Photograph by Daniel Raphael Cooper
I’ve been living in Montreal for the better part of the last 3 years and I’ve been thinking about the ways my life has changed in that time.
Big cities mean nothing to me anymore.
I remember growing up mostly in Quebec City and hearing the horror stories of big cities, but also the magical side that everyone who comes from a small town wishes they could see.
When I first arrived in Montreal, I admit I had a few good weeks of big city magic going on. Everything shone in my imagination and captivated me in ways that no small town ever could.
Even getting on the Metro was an enjoyable experience. Hearing the beeping, the tone as it moved from station to station. All of it was magical. Especially when the intercom would go on and some voice came out through the speakers letting us know where we were headed or if something was happening on a line somewhere. It seemed so space-age and fantastic.
Now though, big cities mean nothing to me. They’re about as sparkly and radiant as a newly dug-up treasure from a grave in the middle of the murkiest bogs imaginable.
Gone were the fantastic ideals of the metro system. By the time I reach downtown Montreal, I’ve already begun cussing out the three jerks who stepped on the back of my shoe, shoving their way in to the metro car just to get a seat. By then, I’m usually ready to thump them over the head with whatever book I was trying to read and they kept bumping into me.
But I still wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here.
Salaries got better…but I finally realized money wasn’t everything.
When I first got here, I was fully expecting to get jobs with about the same value as I had found previously in Quebec City. I very quickly realized that it was the companies in Quebec City who were taking advantage of me, not that the salary was normal. I was working as a programmer analyst for 12/hour. It’s utterly ridiculous.
Now I’m working somewhere for double that salary and I’ve finally realized that more didn’t make my life easier or harder. Money is money. It isn’t everything I thought it was supposed to be.
I finally found people I like.
The one thing that many who know me probably know or at least should know is that I really don’t like people. I’m an arrogant ass with far too many standards on the kind of people I like to interact with. If you don’t peak my interest or sound witty/smart/etc, then I probably don’t like you. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. I got fed up with bullshit when I was a teenager and I refuse to take steps backwards.
I’d like to take a moment and thank my coworkers for being among the filtered people I talk to. I kind of wish I had a website for all of them so I could just give them all a shout-out, but I don’t have them all and I’d feel bad if I didn’t give them all props on their own things. Maybe another post. Moving on.
I need to get out more.
Above all. I’ve realized that I need to get out more. Almost 3 years in Montreal and I don’t know anything beyond how to get to work, where the mall is, and where home is. It’s a crying shame and I really need to do something about it. But what can I do? I don’t even know where to start looking for things to do.
Thanks for taking the time to read this random post. I’m sorry for the lack of any real structure.
Have a great day!
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