Justified
Vancouverites are often considered smug by the rest of Canadians. I should know because when I first moved out here in '93 I could barely handle the self-aggrandizement and sense of superiority that most people I met seemed to wear like a badge of honour. "Winnipeg? Nice place to be from."Hardy-har-har.
I even got a few welcome-to-God's-countrys, which is exactly how the first Nova Scotian welcomed me after I arrived in Halifax for what turned out to be a relatively brief stay.
Now that I've been here in Vancouver for much of the last sixteen years, it seems I've finally become one of them. Probably for good. But if we need to justify our smugness, if not neccessarily appologise for it, the Mercer's Quality of Living survey for 2009 gives us what amunition we need.
But, you know, it does rain here an awful lot.
11 Comments:
I thought of this post when I read this earlier today: Why on Earth Would I Move from Vancouver to Winnipeg?...the spirit of it rings true to your experiment to move back to the 'peg, but I'd be curious to hear your take on it now as someone who moved back and is raising a family in Vancouver.
Thanks for the link, Jer. How did you come across it? The width, breadth and depth of your internet ramblings never ceases to amaze me.
It was an entertaining read, but in my estimation the writer never really makes her case for life in Winnipeg other than the oft-belaboured point of the relatively sustainable cost of living. We didn't find life in Winnipeg to be any easier, financially. Granted, our apartment was bigger. When the writer mentions her friends who had to move back to Alberta because they realized they would "never be able to afford the kind of house they dreamed of" in Vancouver... well, it's hard to argue with people who have a dream. And if an 1800 sq/ft house in a far-flung Calgary suburban pinwheel is your idea of a dream, have at it! We have that here too, it's called Chilliwack.
One of the primary reasons we decided to return to Vancouver after our three-year Winnipeg experiment was that we couldn't find work that interested us. What work we could find paid almost laughably low salaries. We both found pretty much exactly what we were looking for within months of being back.
Having said all that I do relate to her point about the focus on consumerism. It's absurd. And anyone who spends any amount of time in downtown Vancouver is bound to suffer from envy or embarrassment when comparing themselves to its bold and beautiful denizens, (many of whom are tourists out shopping, by the way). But come on, get over it. And look around. It's not EVERYone. Right?
Oh, you don't know the half of it...being online all day is one way to slowly drive yourself insane following rabbit trails of (mostly) useless information. This one was linked off the Incredibly Cool! site, the latest attempt by the city at boosting Winnipeg's image on the world stage. I was checking it for anything interesting that might be going on while we're there around Canada Day.
"And if an 1800 sq/ft house in a far-flung Calgary suburban pinwheel is your idea of a dream, have at it!"HA! I snorted over this. Agreed also on the point about rents not being drastically different when you take into account that you're making less money in the 'peg.
On the other hand, comparing the house you bought in Vancouver with an "equivalent" off Corydon wouldn't be unfair, would it? If you really did want to own a decent, older little house in a good neighbourhood because you were starting a family (or whatever, for some reason you don't want to rent an apartment), the financial difference would be significant. Like four times as much in Vancouver? Salaries are certainly higher, but that much more?
I suppose it's probably true for a teacher or a nurse that they could move to Winnipeg and get the same money for the same work, and pay way less for their home. But I also see your point about there being less interesting work for creative types. Smaller pond, no question.
As far as the consumerism goes, it is conspicuous...but then when I wander around your neighbourhood, and even downtown from the Sylvia, I see a real variety of people -- lots of kids in strollers, old people, etc...I guess it depends on what you're focusing on. Yes, lots of beautiful, well dressed, fit people, but not homogeneously so. And you're right, does it really affect your own quality of life to be surrounded by people who are apparently richer?
I won't defend Vancouver real estate. It's more expensive, no question. Exorbitant even. Some might say ridiculous. My guess is that real estate in any city in the top ten on that list I linked to would be as well. But in my experience, you get what you pay for.
Some time after I responded to your post I realized that I never really answered your question about raising kids in Vancouver. For us it all comes down to lifestyle. And most of what that entails is the ability to be outside, riding bikes, walking... for about 360 days a year in relative comfort.
We've found that our little birdie would prefer to fly around outside for a minimum of six hours a day. So there's that. Is it even possible to push a stroller in Winnipeg between November and March? I can't imagine how.
But that's putting the cart before the horse. We never even considered having kids until we arrived in our East Vancouver neighbourhood. Once we felt at home the discussion took on an entirely different tone. My guess is we never would have had kids if we hadn't find this neighbourhood.
And now that we do, having a smaller house/apartment becomes moot if you can step outside, cross the street and be in a park with green grass in the middle of February.
So long story short, at some point during our three-year stint in Winnipeg we realized that the lifestyle we wanted to live simply couldn't be lived there, no matter how hard we tried. (Jogging in -20C with a windchill on ice-encrusted sidewalks is brutal.) We were faced with a decision, change our lifestyle or move.
And I know there are people who would balk at this. People ride their bikes in Winnipeg right through the winter. They're probably the same hardy souls who commute straight up Pembina Highway to U of M. But seriously.
This rings true from our outsider view of your experience for sure. Having Imogene has certainly changed your lifestyle and time management and all that...but neither lifestyle(before or after her) would have been easy to pull off in Winnipeg. I mean, I think you made the best of it, but maybe it would never be a very good match for you guys.
Not that you wouldn't live there again if you felt it was necessary. Over the past year, as my grandpa's health has deteriorated, my mom and I have really lamented the distance. When we moved away, everyone was healthy and could come visit regularly, so it wasn't a big deal. The hidden costs of living far away suddenly leap into the limelight.
It would have to be pretty necessary. But, yeah, when it comes to family and the deteriorating health of loved ones, all bets are off.
Loving our life in Vancouver in the present doesn't necessarily mean we'll never live anywhere else. Or that we'll never move back to Winnipeg. But it is hard to envision a scenario that would bring us back.
In the meantime we'll continue to work at convincing those we love to join us on the coast;]
Well said all around. As a sort of segue, I was looking at photos from May '06 (I think) that included a record of you riding in Merritt AND here in Summerland. Consider this your official invitation to get back up here.
Overdue, no question. Way.
Looks like one of the transplants said So Long to Winnipeg today. Interesting...
Interesting. As always, thanks for the link. Laurel's post left me wanting more. She writes "I didn't anticipate what a lifestlye change I was in for - not just moving to a new city, but basically never leaving my apartment. In the last few months I've experienced the ammount of anxiety and depression I would normally stretch out over an entire year." Then goes on to expound upon Winnipeg's many virtues, basically saying that if she didn't miss her family so much she would've stayed.
And I'm left wondering, why did you basically never leave your apartment - mosquitos? -35C?
And why were you so depressed? Certainly not just because you were lonely. I can honestly say I've never been as depressed as I was toward the end of my tenure in Winnipeg, for reasons you're well aware of.
Left me feeling she was pandering to the I (heart) Winnipeg crew.
Agreed, I had exactly the same impression. Trying to let everyone down easy, and she said outright that it was embarrassing to have to backtrack after all the rosy things she'd said along the way.
Post a Comment
<< Home