My First Month Pretending to Be Canadian

Hmm...where to start on the past month? I suppose we could go week by week? Dates may not be 100% accurate, but you get the idea...

Week 1: Enjoy fun roadtrip north with Sara and Caitlin, visit the Jason and eat eggs with his roommates, discover where the Ohio River is, and that Niagara Falls would have been better from the Canadian side. Arrive in Toronto, explore the city, find a cellphone for myself, meet up with Lizzy, find the all-important contra dance, blow up air mattress, etc...woot. Then friends leave and and I feel very alone in this place. Major anxiety sets in about this life choice. Couldn't wait to leave home...then just wanted to go home. How ironic? After a slightly rough start, I settle into my new place with two roommates I have only talked to online and realize I lucked out and my living situation should be fine. Put in for a couple of jobs that I really wanted involving design or 9-5 schedule, but don't hear much back.

We found the Ohio River!

...and the Toronto Contra Dance. First things first, guys.

Weeks 2-3: Realize money is needed and highly-desired jobs requiring thoughtful cover letters will have to wait. Begin to pound pavement searching for "work" instead. Spend day after day running around in heels trying to figure out where the hell I am at all times. Not so fun. Anxiety persists. After hand-delivering countless resumes, get a few calls back and very surprisingly land a job with a fine home goods store. Also get called for interview for ushering position with a theater downtown, and an interview for a lovely design job downtown as well. Realize job-searching actually helps me learn my way around and decide if I can figure out Toronto's transit system, it must be very easy to use....then Dale comes to visit from Detroit and Lizzy and I enjoy a night out with "The Event" near downtown and as always I enjoy spending time with people from the Pillow. Return to contra dance again and talk to some great people. Meet up with a dancer for a driving tour of Toronto and a home-cooked meal at her house with lovely conversation and baked apple crisp. She shows me her "contra dance medal" for completing a special week of dancing including a dance all-nighter. I am ecstatic to learn there is such a thing. 

Week 4: Have costume party at my apartment (also called the Duff House) for Halloween with tons of yummy food and board games. Decide not to be obnoxious and dress as Gary Coleman around a bunch of people I don't know, so I go as Tinkerbell instead. This also proves to be the more economic option as my roommate had the perfect little green dress. Have fun volunteering at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival where I sell tickets and watch some funny groups and nabbed a free t-shirt. I do love t-shirts. Decide fine home furnishings and wearing only neutral colors to work isn't quite my thing, and quit a job for the first time (without the moving/graduating excuse). Land full-time ushering position instead and sign my life away (including contra...no bueno) to work nights and weekends at theater downtown. Have a down day, including major meltdown because I cannot buy the pants I need to go to work. Hit new low and breakdown in the mall. Many old ladies come to me and tell me that no boy is worth my tears. They are cute. Among other things, later that day I step in cat poo in my room and decide I hate life. 

Going into Week 5, I have worked a few shifts at the theater, met some cool people, and decided I do not hate life. Also developing a love for 80s rock that I'm sure will be replaced with hate in a couple of weeks. I am working show called Rock of Ages that is a cross between a rock concert and musical theater and is all 80s glam rock, all the time, 8 shows a week...but I get paid to work in a beautiful old theater telling people not to take pictures and that, as fun as it may seem, real lighters are a fire hazard in a building that is 103 years old...so I have few complaints as of yet.

Where I work - nbd.  (photo found here)

Whew...so there you go, the past month in a nutshell. Stay tuned, Things Canadians Really Do Say and Things Every Single Torontonian Asks After You Tell Them You're From South Carolina will be coming up later!

Ciao y'all.