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sasshat, you will be fine. Actually, you will be more than fine, you will be excellent. So maybe you'll take a while to sort things out, but you're smart, you're cute and you're capable. Just take it one step at a time.
(I have no idea why or for what reason you need reassurance, so I hope that covered some of it).
Ok, so I've been in Toronto for 5-ish days now and I'm starting to freak out a bit. Here's why:
-No job. I've sent out my resume to a bunch of places, no nibbles yet. I haven't gone without work for years...
-No apartment. I am staying with family, and it's a cool situation, but I'm having trouble finding a place. And the cat here is making my allergies miserable, I can't breathe at night.
-I don't know anybody. It's weird tagging along with my cousins too much, so mostly I just hang out alone in the house and wander around the neighborhood.
In general I'm starting to doubt myself, which is bad news. I feel like I shouldn't have left Florida, which was miserable, but at least I was settled there.
Really start freaking out in about 6 months. Personally, me, I've only ever been able to get a job through contacts, So go get some contacts and see what they got. Sending resumes never worked for me. You need to give it time. Relax. Canadians are fun. Toronto is cool. See if you can vacuum the room where you sleep and wash your hands and face a bunch. Have fun.
Wino, I have converted the room I am sleeping in into a hermetically sealed, cat-free zone. It's all the cat hair during the day that's killing me, I think. I need to get out more...but it's so cold....
/whine
sasshat: my two favourite places in the T-dot are Mariko sushi on Bloor near Bathurst. Its all you can eat for $15 but you have to eat everything or they'll charge you for each item on your plate. Its pretty good sushi too. The other place is Honest Ed's (same area - you will never miss it!). It is the most bizarre and surreal shopping experience you will ever have and you'll some pretty wicked deals when you're there too! Go to these places and forget about stuff for a while! Think of me...in Kingston...with no Honest Ed's to entertain me.
Meet somebody (through your cousins, maybe?) and hang out with them. They will know someone who knows someone who knows where you can get a job. When you have a job you will find a place to live with no cats.
At this point, Capn, I'm trying to get whatever I can get...I majored in Communications and was working as a manager-type person in Florida. I'm not going to be picky so long as I have a decent income.
If I'm looking for too long, I may succumb to temping...*shudders*
Eid - I knew that was you before I even scrolled down to see the name. Get some new moves already ;)
Yeah, it's not worth stressing out about this soon. You're completely new to the city -- get your bearings and learn more about the city, then start looking for a job.
Coffee shops are a good place to hang out -- and hey, you might even meet some folks. (Doesn't mosch live in Toronto?)
Hey, I will be in town for Neko Case on April 2nd. I will be hanging out with my soon-to-be-departed-to-Victoria-and-then-on-to-Germany kid brother, but would love a chance to meet you nutters.
Honest Ed's really is cool. And I know a gal in Toronto who's been looking for court clerk type stuff since October, so it's not you--it's the market. Hang in there, because she just got a temping gig and also has some stuff in her field on the horizon. Before that, she worked as a dishwasher at the Bread and Roses (really good food there) so she could have spending cash. Maybe that's something you can do while you're looking for the real stuff.
And yes, do go out even if it's cold. Toronto is one of my favorite places in the world to be.
You're in a great city and you're great, too. It's just that the city is big and so it'll take awhile for it to come around to your greatness, but it will and when it does it will all have been worth it. Hang in there.
We should totally have a Toronto MeCha meetup on a night I can make it.
I second this motion. I will be more confidently seconding this motion after April 7th, when I have graduated (woo!) and have time to play. But yes: sasshat, you will be fine, jobs will come your way, the flowers will start blooming, streetcars (ding ding!) will become just another normal thing, and there will be festivals to enjoy every weekend all summer long!
Give yourself some manageable goals. Tomorrow, go find a nice coffee joint, and read the paper. Find some good bookstores and music stores to hang out in. Make the most of this time without work. Allergies and not being able to breathe well will make you so miserable that you forget to have fun.
Winter's gonna end, and Toronto will rock, and will rock even more with you there.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
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