Big Changes - Part 1

So I thought I would rant explain to you about my time spent in Winnipeg AKA the peg. So when I finished my undergrad at York, I really wanted to do my Masters in Psychology. Having not left Toronto for my undergrad, I basically applied to only schools outside of the Ontario area... I didn't even apply within Ontario. So either way I was moving, leaving Toronto for bigger and better things (or so I thought). So I chose the University of Manitoba for the flexible program along with the professor and area of research I wanted to work in. Also, the cheaper tuition and rent didn't hurt.

So after finishing my undergrad, I packed my car full, and drove the 24 hours to Winnipeg. Now, having only been to Winnipeg once before moving there, I really had no idea where I should live. I knew 0 people in the city which didn't make the situation any easier, so I proceeded to do what any other normal person would do, I found a roommate on Kijiji. Now don't roll your eyes at me, would you want to live ALL ALONE in a city where you knew NO ONE? That sounds even more depressing that moving in with a random possible killer person from Kijiji. So, I met Kasey from Calgary and had multiple phone conversations to make sure she was not crazy. We found a place to live, also off Kijiji.  We ended up living in a 2 bedroom apartment in the oldest residential building in Manitoba (with the first elevator!)...




40 Osborne


So, I moved my stuff in (with the help of my lovely boyfriend Eoghan who drove with me). We used the elevator. Since the elevator was the first one built, you had to manually open the wire door, close it yourself, push the button and it would proceed to move... slowly... It was a concern whether you would make it to the top or plummet to the bottom. Then, you had to walk outside on the balconies in order to reach our apartment (I'm serious...). I really couldn't complain much about the apartment, it was HUGE, full of old dark hardwood and much more space than I needed.




The restaurant


So, I had some time that week while Eoghan was visitng before school started to explore. I lived right in Osborne village so basically close to everything, comparable to maybe Spadina in Toronto. The first night, Eoghan and I decided to go to this restaurant on the corner (photo above). We walked over in our leather jackets, me in my high heels, and both in our sunglasses. The stares were unreal... Basically, it was the "you are really not from here, are you?" stare. So we ate at the restaurant. I still remember the drunken woman blasting into the restaurant, demanding to be served, knocking stuff over, and yelling. She proceeded (after awhile) to be escorted out. I should have realized at that point, that this may have been a somewhat accurate representation of what Winnipeg would be like.

What else can I say about Winnipeg in the first week I was there? Well... the little Italy was full of sushi restaurants, it was not safe to be wondering around downtown alone at night, the homeless population was more aggressive than Toronto, and... there were sooo many less people. As you can see, my first week was full of positives! *Chuckle* (Year 2 was better).

After a week of assembling my furniture, helping me run my errands, and discovering the city, Eoghan left me. I was alone. Other than my roommate, I knew no one. I had heard that one of my friends from York had moved to Winnipeg to go to law school however, he had yet to arrive (I also knew over the year, he would be very very busy..)

Before school started, I had a teaching assistant mandatory training day and I was pretty desperate to make friends... So, I went up and introduced myself to a girl that seemed like she might be someone I could hang out with. She seemed surprised by my directness but let's be honest, I had nothing to lose. Her name was Melanie and I must say that over the course of the next two years, we became good friends, and she made my time in Winnipeg much more enjoyable.

After finally starting school, I still hadn't met too many people. I was the new girl. It didn't take me time to realize that many graduate students did their undergrad at the University of Manitoba (UofM) as well.. and many of them also went to highschool and elementary school together. I learnt fast that many individuals in Winnipeg had a set group of friends and didn't need to be friends with me. It was like a slap in the face. So many people being so nice to you, yet no one really wanting to hang out with you. I still stand by the comment I made during that first week of school, "Winnipegers are clique". It isn't really their fault, they have a great group of friends, have a dynamic with their group going, why change that? I did make a few friends but a lot of those individuals would hang out with me but would never introduce me to their group of friends. Needless to say, as the weeks went on and I still hadn't made very many friends, I was starting to get lonely.

After talking to one of my good friends back home, he mentioned that this girl he used to work with years ago just moved to Winnipeg (he learnt about this via Facebook). He offered to randomly message her (they hadn't spoken in a while) and he proceeded to set me up on a blind friend date. Yes, I went. Why wouldn't I? A possible Torontonian to hang out with, why not? So I met Kaila for cheesecake. Best decision I ever made.

Over the course of the first couple of months, I had made a few friends. I would hang out with Kaila all the time often. My roommate had made a good friend in her program, so Kaila and I would hang out with the two of them sometimes, and sometimes, I would go hang out with my law friend and his crew. I began to realize that going to school, being a TA, and hanging out with some friends was not enough to fill my time. I was still lonely. I started applying to part-time jobs, found a yoga studio, and started trying out gyms. I missed home and was very home sick. This is how I felt in September/October and to be honest, this feeling was pretty constant until April/May (pretty much my full first year there). Moving to a place where you don't know anyone is hard. I get it, so if you just made a big move to a place where you don't know anyone.. I know how you feel!!

I promise these posts will not just be me omplaining. I had some amazing times in my first year... those to come in part 2.

Stay tuned!