Moving to New Cities

I moved to Thunder Bay earlier this month. It took me 17 hours on a car and bus to get me here from Timmins.

It’s never easy moving to new city.

When I was 14, my family moved from the small town of Moosonee to Timmins, a city of 40,000. While I was fortunate to have family with me, it was still difficult to adapt to the new surroundings. Traffic lights, paved roads, streets that stretch for miles – it was so different from the short dirt roads of my hometown.

The first week of high school was scary. Starting high school was scary enough, but starting it in a new town where the school was double the size of all the Moosonee schools put together was intense. The first day, I was late for class after sitting with the vice-principal, who helped me pick my electives and print out my timetable. She walked me to my first class, where she knocked, opened the door and waved me in. I stepped inside and all these strangers who I had never met before – who looked and acted different from me – looked up and I felt their eyes. It’s still one of my most terrifying moments.

Moving to Ottawa for college was another big change. Driving into the city the day before class started was my first time in Ottawa. I knew almost nobody, save a few casual acquaintances. As I walked through the college, I couldn’t help but think of when I moved to Timmins, because I was again struck by the size of the school and city and felt like a foreigner in a faraway land.

I felt alone in those moments. I think that’s how most people feel in new surroundings. Even if you’re with people you know, you have to deal with the situation and feelings on your own.

To adapt to my new home, I explored the area and became familiar with the area; I went out to gatherings or meetings related to my interests (concerts, music jams, for example); and eventually overcame my shyness and talked to people.

After these experiences, coming to Thunder Bay isn’t as bad. I still had some stress because I had to find a place to live, and walking into a classroom full of strangers still made me nervous, but they’re natural feelings and I expected them.

Having a few friends here also eased the transition.

I still miss home but I’m even more excited about my college program here, which is to become a filmmaker.

More on that next time.