Cycle

Students have a way with money. Every cent and dollar counts, and every bargain is an opportunity, every saving an investment. At least to some, and I happen to be one of these people.

So since I arrived in Canada last week, I have been scouting the web for bargains. First, it was for cheap accommodation in a desirable neighbourhood not too far from university. And now it is for cheap second hand furniture, items, goods, and whatever people want to pass on. There are tonnes of used items for sell… from the totally useless Yoga DVDs to full living room settees and kitchen cutlery. And there is a dedicated website for McGill students to exchange their goods (and services!) for great value. Since a lot of students are moving and leaving, often the furniture or daily items are relatively new, and all people want is to get rid of them at a low price.

So imagine my joy when I bought a fan-and-heater–in-one for just CAD$5! The girl is about to move back to the United States, and she even threw in the backpack that she carried the fan/heater for free! I skipped away with my latest acquisition, and with the knowledge that I was now somewhat be prepared for the notorious winter months to come. And I have been told, they will come.

Maybe to others it is strange, but one of the most essential thing that I wanted to buy here is… a bike. Before arriving, I have been told that—though not great—Montreal is a city that has cycle paths for green and health-conscious people like me who are quick on the pedal. The past dozen years in the Netherlands, I have almost daily never gone without hopping on a bike, so of course I have been scouting the section of the website selling bicycles.

And then I saw it. Almost brand-new, 18 gears, front suspensions, dark red, and well maintained. And only for CAD$50! So I called the person, and made an appointment to go pick it up. I may not have a bed yet, but at least I have a bike!

Little did I realise that he lived by the other campus of McGill, which is some 40 minutes out of downtown by bus. I found my way onto the shuttle service running between the city and the other campus, and for the first time, boarded an ‘American’ schoolbus—the only difference being that it was not yellow like those you see in movies. It was white.

Maybe it was the intense three hours of international air carrier liability earlier, or the cool breeze and lazy Autumn sun, but almost immediately I fell asleep…

“Time to get up!” the busdriver shouted, as the bus rode past trees, grassy lawns, and in the distance, the wide water glistening in the sunset. Everything was so green, so vast, so open, so natural. So very different from the noise and busy-ness of the city I had somehow been transported away from in the wink of an eye (literally). The bus turned, into a tree-lined street, on either side huge and beautifully built free-standing houses—almost villas by European standard— with neatly trimmed hedges and well mowed lawns. The only things missing were the white picket fence, dog, and happy smiling family of mum, dad, and two kids playing, otherwise it would have been the iconic semblance of Fairview (from Desperate Housewives). It then dawned on me, perhaps in one of those awing moments in life when you realise that this something you have seen so often but never experienced: this is the much talked about, and much envied and sought after new world of ‘American’ (actually, Canadian) suburbia .

I got off the bus, still dazed from what I have just seen, for it all seemed a dream. The campus was massive, like nothing I have ever encountered before, and dwarfed even the campus downtown, which I was already impressed with because of its spread and size. Later I learned that the second campus in the western edge of Ile de Montreal (Island of Montreal) houses the a number of faculties, including that of agriculture, and animal and plant sciences. Next to the campus, the mighty Fleure Saint-Laurent River flows into the grand Lac Saint-Louis.

A couple, in the setting sunlight, sat on a far away bench as water flowed silently past. A squirrel, an acorn clenched between its teeth, mischievously skips across the lawn and onto a tall tree. A maple leaf fell in the gentle breeze.

And I had a bike with me to explore this vast and beautiful land before me.