Banff is your pretty stereotypical tourist town lots of stores, plenty to do and see. One thing in particular will certainly catch your eye if you make it as far as Banff. What's that you say, only the iconic Rocky Mountains! They are simply the most breathtaking mountain range! The day we were there we didn't get there until late and also, that same day was "family day" here in Alberta. "Family Day" is essentially a long weekend in Canada dedicated to allow families to spend time together. It happens at different days of the year across Canada but, the point is, the day we were there, had two or three times as many people as there would be on your average day or weekend. Myself and Larry hope to return to Banff before the winter is out to go skiing, there's also a few places that offer helicopter tours! It would be cool to do that and take a proper look at the Rockies. Here's just a glimpse of that we saw...
Just a snippet of the Rockies
Bow Falls, off the Rockies.
One of the first thing we did upon arrival in this country and I recommend incoming emigrants to do the same. Get your SIN number and set up your chosen bank and phone network providers. I would advise you to research into bank and phone network providers before you leave for Canada. The sooner you have it set up, the sooner you can go ahead and transfer money. If you guys are wondering, I choose "Fido" for my phone network provider and Scotia Bank for my bank, have an account called "ScotiaOne".
You are charged for banking in Canada some banks such as CIBC offer free banking for the 1st year or wave monthly fees if you're monthly/daily balance exceeds a certain amount. However when I researched these banks, although it was free, I was limited to about 10-20 free transactions per month. A transaction is money going in or coming out of your account in ANY way. It was $1 per transaction once that number was exceeded. Ireland doesn't limit your transactions so, I knew I would need an unlimited account or one with a very high number of transactions. That's what the ScotiaOne account is essentially. I've heard mixed reviews about Scotia bank but, in saying that, I've heard mixed reviews with every bank here. If I don't like, I can always change.
As for Fido, I was originally planning on going with a company called "Wind", this company is dirt cheap. Offering unlimited everything basically! Calls, texts and data for less than $50 per month. That is CHEAP! However, the strangest thing. I have an iPhone 5, which I bought soon after it was first launched, before the 5S or 5C came about so, my phone is old. Your phone has to have a certain serial number(s) for it to work with their network frequency?! My phone doesn't have the correct serial number. I tried to find what these serial numbers are for you guys but couldn't? Try googling it or just hope for the best if you're hoping to join wind when you get here! Also their coverage is VERY hit and miss.
Often, when you bring your own phone to join a network, you get a discounted price. We set up two lines with Fido under the same name which gave us a further discount. I pay just under $70 per month and that gets me 2GB of data, unlimited Canada wide calls and text, voice mail and caller ID. That's right folks, voice mail and caller ID are an added extra in Canada! You may have to add it on with some network providers, otherwise it will just say "call" when someone rings you. God knows who could be on the other end of that call.
In other news, myself and Larry have not managed to secure jobs just yet. Some of you may find that surprising but, we didn't even start looking until about 1 week ago. Calgary and the province of Alberta are booming are where construction and engineering is booming here. We knew this before we ever came here but, decided because my sister loves it so much. we had to at least come here and try out. We can always jump ship and move out if we don't like it here, in six months to one year, see how we feel. We're going to be here for at least one year because we on Valentine's weekend, we signed the lease on our first apartment! We move in on March 1st and we are both so excited! It's right around the corner from where my sister lives in the south west area of Calgary. It's fully furnished and includes all utilities which, is great for us because I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to setting up heat or electricity in this country, it just eliminates a lot of stress for us. Also the security deposit is really low! Less than $1000 which is really hard to find!
Larry has been called for interview twice both for retail based jobs. I have applied in a few places also, for retail based but have not been called for interview just yet. I'm not overly worried at the moment but, I will have to sit down and just apply everywhere and anywhere. I have been afraid to apply for jobs here unsure of where I'd like to work. Ultimately, I would like to work where I'm qualified but, I have no experience so, might take a bit longer to secure. There is LOTS of part-time and full time-time work in retail, hospitality or in the food industry. It might not be ideal but hey, at least it something to start the money coming in!
That's all for now! Thanks for reading!
Ciara
Here's a few more snaps from our adventure so far...
