My first night in Canada was not glamorous.
By the time I reached the Airbnb I had booked, it was already late.
I was tired from travelling.
I was hungry.
Very hungry.
But at that point, I did not have the energy to start figuring out where to get food.
So I unpacked some of my things, took a shower, drank water, got into bed and slept.
After all the planning and imagining what my first day in Canada would look like, that was how it actually ended.
Water and sleep.
I Stayed in the Airbnb for About Two Days
The Airbnb was only temporary.
Before arriving in Canada, I had already found longer term accommodation online through Kijiji.
So I stayed in the Airbnb for approximately two days while I got myself settled enough to move.
My new landlord turned out to be nice, which made that part of the transition easier.
Those first two days were really about getting my bearings.
Where could I buy food?
How would I move around?
What did I need to sort out first?
Everything that had been research from Nigeria was suddenly real life.
My First Morning Was Mostly Phone Calls and Figuring Things Out
When I woke up the next day, I started making phone calls.
I also needed groceries because, remember, I had gone to bed hungry the night before.
I checked for stores close to the Airbnb, and the host told me I could simply walk down the street and find one nearby.
That sounded easy enough.
So I got ready and went outside.
That was when I made one of my first newcomer mistakes.
I Seriously Underestimated the Cold
The store was not far, so in my mind I was just going down the street.
I came out wearing regular clothes.
No proper cardigan.
No gloves.
No head warmer.
Big mistake.
The cold was much.
I had already felt Canadian cold after leaving Pearson, but this was different because now I was actually outside trying to walk somewhere.
At some point, going back to the Airbnb did not even feel straightforward anymore.
I was cold, unfamiliar with the area and trying to remember where I had come from.
That was one of my earliest lessons in Canada:
Just because somewhere looks close on a map does not mean you should step outside without checking the weather and dressing properly.
Especially when you have just come from Nigeria.
Then I Started Getting Confused About the Way Back
I managed to go out for the groceries, but on the way back I started becoming confused about where the Airbnb was.
Everything was still new.
The streets were unfamiliar.
I had only arrived the day before.
For a moment, I was thinking:
Where exactly did I come from?
Thankfully, I saw a bus nearby and was able to get myself back on track.
I did not end up getting lost.
But that experience showed me very quickly that knowing how to move around your new area is one of the first things you need to learn.
It may sound funny now, but at the time I was cold, carrying groceries and trying not to lose the Airbnb I had only just arrived at.
Learning the Bus Was One of My First Challenges
Transportation was one of the things I initially found difficult.
I did not yet understand how the buses worked.
Which bus goes where?
Where do you wait?
How do you know when to get off?
How do you know whether you are going in the correct direction?
Those things eventually become normal.
But when you have just arrived, even something as ordinary as taking a bus can feel like a small project.
That was one of the biggest adjustments during my early days.
Not because public transportation was impossible to use.
I simply had to learn a system that was new to me.
My First Grocery Shopping Came With Another Adjustment: Canadian Dollars
Buying groceries also introduced me properly to Canadian prices.
One thing that took some getting used to was converting everything back to Nigerian currency in my head.
You see a price.
Then your mind immediately starts calculating.
“How much is that in naira?”
And sometimes you just laugh.
I kept looking at the Canadian dollar amounts and mentally converting them.
It is one of those habits that comes naturally when you have just moved from one country to another.
You still understand money through the currency you have used for most of your life.
So even a simple grocery trip becomes partly shopping and partly mathematics.
I Also Went to the Bank
During those first days, I went to the bank to start sorting out my banking.
That was another practical part of settling in.
There are so many small things you suddenly have to start doing after relocation.
Before travelling, your main focus may be getting to Canada.
Once you arrive, the questions change.
Now you need to think about everyday life.
Money.
Food.
Transportation.
Accommodation.
Phone calls.
Finding your way around.
That was the stage I had entered.
I Was Preparing to Leave the Airbnb and Move Into My Own Place
Because I had already found accommodation through Kijiji, I was not planning to stay in the Airbnb for long.
After approximately two days, I was ready to move into the place I had arranged.
Having somewhere to go after the temporary accommodation made a big difference.
I was still learning everything around me, but at least I knew the Airbnb was not my long term situation.
I had somewhere I could start settling properly.
And thankfully, my landlord was nice.
The First Few Days Were Mostly Small Things
When people imagine moving to Canada, they often focus on the big moments.
The visa.
The flight.
Landing at Pearson.
Seeing Canada for the first time.
But once those moments pass, your new life starts with very ordinary things.
You need food.
You need to know where you are.
You need to understand transportation.
You need access to money.
You need somewhere to sleep.
You need your phone working.
Those small things became my first real introduction to living in Canada.
What I Would Do Differently on My First Grocery Trip
This one is easy.
I would check the weather before leaving.
And I would dress properly even if somebody told me:
“The store is just down the street.”
Because “just down the street” feels very different when you are new to Canadian cold.
I would also make sure I had the address of my accommodation saved clearly on my phone before walking away from it.
When everything around you is unfamiliar, it is better to have the exact address than assume you will recognize the building on the way back.
What Helped Me During My First 48 Hours
Looking back, a few things made those first days easier.
I already had temporary accommodation booked.
I had arranged longer term accommodation before leaving the Airbnb.
My phone was working.
I could search for nearby places online.
I could make calls.
And when I needed help, I asked.
None of those things completely removed the confusion of being somewhere new.
But they gave me something to work with.
What Surprised Me Most
The cold was still the biggest physical surprise.
I knew Canada was cold before travelling.
I had researched it.
I had heard about it.
But walking outside without enough protection made me understand it very quickly.
Another surprise was how much mental energy simple things could take.
Finding a grocery store.
Remembering the way back.
Understanding the bus.
Looking at Canadian prices.
Things that would normally feel ordinary suddenly needed concentration because I was doing them in a completely new environment.
Questions People Ask About Their First Days in Canada
What did I do on my first night in Canada?
I arrived at my Airbnb late, unpacked some things, took a shower, drank water and slept. I was very hungry, but it was already late and I did not get food that night.
How long did I stay in the Airbnb?
Approximately two days.
How did I find my longer term accommodation?
I found it online through Kijiji before moving out of the Airbnb.
What was my first grocery shopping experience like?
The store was close to my Airbnb, but I went outside without dressing properly for the cold. I also started getting confused about how to find my way back.
What did I find difficult when I first arrived in Canada?
Learning how to use the bus was one of the first things I found challenging.
Was Canadian money confusing at first?
The money itself was not confusing, but I kept converting the prices into Nigerian currency in my head. Sometimes I would look at the result and laugh.
What practical things did I do during my first few days?
I bought groceries, made phone calls, went to the bank, started learning how to move around and prepared to move from my Airbnb into my longer term accommodation.
What Those First 48 Hours Taught Me
My first two days in Canada were not filled with sightseeing.
They were about settling in.
I went from arriving hungry and sleeping after a long journey to trying to buy groceries, freezing outside because I had not dressed properly, figuring out transportation, mentally converting Canadian dollars to naira and getting ready to move into my new place.
And I think that is what many first days after relocation actually look like.
You are excited because you have arrived.
At the same time, you are learning everything from the beginning.
The bus.
The money.
The neighborhood.
The weather.
Even the route to the grocery store.
None of those things felt like a big achievement individually.
But together, they were the beginning of me learning how to live in Canada.
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