blog is about:

What and where?
I'm moving to London, Ontario, Canada (somewhere under the M in SMOG^^) in the beginning of January for at least four months. I will do the spring semester in Fanshawe College (about which I'll tell you later) studying Hospitality Management. I've chosen y courses already, and mostly I'm doing optional courses like Mixology and Wines Discovery. Hmm... I am a Finn indeed.


When?
The semester begins on 6th of January and ends on 25th of April so it lasts four months. But if I manage to get an internship in Toronto (or London or somewhere close or maybe New York or wherever) I'd be more than happy to stay there for a longer period of time. Or who knows if I'll ever come back......


Why?
Why not? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity after all. Why Canada? Well, first of all, I wanted to go somewhere far away since Gran Canaria is the furthest I've been from home for now. Second, Canada is known for it's high quality education just like Finland. Third, I have a very positive image about Canada; every Canadian I've met has been confusingly nice and friendly and everything I've heard about the country has been positive. Except for Harper (PM), I've already learnt that he's a d*ckhead.
My first option was Ryerson University in Toronto but I'm sure I'm going to like London and Fanshawe as much.
Who am I kidding... the one and only reason is my husband Ben Kowalewicz. (Billy Talent)



+ Who? for those who don't know me
-I am a 22 yo missus from Porvoo, Finland.
-I've got two older brothers. Everyone at the same situation knows that it's worth mentioning for both good and 'bad' reasons. At least I know how to defend myself.
-I like rock, travelling, reading, movies and all that normal crap that everyone likes.  My weakness is American TV shows.
-In 2011 I lived in Barcelona for almost 8 months working as an au pair. That was the bestest everr time in my life so far. The experience opened my eyes and started a very much needed change in my personality and got me to come out of my shell.
-Sarcasm. I like sarcasm.

I guess that's enough about that.  Comments and questions are always more that welcome!
Let's see if I can keep posting a bit more frequently than in Barcelona. Also,  I'll try to make the posts a bit shorter and more interesting this time...

xoxo