Viewpoint

Time to try East Coast Life

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Since I was 17, the only thing I wanted to do was move out of my parent's home and live in New York. Imagine: studying Journalism at NYU, becoming an English Major, and writing pieces that resonate with me. Even in high school, there was an assignment that we wrote picturing where we would be in the future, and I said something along these lines...

Suddenly, 14 years have gone by, and I'm still living at home, with no promising job, and further from where I thought I'd be. The Pandemic played a part with work, but what about the other years? There's nothing wrong with changing careers, however, I felt like I needed to do more with my life.

Simply put, I was behind. Maybe it's a bad idea to compare yourself to others, but I couldn't help but think that there's something wrong with me. I couldn't keep a job for longer than three months throughout 2021, and I just felt stuck. I just needed something new.

So what was I to do? Move to Toronto. It's not exactly New York, but it's still a solid choice. Melvyn and I were talking about moving to Toronto throughout the Pandemic, essentially waiting for him when he was ready. I won't go into many details other than that 2022 would be the year that things were going to happen.

Since this would be the first time I would be moving out, I wanted to make sure I was making the right moves. With a lot of timing and endless discussions, there would be a series of steps to go through:

Step 1: Where to Live

I have a confession to make: before moving, I have never been to Toronto. Melvyn and I looked for apartments online, day and night, until we saw something we thought would work for both of us. There weren't many guidelines with our search, other than we would have wanted two bathrooms. However, looking for an apartment in downtown Toronto, you don't get everything that you want. There was one place that seemed perfect, but someone else already picked it up before we could contact the agent. So we settled for this smaller apartment which Melvyn's friend viewed for us to make sure the listing was legitimate. Fortunately, we now live in that apartment.

Hello, new home!

Step 2: Clutter Collection

How does one decide what to bring, or what to leave behind? Is it also worth trying to tidy up your space before you leave? What items do you buy now, and which ones later? We decided that we will be moving our stuff cross country through a moving box, and since we had some space, we also decided to buy some things in Alberta. Why Alberta? Melvyn left some of his belongings in Alberta... I mean, anything to save on taxes, am I right? Let's say it was one interesting road trip.

Calgary was fine, while Kelowna brought out the big toys

On top of moving things from province to province, I had to figure out what I wanted to bring. I knew that I wanted to bring most of my clothes, until I realized how much clothing I had collected throughout the years - what can I say? I like fashion. In addition to clothes, I had to think of what mugs to bring, whether it was worth carrying a pillow... there's so much you don't realize until packing occurs.

The almighty U-Haul

Step 3: Land a Job

While Melvyn and I were collecting our items to move, we were applying for any job available within one month. While Melvyn managed to find a job easily, I was having more of a challenge. When I was offered one job, I thought about whether I wanted to take on a similar role I have previously done before - that opportunity was taken away when they notified me they retracted their offer. I was bummed for a moment, until another job offer came my way. The best part? The position is remote. Seems like someone's got a plan for me.

First Day Attire

Step 4: Letting Your Loved Ones Know

Even when the odds are not in your favour, there is a decision that you have to make for yourself. When I told my parents that I wanted to move, my mother immediately said 'no,' while my father was concerned about my financial situation. My sister and brother were more supportive of the idea, but like my father, they wanted to make sure that I had a concrete plan to make the move smooth as possible. Much as I enjoyed working at my retail job, I wasn't too sure that transferring to the Toronto location would be possible.

While I may not have all the answers on how I'm able to live in Toronto, I know that I've got help along the way. With family near and far, it's always important to reach out to them - they'll always be there for you, even in difficult times.

Nothing that fills the heart like family

Step 5: Setting Goals

Much as it's exciting to live in a new city and experience everything it has to offer, it's also important to make something of yourself. I may work five days a week, but I can still do something with the rest of my time. Making friends is one thing, but I also have to set some time for myself to focus on what I want to achieve. Being a writer? Not exactly, but I'll keep that to myself and see what happens within the year.

Just in case you need a reminder of where I am

I'm sure there are more steps I'm missing throughout the move, but these are my main focuses. The experience has given me perspective on what it means to be on my own, what it means to make it on my own, and see how capable I am to make it in a city. Even though I have Melvyn, there will be times when we'll be facing conflict - got to learn how to handle it. Come what may, it'll all be for the best.