My family name is an Internet Company and [it also appears to be a] TV Channel

We had our SWAP orientation this morning at 11. The office building was about a 20 minute walk from our hostel so it was quite nice to stroll there with a group of fellow IEPers. They gave us a talk all about how we go about setting up a bank account, obtaining a SIN card [Social Insurance Number], which cell phone company to use and which plan is best etc. There was also a talk about how they add 12% tax to non-food items and 5% to food items here in Vancouver. It's a bit hard to get used to because they'll advertise something for what seems a really reasonable price-but turns out to not be so great at the counter. Alberta where we three are all going adds only 5% to everything, so needless to say we are waiting until we get there to buy random knickknacks. [We were told quite passionately by a lady who over heard us talking about how random the tax added at the counter is in a store today, that the reason Alberta has 5% tax across the board is because they rape their land of all it's natural resources so can afford to be more lenient on it's inhabitants. We didn't know quite what to say to that..But it makes sense. Everywhere in Vancouver there are different bins for recycling. They are really into being green here. I think it's actually quite cool.]
Anyway. After the SWAP information meeting had finished, us three girls who have sort of banded together broke away from the main group right and headed for the office block that distributes the SIN cards. [It sounds so much like SIM cards, it's a bit confusing-but they are totally different.] We then set up bank accounts and got debit cards and deposited some cash so our accounts weren't so bare. Shopping for snow boots was next on the list [which is when we ran into the afore mentioned passionate customer]. I didn't get any as I was wearing jandels so had no socks, but tomorrow we are hitting the town again for sight seeing and more snow boot buying, so hopefully there will be photos for you then.
On the way back to the hostel I found a little store with water bottles in it. It made my day. I seriously have never been consistently this dehydrated in all my life!
It was bar food for dinner again, but we tried a different bar then last night. Bar food is quite good, but seeing as I have never eaten bar food in New Zealand I can't really compare the two. While at the bar the TV there had a Shaw channel. There is also free WiFi around our hostel called ShawOpen as well. Random little fact I learnt at the SWAP information meeting-Canadians call beanies 'toques'. It's pronounced too-k[as in 'kick']. Who knew.
Anywho, all this learning has left me ready for bed, so night. xx