Advice Part 3: The MacDonald House

If even after reading though the entire blog a couple of times you still want to attend the Maritime Drilling Schools training program, we have one important piece of advice: don't stay at the MacDonald House!

The cost for the 20 days is $800 and all you get is a bed, a pillow and a blanket. That is all. If you ask me...fucking expensive.

You WILL NOT have the following:

• INTERNET. There is no internet access in the house. None. When we mentioned this to Linda she said they will think about installing a connection...but I am guessing they say this to all the groups who go through the training. In one ear, out the other. You know, Reggie, some of us attend your training with the hopes of getting a job in the oil industry. While we are staying in North Sydney we want to begin sending our resumes and applying for jobs...kinda hard to do if there is no internet connection. How about you finally join the 21st century and hook the house up, eh? Or maybe you don't want us finding jobs? Is that true?

So where does one get WIFI? At the McDonald's about 15 minutes walk away from the house. The internet there is painfully slow and you need to buy shit to use it (but the place is open 24/7/365). So if you're a fan of McDonald's food you will be in love. If you're not...you're shit out of luck.

Then there is the public library, but the hours are erratic (make sure to check opening times). The upshot is that the WIFI is fast and they have public computers for those without laptops.

• WASHING MACHINE & DRYER. If you want to wash your clothes there is a public laundromat about 10 minutes away from the house. Costs about $8 to get your clothes washed (per load). You can add $3 and have the ladies who work there do it for you if you're lazy. How hard would it be to get a washing machine in the house? $800 for 20 days and no washing machine. Nice.

So what are the alternatives?

One of the guys said there are locals willing to rent out basements (fully furnished with private bathrooms and WIFI internet) for about $500 for the 20 days. One can also search out more info here (lots of short term rentals available):

Kijiji Cape Breton Classifieds

And if you are coming with friends, even better. Sharing an apartment with all amenities will cost less than staying at the MacDonald House.

Finally if you do want to stay at the MacDonald House, make sure you are the first to book your seat for the training...this way you will get the ONE and ONLY private room. All the other rooms sleep between 2 to 4 people on VERY small beds (if you are tall or big or both you WILL NOT be comfortable).