Though I’ve only been here nine months, I learned a lot from moving all the way across the province to a part of Canada deemed ‘northern.’
I met a lot of different people and learned about a lot of different things I never even gave a second thought to before. While, at times, I experienced some of the most excruciating homesickness and doubt in where I was and what I was doing, I know those white-hot memories will dim out as years pass and I’ll look back on this period of my life with some fondness.
It’s ‘character building’, as baby boomers say.
So what did up I learn here, anyway? Well, I learned that ‘northern B.C.’ definitely does not start at Hope.
I learned that B.C. is a damn big place, and northern B.C. feels even bigger. There’s actually a world I don’t think a lot of British Columbians realize exists up here. There’s a lot about Northern B.C. that is the same and uniting, but also a lot that is unique about each part. The people here stick together and help one another out without question, because sometimes it feels like they’re all each other has.
I learned that comfort and growth don’t often exist within the same space. One of the biggest sources of comfort for me was to visit a place that had shops I took for granted growing up in Kamloops. How did the city of Grande Prairie, with roughly 70,000 people and mediocre shopping, become my new shopping excursion? Who knows.
Speaking of Grande Prairie, I learned that RCMP press releases can be an untapped well of hilarity.
I learned that the northern lights are breathtaking in person (especially if you’re drunk when you first see them), and most cameras are crap at taking photos of them.
I learned that nothing will divide a crowd and raise voices more than the Site C dam.
I learned that, if someone says nasty things in your general direction, it’s usually a reflection of the storms going on inside them, and not actually about you. Haters are a given in life, and you will never be happy if you internalize the message each one has to spit at you. On that note, I also learned that people will remember the way you made them feel more than the words you said.
I learned that you will misspell Dawson Creek as Dawson’s Creek at least once in your life if you have to continually write about the city.
I learned that Tim Horton’s drive-thru line ups are more treacherous when everyone drives a truck.
I learned that Winners isn’t all that special when you have shopping choices, but becomes god-sent when it’s your only option.
I learned that my new favourite small town in existence is Beaverlodge, Alberta. Home to the Sheared Beaver Hair Salon and a giant beaver statue on the edge of town.
I learned that, even though I wasn’t willing to get comfortable here, there were so many people I sort of knew here who always greeted me with big smiles on their faces, and I’ll probably miss that feeling now that it’s going away.
I learned that time, community size and pace of life are all relative, and that the city you live in sucks or rules as much as you want it to.
Finally, I learned that you never actually know a city until you live there.
So, Fort St. John. What can I say about you? You were where I lived for nearly a year, and what an interesting year that was. You’re not really a farm town like I imagined when I got word that I got a job up here, you’re kind of like a slab of Alberta thrown down in the middle of B.C.
And you still lack a full Starbucks.
While there are prevalent political and cultural attitudes here I don’t personally agree with or feel passionate about, I refuse to allow that to muddle my experience or views of this community.
It’s glass half-empty, or half-full. Do I focus on the story of the small-town church that welcomed Syrian refugees who didn’t speak a word of English with open arms, or the barrage of racist comments on the news article to judge a community? Do I focus on people giving out of their pockets when someone’s house burns down, or those who broke into evacuated homes or started fires while the rest of the regional district was burning to decide what really defines this place?
Do you look for the light in a dark place, or the darkness found in the light? I guess what you look for says a lot about your outlook.
Until I see you again, whenever that may be, goodbye.