Moving out on your own isn't like that, not unless you're incredibly lucky or smart with money. Which I'm not.
In my last year of college I had applied to university, Trent University and McMaster University. I was excited for both. Trent accepted me almost immediately, I was excited about that. McMaster had wait-listed me, but I had set my heart fully on Trent.
Shortly after accepting my acceptance I began to panic. Trent was in Peterborough, about three hours away from my hometown and the only city I had ever lived in. I knew I had to move out, and I was terrified about that. Moving out isn't easy, especially with a pet cat, who was coming with me no matter what.
I began to scour online ads for apartments for rent, having no luck for August leases and struggling to find pet friendly places. I only had a few appointments for showings, scheduled for my reading break at college. Yes, while my classmates were relaxing and studying for midterms, I struggled to find places to live for the next year.
I arrived in Peterborough, planning to stay with friends. These friends are amazing and helped me find amazing place I am currently living in. In fact, with sneaky planning Marion had helped set me up with my boyfriend Ryan, which was one of the best things that could have happened. I've known Marion since I was six, both awkward and shy kids at the same elementary school pushed into friendship by my over-talkative mother and her father who I remember wearing rain slickers. Alex, Marion's boyfriend, was friends with Ryan and the metal-heads, a crew of scary looking but amazing friends, all smart and interested in a variety of topics. They're the kinds of friends who you like hearing talk, because it's always interesting and you'll learn something new from them everyday, and they don't make you feel stupid for not knowing or understanding something.
Anyways, back to the original topic of moving out, Alex had shown me around Peterborough and walked me to a couple showing in parts of the city he knew I'd get lost in. We looked at the most beautiful one bedroom apartment, slightly out of my budget even if my boyfriend put his career aside and moved out with me, which thankfully he did not. The cute and smart boyfriend got accepted to Brock University after graduating college with a 90 average.
The next unit I looked at was a bachelor's and paled in comparison to the apartment I looked at. I seriously hope someone amazing rented that apartment out, the landlord was friendly and she even knew the tenant's dog's names. I do wish I could have lived there, but unless I managed to work a full time job and go to uni, I would barely afford to put bread on the table.
However, the next day I looked at a student unit, and my eyes immediately went to the Supernatural poster in the entrance-way (Jenson Ackles and Jeffery Dean Morgan were my secret show crushes), and the many Marvel posters. I suddenly wanted to live there very badly. Upstairs lead me to a vibrant purple living room with funky red couches (awesome colours) and a shy fluffy grey cat. My current roommate, who is really cool and the owner of all the cool belongings) was at class that day, but her cat liked me and the places was larger than I expected. And instead of sharing a bathroom and kitchen with a bunch of students, typical of student houses I had seen from classmates in Hamilton, it was just two of us. The landlord said I could bring my cat with me, and I was really excited about that. Here was a pet friendly unit, in my budget, not overcrowded, and had a seemingly cool roommate (she was cool, and I found that out shortly after moving in, I scored roommate gold with her). This was the unit I needed. I grabbed a lease, and when I went home I got my dad to co-sign and sent my deposit away. The place was mine.
I had the option of living at home and paying rent until I moved out, or going at it and moving in right away. In hindsight it may have been a bad choice to move in right away. Peterborough has a high unemployment rate and I left a sweet job in Hamilton, but I wanted to grow up right away. I bought some furniture for my room, bought a fridge full of groceries and a freezer full of chicken and fish. I brought my stock of Lush products (best store ever), and my cat along.
My best friend Alex (girl Alex as the guys initially dubbed her since they were friends with Alex the metalhead before becoming friends with my Alex). She helped me get settled in, coax my angry and shy cat from her cage, and get used to the idea of living on my own.
Naturally the cats hated each other at first, and sometimes they get hissy at each other. But they're better now, sitting on the same couch occasionally and my cat stealing Gemma's (the other cat) toys.
Some of the struggles I had were grocery shopping. I'm used to buying some groceries at home and buying my own food, but now I had to start from scratch. I forgot to buy salt and pepper when I first moved in, but had purchased the shakers and a spice rack. I forgot to buy cooking oil and still don't own steak knives. I've lived here for almost a month and have yet to do laundry because the nearest laundromat is expensive and I barely have enough change.
I forgot hand towels so I basically have a normal towel in the bathroom for hand drying, it works out. I have dish clothes and over mitts, but I don't have a spoon to scoop things, I own a ladle but it's hard to spoon pasta with a soup ladle.
I own a cheese grater but my cheese went bad before I could eat it all. I have plates and bowls but they aren't microwave safe (plastic since I drop things a lot). I have real glasses and tea mugs, but forgot an electric kettle. Thankfully my roommate has one. I keep meaning to make mashed potatoes, but I don't have milk since it'll go bad before I can even drink a 1L carton.
The worst is now that I pay for my groceries and don't have the comfort of food being in the house like at home, I have to make sure I eat it before it goes bad, and buy the food I'm sure I'll eat.
I have CD's here but no CD player.
I have my laptop but it's overheating a lot and becoming more of a craptop. My cell's battery is dying faster and taking forever to charge, meaning that needs to be replaced.
But without a job those things will be put on hold.
And I still have to travel home for tooth cleaning, my college graduation, and possibly wisdom teeth removal if I can get the Cone CT scans (stupid teeth and stupid nerve).
But I have my cat, enough money to survive the summer without a job, a fridge full of food, and enough clothes to go a month without laundry. I have friends in the city, and family who will visit. I know if things get tough I have a backup plan, even if it means moving back home for a job and not having to buy groceries.
And I do have to go back home to see a concert I've been dying to see; Marilyn Manson and Slipknot on my actual birthday! Best birthday present to myself ever.
So yes moving out is hard, and I struggle sometimes. The main cause of my struggle is not knowing what I need exactly, and forgetting to bring certain things. I know I'm bringing my college textbooks up with me since they are amazing quality books. I'm bringing my old notes from my college lectures as well, since the teachers I had were amazing with notes and lectures. I want to take a lot of pictures this summer and hang posters on my walls. I plan on living here for the next four years, and I want to make this place me home. I'm homesick, although the majority of the homesickness is because I miss my best friend, my boyfriend, and my family; even my little brother.
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