I knew there were gonna be some difficulties with my decision to move to another city for work.

Whenever people ask me where home is, it’s always been a difficult question to answer. Basically, home for me is my family. Wherever my family’s at, that’s what I consider my true home. But I tend to get jealous of people who say they grew up in a certain area. That they have best friends from all the way back since diapers. Then they share stories of growing up and the various escapades they’ve been in, promises of friendship all the way to the grave.

Being the new boy from out of town has been quite the experience so far. For some reason, a lot of people are surprised by my decision to move from Toronto to Ottawa. Why are you here? Didn’t you come from a place where everything’s at? Of course, I explain that finding work proved a little difficult and I had to look elsewhere. I guess, not by choice but by circumstance. People then shake their heads in wonder and worry at what the world’s coming to. Funny thing about my new town is the fact that a lot of people in it came from smaller cities themselves. More rural, less urban towns with much smaller populations. So, moving to Ottawa is already a big decision for them! And the thought of moving to Toronto would be absolutely crazy. 

As much as possible, I try to avoid comparing the two. But people here always do it whenever I mention that I’m from out of town. I always do my best to promote the benefits of living in Ottawa, but people from around here are so quick to shoot me down and mention something better in Toronto. What the fuck? I’m trying not to badmouth your damn city and you go ahead and do it yourself? It just doesn’t make sense. The things that people complain about in Ottawa are actually advantages that I truly appreciate:

• “Oh, Ottawa’s so small!” - That’s great! Do you know how amazing it is for me to be able to reach downtown in less than an hour? Being able to reach most of the hotspots by foot is another definite plus. I still can’t believe I walked from my friend’s place to Rideau Centre in less than 30 minutes. Such trips are impossible in Toronto!
• “There’s so many things in Toronto!” - That’s exactly it. There’s so many choices, it’s actually kinda hard to make a decision. Like going to an AYCE Japanese Buffet with 200 variations of sushi, the amount is simply overwhelming. I appreciate the availability of options, but a few would be just fine. That’s just me though, I’m quite easy to please.
• “Toronto’s got all kind of people in it, eh?” - As a visible minority and an immigrant, it’s great to see fellow countrymen here in Canada. To be honest with you, it’s not a deal breaker if there weren’t any either. Ottawa’s exactly how I imagined Canada would be before I moved here. That’s why I was a bit disconcerted when seeing the melting pot that Toronto really is. There’s a huge number of Francophones and Anglophones here in Ottawa, which is perfectly alright with me. I love speaking English and I would like to improve what French capabilities I have, so Ottawa is a win-win situation for me. Not to mention the fact that I’m quite partial to the blondes! *nudge nudge, wink wink*

So yeah, that’s what I’ve got to say about Ottawa so far. I’ll probably mention more in the future. I’ve only been here for a month and a half, it’s possible things might change down the road. Hopefully, only for the best! Cheers, Ottawa~