One Year in Montreal

As I look at the calendar, I see that I’m coming up on the one year anniversary of my departure from London. In fact, I believe it was a year ago today that I was handing over my cheque to get a room in an apartment—sight unseen. All things considered, I think the move has worked out okay. Sure, I’m in debt up to my eyeballs, but for the first time in a long, long time, I’m actually where I want to be, both geographically and, to a certain extent, spiritually. Now that’s not to say that I’ve gone all meditative/religious on you folks. Pretty far from it. But I will say that I’m happier here than I’ve been before, despite the smaller social circle. I’m still working on that, but I figure it will all sort itself out in due time.

So in honour of my one year in Montreal, I thought I would give the readership a bit of a walk down memory lane. I can already sense Morgan rolling his eyes, but I’m writing this anyway. I suppose the most important thing that has happened since I got here was finding a job. Sure, it sounds pretty common and uninteresting, but it was a lot more of an ordeal than I would ever have imagined. I came to this city confident in my work experience and my communication skills, but by the third month of hearing little more than “work on your French,” I was beginning to question the wisdom of this move.

Debts mounted, hair thinned and gray whiskers started to creep their way into my goatee, but I kept looking. And, as is usually the case, when I was down to my last nerve, I found work… in a call center. Um, yeah. But as much as it sucked, the job did stop the financial bleeding just enough to keep me afloat. And shortly after that, I landed my current gig. Needless to say, I’m still thrilled to be here.

It was also shortly after landing my job that I got the green light to interview Chéli Sauvé-Castonguay over at Musique Plus. Since it was my first semi-high profile interview, it still holds a special place in my heart. Within a few weeks, I scored another interview, with Biz from Loco Locass, and in French, no less! I’ve made a pretty good run with this blog, all things considered. Maybe I’ll manage to land a few more before the year is up. Since there’s now been multiple requests for Mitsou, I feel that it’s my duty to try and appease the peanut gallery and see if I can waste an hour of her time. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

So what else have I been up to? Hmmm… well, I’ve attended a francophone music festival, the Just For Laughs comedy festival, indulged in some local delicacies, like smoked meat and bagels, not to mention the visits to some of Montreal’s landmarks! All in all, I’m looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring. Til next time!