Edmonton

As part of my new job, I’ve moved across the country to live alone for the first time in my life. I’d never been to Alberta (a province, for the non-Canadians) before, much less Edmonton itself. I’ve also never lived alone, unless you count a week maximum while parents might have been away. I’ve never gone hunting for accommodations, or debated the pros and cons of living in one house vs another. And I’ve never been this far from the people I love - a $400+ flight each way is a much higher barrier than a 5-15 minute walk or drive.

        So, this is pretty big for me.

        I was set to start work on May 1st, and my mom helped me book a direct flight early that morning. We were expecting to pay a lot, but apparently we were right in time for a sale, because the flight cost just shy of $300 after tax. We got a direct return flight, too, for the end of August - just at a slightly higher price. At any rate, even if it was as cheap as $600 round-trip, I don’t know if it’s worth it for me to go back home. Living expenses are cutting out a huge chunk of my income (nearly half, even if I’m frugal).

        Thankfully, parental contribution means I’ll get at least one visit from my girlfriend… But I’m already feeling a lot like a bachelor after being here for a week. Eating the same pizza for supper three nights in a row, anyone?

        Anyway, so that’s how I got here. In terms of putting a roof over my head, there happened to be an info session in Ottawa for the UARE program. Just a few days after I found out I’d be applying, in fact! When I went, I found out about the housing “board” run (in part) by the university’s Student Union. Through there, I found a room to rent in a house just one kilometer away - a 15 minute walk, essentially. It’s $650 a month, compared to $500/month for places further away - but I also get a private bathroom and a fridge to myself.

        So far: no regrets on the pricier place. I’m loving the location. I can wake up and get to work within an hour if I want. The extra $600 over the course of the summer will be entirely worth it, I think. I love being able to walk whenever I want, instead of having to obey the bus schedule (something I’ve never gotten used to, even after three years in Ottawa). Even though I’m theoretically 30 minutes away from campus in Ottawa, in practice it tends to take an hour for the trip. So there’s a triple benefit of freedom, exercise, and reduced transit time.

        On the last point: if we say I travel to campus 20 days out of the month, I’m gaining 13 hours each month in exchange for the $150. Not a bad trade, I think.

        I haven’t been here long enough to really evaluate my job itself, but I can say a few things about the University of Alberta campus. First of all, it’s really big. Or at least, it feels big, because their quad is a gigantic, flat, open space. They also have an indoor mall on campus, and today a food cart set itself up in the middle of the quad. I mean, you tell me - do those sound like things that would happen on a normally sized campus? (Though I’ve just realized that the one floor of their mall is probably equivalent to the four floors of Carleton’s University Centre, just horizontal. Still.)

        I do need to figure out an ergonomic situation for using my laptop at home, though. I also need to… maybe… meet some of the other three(?) tenants. Find out which name goes with which person. Maybe have one or two conversations with them, even. I’m debating paying for fencing classes while I’m here, though sadly they’re not within walking distance. Still, it worked for me in first year to get a bit of social interaction after I moved to Ottawa. Anyway, those are both aspects of getting settled in.

        The other thing where I don’t feel totally settled is food - I’m wary of buying too much, but I’d also like to have some variety. I’m kinda binary when it comes to how much I feel like cooking, and a parent’s well-stocked cupboards at home can support that. The space under the counter where I keep my food, not so much.

        Anyway, I just have to treat living alone and moving away as a set of exciting new challenges. The former is tiring to deal with at times, and the latter has left me lonely and restless at times, too. But it’s all part of the grand plan of my life, and four months can go by pretty fast if things are going well.

        Speaking of which, I haven’t written anything about my experiences this past school year, or summed up my thoughts about the summer of 2012…