In August of 2022, my sister and I had decided to move to Montreal. It was the perfect time to make a change; we wanted to leave our hometown and experience something new. In September of 2022, we signed a lease for an apartment in the downtown centre of Montreal and we spent all of September getting ready for our move in October. We never saw ourselves moving away from our home of 30+ years so soon, but change comes when it chooses and we were ready to embrace it.
We pictured ourselves adapting to the Quebec lifestyle with ease, without a complete understanding of the French language, culture, and politics of it all (Yes, that was ignorant, I’ll be honest). Mind you, we visited Montreal before moving and fell head over heals for the city, but we never thought we would be moving within two months of visiting the city for the first time. But if we didn’t do it when the chance had arrived, we thought we never would.
Downtown, Montreal
We also pictured ourselves eating croissants, drinking real coffee, mingling with Montrealers, and parading the historic streets and sites. We imagined our quality of life would increase and our worries about expenses would decrease. We hoped that new relationships would be easier to build and that the city would offer its best at our feet. We romanticized our new destination with rose colored glasses and for a fleeting moment, it did prove to be true.
We lived in Montreal for a year. However, around six to seven months into our stay, we realized that it wasn’t the city for us. The reality was much different from what we had imagined. We had intended to stay in Montreal for years to come, but it wasn’t as easy as we thought.
So change came back for us again and everything we had originally pictured for ourselves in Montreal had washed away. We began picturing ourselves back in our hometown, back to what we knew we needed. When I was at my lowest, mentally and emotionally (and physically too), my sister said, “We can go back home.” The word “home” hit me and I couldn’t stop crying. How could two provinces in the same country be complete opposites? Why couldn’t this new city feel like home? But I needed to hear those words because I never thought moving back was an option. I was afraid of looking like a failure to our family and friends and most of all a failure to myself.
It’s now December of 2023 and I’m back home in British Columbia, feeling extremely content. Although my hometown isn’t perfect, it’s where I belong. It’s almost like I needed to experience Montreal to realize what I truly wanted. Even with all the highs and lows, I’ll always have a soft spot for the French city. It’s amazing to look back and see how much life has changed in just one year. I would never have thought that this is where I would be today.
Your everyday girl,
Sara S.
P.S I’ll be sure to share some of the things I love about Montreal in a future post.
Your Everyday Girl 
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