We signed the lease for the house that we liked yesterday and today will be doing some basic shopping for things like bedding etc so that we can move in by tomorrow.
Before signing the lease, and after we saw the house and liked it, we first did a search to see what schools our kids will be going to. We did a search on the schools, went to see them (our kids will be going to different schools because of their ages), and read reviews on some web sites about the schools. Since the location of the house was good, the schools were good and the house also had just about everything we wanted.....we went ahead and signed the lease.
The standard practice here is first and last months rent, plus ten months post dated cheques. They will look at your credit report and then agree to signing the lease.
The lease terms are clear and you can speak to the owners of any doubts you may have openly. People here are friendly and patient.
Well............on to the shopping!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Buying a car.
You would think that buying a car is complicated, confusing and time consuming. Well, you are right!!
We went to the Toyota and the Honda showroom yesterday. After spending over an hour in each of them, I learned that:
The salesman wants to sell you a car. Preferably the one that is still in the back lot because someone decided that green tea was a nice color for a family car. So watch out for the smooth talking that goes in between all the smooth talking.
Actually their sales people are really nice, well informed and helpful.
What is great is that they have wonderful installment plans where you can take up to even 60 months to pay at very reduced interest rates, and pay chunks whenever you can which gets reduced from the principle. They may also throw in a 1000 dollars of gas, or if you don't want this option ask them to reduce the 1k from the price.
So look around, and when you find something you like, remember to take insurance. This can be done by your bank or insurance company.
The kids loved the showrooms, especially the giant trucks and the convertibles. The places are child friendly, so take them along to help you choose a color. Tea green??? Okay, maybe not.
We went to the Toyota and the Honda showroom yesterday. After spending over an hour in each of them, I learned that:
The salesman wants to sell you a car. Preferably the one that is still in the back lot because someone decided that green tea was a nice color for a family car. So watch out for the smooth talking that goes in between all the smooth talking.
Actually their sales people are really nice, well informed and helpful.
What is great is that they have wonderful installment plans where you can take up to even 60 months to pay at very reduced interest rates, and pay chunks whenever you can which gets reduced from the principle. They may also throw in a 1000 dollars of gas, or if you don't want this option ask them to reduce the 1k from the price.
So look around, and when you find something you like, remember to take insurance. This can be done by your bank or insurance company.
The kids loved the showrooms, especially the giant trucks and the convertibles. The places are child friendly, so take them along to help you choose a color. Tea green??? Okay, maybe not.
Buying a car and oh...getting a license
A newcomer to Ontario is required to apply for an Ontario driver's license within 60 days of taking up residence in the province.
Drivers applying for their first car or motorcycle license enter Ontario's Graduated Licensing System (GLS). Graduated licensing lets new drivers get driving experience and skills gradually. The two-step licensing process takes at least 20 months to complete.
Drivers applying for their first car or motorcycle license enter Ontario's Graduated Licensing System (GLS). Graduated licensing lets new drivers get driving experience and skills gradually. The two-step licensing process takes at least 20 months to complete.
To apply for a license, you must be at least 16 years old and pass a vision test and a test of your knowledge of the rules of the road and traffic signs. After you pass these tests, you will get a Class G1 or M1 license and a driver information package for new drivers. You must pass two road tests to become fully licensed.
New drivers earn full driving privileges in two stages and have five years to complete the program (Classes G1, G2, M2 or M2 with condition "L") and graduate to a full license (Classes G, M or M with condition L).
You can check the website below for all the info you will need regarding tests, locations, fees etc for getting your driving license in Ontario.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca
I'll post the info on buying a car next.
List of things for school admission
The schools in Canada do not want to see old report cards or Transfer Certificates.
What they will ask for is:
Birth certificate
Passport copy
Immunization card
PR card
Proof of address: lease agreement, house ownership papers, a telephone bill and/or a letter posted to you at your address with the postal stamp on it.
That is it! Admission time is the last week of August. Schools open the first week of September, the day after Labor day.
What they will ask for is:
Birth certificate
Passport copy
Immunization card
PR card
Proof of address: lease agreement, house ownership papers, a telephone bill and/or a letter posted to you at your address with the postal stamp on it.
That is it! Admission time is the last week of August. Schools open the first week of September, the day after Labor day.
Schools
Thought I'd write a note on the schooling systems here and how to go about looking for the good ones.
There are three kinds:
Private - These are privately run and are very expensive. Many work out to fees of between 8000 to over 10,000/- dollars a year.
Catholic - If at least one parent is a baptized Catholic, your child can go to a Catholic school for Elementary school. In high school, you can be of any denomination.
Public - The majority of students go to school in the public school system. These are government funded and not to be compared or confused with the corporation schools in India! These schools have excellent infrastructure, syllabus and well trained teachers. The curriculum is a mix of American and European.
Within these schooling systems, you also have the French immersion students. These students learn all their subjects and have their education in French. Some people opt for this so their kids learn two languages really well.
If you are coming in to Canada, look at www.fraserinstitute.org/reportcards
This site has the full listings of the schools and their ranking. Also the area the school is in. You can also look at:
www.tdsb.on.ca
This is the Toronto School Board site.
For schools in Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon check this site:
www.peel.edu.on.ca
Remember: The school your child goes to depends on WHERE YOU LIVE. So if you want your child to go to a particular school, you can find a home in that zone and then get admission. Call the transportation department of the board and tell them the home address. They will confirm the school names to you.
If you live nearby, you will have to drop your kids. If you live a certain distance away, your child will be 'bussed'' to school.
If you have any questions....please feel free to ask.
There are three kinds:
Private - These are privately run and are very expensive. Many work out to fees of between 8000 to over 10,000/- dollars a year.
Catholic - If at least one parent is a baptized Catholic, your child can go to a Catholic school for Elementary school. In high school, you can be of any denomination.
Public - The majority of students go to school in the public school system. These are government funded and not to be compared or confused with the corporation schools in India! These schools have excellent infrastructure, syllabus and well trained teachers. The curriculum is a mix of American and European.
Within these schooling systems, you also have the French immersion students. These students learn all their subjects and have their education in French. Some people opt for this so their kids learn two languages really well.
Your child’s age at the end of the year (December 31st) determines the grade that they will normally go into, though this may be adjusted somewhat if your child's circumstances require. Children begin school in the year they become five. Use the table below as a starting point for determining which grade your child will be in.
| Age at Dec 31st | Grade |
| 5 | Kindergarten |
| 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 2 |
| 8 | 3 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 5 |
| 11 | 6 |
| 12 | 7 |
| 13 | 8 |
| 14 | 9 |
| 15 | 10 |
| 16 | 11 |
| 17 | 12 |
Schools
The most usual arrangement is that there are schools:
- Kindergarten to Grade 3
Ages 5-8 - Elementary School
Grade 4 to 7 (ages 9-12) - Secondary (High) School
Grade 8 to 12 (ages 13-17)
Some areas have Middle Schools for Grades 6-8. In these areas the students transition between Elementary and Secondary school via the Middle school.
If you are coming in to Canada, look at www.fraserinstitute.org/reportcards
This site has the full listings of the schools and their ranking. Also the area the school is in. You can also look at:
www.tdsb.on.ca
This is the Toronto School Board site.
For schools in Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon check this site:
www.peel.edu.on.ca
Remember: The school your child goes to depends on WHERE YOU LIVE. So if you want your child to go to a particular school, you can find a home in that zone and then get admission. Call the transportation department of the board and tell them the home address. They will confirm the school names to you.
If you live nearby, you will have to drop your kids. If you live a certain distance away, your child will be 'bussed'' to school.
If you have any questions....please feel free to ask.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
July 27th, Sunday 8.03pm
Today being a day of rest...we decided to do just that. At least for the first part of the day. Then we picked up a copy of the 'Saturday Sun' and the Brampton Guardian newspapers.
After going through the rentals and making some calls, we ended up seeing three houses today.
The first was nice, the second and third.........the less said the better.
When looking for houses, I have come to the conclusion that the people placing the ads are either blind or delusional. They call it a perfect family home. But then when you go and see it, it may have three bedrooms, but just one bathroom in the middle of the hallway and space for either a dining table or sofa set. Take your pick. Either you eat on the sofa or your guests' sit at the dining table. In India, we have cupboards with shelves, but here they have a closet with one rod across for you to hang your clothes. If you need shelves, you have to buy them and install it yourself.
Info: In Canada you can rent an apartment or a condo. Condo's are mostly owned by companies, are furnished and not bigger than a two bedroom. They are also expensive and work out to about 1800 dollars plus. You can also rent townhouses, which are small and narrow houses, attached on both sides with other similar houses. Semi-detached and detached houses are bigger and have larger garages and lawns.
Town houses, semi detached and detached homes are anywhere from 1200 plus dollars and you have to add utilities. Utilities includes gas, electricity and some times cable t.v. Most homes have gas pipes for the stove and the heating system. Some have electric stoves. For Indian cooking, the gas stoves are better, but the majority of homes have the electric ones. Some rents includes the utilities and most do not. So make sure you know what you are paying for in the rent.
Also, don't get too excited when you see pictures of houses. In many cases, you are looking at an Ad for only the upper level or basement. If you want the entire house, make sure it includes the basement. Some houses have people renting the basement separately but sharing the laundry space. So look at the small print and don't be scared to ask questions.
If you have kids, don't take a house where some one else lives in the basement. These houses are made of cardboard and you can hear every single foot step in the house.
Again, the landlord will look at your credit report before he will sign a lease. So make sure you start working on your credit first thing after coming into the country.
It is 8.30pm now and we are all set for dinner.
So catch you tomorrow. We're looking at one house in the morning and a few in the evening. Will keep you posted.
After going through the rentals and making some calls, we ended up seeing three houses today.
The first was nice, the second and third.........the less said the better.
When looking for houses, I have come to the conclusion that the people placing the ads are either blind or delusional. They call it a perfect family home. But then when you go and see it, it may have three bedrooms, but just one bathroom in the middle of the hallway and space for either a dining table or sofa set. Take your pick. Either you eat on the sofa or your guests' sit at the dining table. In India, we have cupboards with shelves, but here they have a closet with one rod across for you to hang your clothes. If you need shelves, you have to buy them and install it yourself.
Info: In Canada you can rent an apartment or a condo. Condo's are mostly owned by companies, are furnished and not bigger than a two bedroom. They are also expensive and work out to about 1800 dollars plus. You can also rent townhouses, which are small and narrow houses, attached on both sides with other similar houses. Semi-detached and detached houses are bigger and have larger garages and lawns.
Town houses, semi detached and detached homes are anywhere from 1200 plus dollars and you have to add utilities. Utilities includes gas, electricity and some times cable t.v. Most homes have gas pipes for the stove and the heating system. Some have electric stoves. For Indian cooking, the gas stoves are better, but the majority of homes have the electric ones. Some rents includes the utilities and most do not. So make sure you know what you are paying for in the rent.
Also, don't get too excited when you see pictures of houses. In many cases, you are looking at an Ad for only the upper level or basement. If you want the entire house, make sure it includes the basement. Some houses have people renting the basement separately but sharing the laundry space. So look at the small print and don't be scared to ask questions.
If you have kids, don't take a house where some one else lives in the basement. These houses are made of cardboard and you can hear every single foot step in the house.
Again, the landlord will look at your credit report before he will sign a lease. So make sure you start working on your credit first thing after coming into the country.
It is 8.30pm now and we are all set for dinner.
So catch you tomorrow. We're looking at one house in the morning and a few in the evening. Will keep you posted.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Our search for a home....and investing in a GPS System
The screen of a GPS deviceFirst: Before you drive out anywhere, invest in a good GPS (Global Positioning System). This is a little device, (for those who don't know) that will help you get anywhere with directions, (voice enabled) instead of hunting for places while holding a map and trying to drive at the same time.
The GPS will ask you where you want to go, you type in the address and it will immediately tell you how far it is, what time you will reach there, if you want to take the highway or not and different options. Google it and learn more about what kind of device is best for you.
Advice: The GPS system is something you must invest in if you are planning on driving around yourself. I advice you to pick one up when you rent or buy your car.
On to the house hunting:
We got in touch with a couple of real estate agents, both Indian, since they seem to understand an Indian families needs. Right down to a home with more than one bathroom! We also got some of the local newspapers, like the Toronto Star and the Brampton Guardian to look at the rental ads.
We narrowed down a list of ten homes to two today, and saw them this evening. Well, both were a definite thumbs down. The first was small and had such garish carpeting and walls, we knew we couldn't wake up to those horrible colors every morning. The second was in four different levels, and we would be spending all day walking up stairs and down stairs.
Tomorrow is Sunday...day of rest! Monday we're seeing a few more houses. Hope at least one of them is nice!
Pizza Pizza for dinner today.
Dead of Winter...
As we were traveling to the U.S for Christmas and the New Year, for a family reunion on my husbands side....we decided to add Toronto to our travel plans and spend three weeks here in the dead of winter.
We arrived early Jan 2008 and stayed in the same service apartments. These apartments can be found on any search engine under 'service apartments or short stay homes'.
They may be a bit expensive, but it is cheaper than staying in a hotel and having to eat out as well. Here you can cook and have the privacy of a home, instead of staying with other family or friends for an indefinite amount of time. Normally these short stays are completely furnished and the kitchen comes equipped with everything. Many Indians stay here for the initial stay. From cable t.v, internet and laundry you can also cook and save money by not having to eat out all the time.
We had an amazing three weeks. The kids got used to wearing boots and bundling up with gloves, scarves and layering themselves with thermals, sweaters and coats. Many stores had sales here, so it was not expensive buying clothes for all of us.
Advice:
Buy basic long sleeve shirts when coming to India for every one in the family, but save the shopping for Canada. You get fantastic deals here and can pick up winter wear much cheaper than India. Also, what you buy here is made for the kind of temperatures you will be facing here. We were in minus 25 degrees last winter and never felt cold!
We returned to India and decided , yes, we are going to take the plunge and move.
So here we are, July 2008 finally in Toronto.
We arrived early Jan 2008 and stayed in the same service apartments. These apartments can be found on any search engine under 'service apartments or short stay homes'.
They may be a bit expensive, but it is cheaper than staying in a hotel and having to eat out as well. Here you can cook and have the privacy of a home, instead of staying with other family or friends for an indefinite amount of time. Normally these short stays are completely furnished and the kitchen comes equipped with everything. Many Indians stay here for the initial stay. From cable t.v, internet and laundry you can also cook and save money by not having to eat out all the time.
We had an amazing three weeks. The kids got used to wearing boots and bundling up with gloves, scarves and layering themselves with thermals, sweaters and coats. Many stores had sales here, so it was not expensive buying clothes for all of us.
Advice:
Buy basic long sleeve shirts when coming to India for every one in the family, but save the shopping for Canada. You get fantastic deals here and can pick up winter wear much cheaper than India. Also, what you buy here is made for the kind of temperatures you will be facing here. We were in minus 25 degrees last winter and never felt cold!
We returned to India and decided , yes, we are going to take the plunge and move.
So here we are, July 2008 finally in Toronto.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Our first trip to Toronto
Unlike most people who move, we decided to first spend the time and make a trip to Toronto.
We did not want to move lock, stock and barrel and then wonder if we made a big mistake or not. With two kids who were going to one of the best schools in Chennai and living in a great community, we didn't want our lifestyle taking too much of a dive.
So, September 2006 we packed up our suitcases and flew down to Toronto for a six week stay in a service apartment. We cooked, cleaned, and lived as if we were already living there. We also rented a car the first week there and drove around ourselves.
Advice:
Get your international drivers license. Driving here is not hard and you get the hang of it in no time. Otherwise you waste half your day waiting for buses. Taxis are expensive and no one uses them unless it is an emergency or to get you to and fro the airport.
We spent this time getting our SIN cars, PR cards, Health cards and initial drivers license.
We also picked up a cellphone number and opened bank accounts.
Advice:
In order to rent a home, or buy anything you need to have a good credit report. The only way to get this is to get a credit card and make small purchases that you pay for on time every month. We did this for the year that we were in India between our visit and January 2008. We also paid every month for the cellphone that we were not using in India, but it helped build the much needed credit.
We left Toronto and went back to India, and then came back again in the dead of Winter of 2008 January.
That is part three of our transition......
We did not want to move lock, stock and barrel and then wonder if we made a big mistake or not. With two kids who were going to one of the best schools in Chennai and living in a great community, we didn't want our lifestyle taking too much of a dive.
So, September 2006 we packed up our suitcases and flew down to Toronto for a six week stay in a service apartment. We cooked, cleaned, and lived as if we were already living there. We also rented a car the first week there and drove around ourselves.
Advice:
Get your international drivers license. Driving here is not hard and you get the hang of it in no time. Otherwise you waste half your day waiting for buses. Taxis are expensive and no one uses them unless it is an emergency or to get you to and fro the airport.
We spent this time getting our SIN cars, PR cards, Health cards and initial drivers license.
We also picked up a cellphone number and opened bank accounts.
Advice:
In order to rent a home, or buy anything you need to have a good credit report. The only way to get this is to get a credit card and make small purchases that you pay for on time every month. We did this for the year that we were in India between our visit and January 2008. We also paid every month for the cellphone that we were not using in India, but it helped build the much needed credit.
We left Toronto and went back to India, and then came back again in the dead of Winter of 2008 January.
That is part three of our transition......
How it all started
Absolutely by accident! My husband saw an Ad in the paper asking people to come to a certain hotel in Chennai to listen to their spiel on Canada and why one should think about immigrating. That talk, converted into our filling up forms and sending it for processing.
It took five years for them to get back to us.....after we forgot all about it and were well settled in Chennai. The interview letter asked us to come to Delhi with our family, (our kids were nine and five at the time).
Five minutes of interview and we were granted our immigrant visas. They were looking for educated, English speaking potentials and the only questions they asked were why we wanted to move, what we thought we would be doing in Canada and did we have the financial backing to get us through the initial year of transition.
That our story.....
Part Two coming up.....
It took five years for them to get back to us.....after we forgot all about it and were well settled in Chennai. The interview letter asked us to come to Delhi with our family, (our kids were nine and five at the time).
Five minutes of interview and we were granted our immigrant visas. They were looking for educated, English speaking potentials and the only questions they asked were why we wanted to move, what we thought we would be doing in Canada and did we have the financial backing to get us through the initial year of transition.
That our story.....
Part Two coming up.....
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
We're here!! July 21st, 2008
After two years of planning, talking, changing our minds, checking Toronto out twice and endless discussions.........we are finally here.
I thought I'd create this blog so that other families planning to move to Canada can get a glimpse into what they are in for and go through this journey of discovery and settling down with us. I'm not going to use any personal references. Just that we are a family moving from Chennai. My son is eleven and my daughter is seven.
Let me start this story from where it actually started......seven years ago......
I thought I'd create this blog so that other families planning to move to Canada can get a glimpse into what they are in for and go through this journey of discovery and settling down with us. I'm not going to use any personal references. Just that we are a family moving from Chennai. My son is eleven and my daughter is seven.
Let me start this story from where it actually started......seven years ago......
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