We couldn't check Zari in until noon, so we first did some necessary errands: charging the car, getting her a sim card for her phone (the cheapest plan we could find!), and buying her a cart full of groceries. Then we headed downtown to see her house.
It was perfect! A professor lives on the top 2 floors with a lovely, friendly dog. She has two children, the youngest who just left for university. The main floor and basement is a separate apartment with 2 shared bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Zari will be all by herself this week (freshman orientation) and then 2 housemates from Trinidad Tobago join her next week. She still doesn't have a roommate in her bedroom yet; it depends if her landlady finds someone else to rent.
It's on a quiet residential street with old townhomes. Out back there's a garden and patio and place to store a bike, once she gets one.
Eric looked for months on the off-campus housing listings and we couldn't be happier with this one! She's just a 10 minute walk from Trinity College on the U of T campus, and within a few blocks either way of her house there are loads of restaurants and shops.
Once we got her groceries unpacked, it was time for lunch! We ate at a nearby Lebanese restaurant and had enough leftovers for dinner. Next stop: setting up a bank account. While that was in process, Eric went to the university bookstore and bought himself a sweatshirt.
With the essential errands finished, we finally walked over to campus. While there are some ugly 1970s era buildings, many of them date to the early 1900s or earlier and are gorgeous. Zari's main building at Trinity College looks like something out of Hogwarts.
We walked all around campus and then headed to the downtown Ikea (just a few km walk away) to get everything else she needed (towels, bedding, a few kitchen items). On our way out, we saw a person in climbing gear securing two ropes attached to the top of a huge skyscraper. We thought he was going to start climbing up, but it turns out he's a window washer and was finishing his day. His last task was to secure the two ropes--probably getting ready for the next day's work. People were asking him questions while he was pulling the ropes tight and tying them to the railing. Very interesting!
We came home, ate our leftovers, and then headed out again to a nearby thrift store. Zari needed a small purse or over-the-shoulder bag and found something perfect, plus two lovely scarves to keep her neck warm in the cold weather.
We finished the day watching an episode of Mr. Robot.
It's been a fantastic day. I'm so excited for her. I wish I could start university again! She's going to have such an amazing experience in Toronto.
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