Montreal Changed My Perspective on Things…
Greetings,
It’s a cold rainy day in Ottawa, the type that makes you wish you were on some exotic island and makes me wonder what I’m doing with my life. All joking aside, Montreal was a special city and one of those few places on the planet that makes you “change your ways”, for the better…
Montreal is where Europe meets North America. Granted there are some other old cities as well but Montreal really has a European feel to it and much of that could be attributed to the fact they speak French. Life is just a bit different there and that bit makes a big difference.
Are you a single man? Well would we really be “SHABL” if I didn’t make it clear that the women in Montreal are some of the most attractive and friendly I’ve met anywhere in the world? It’s like Eastern Europe meets Canada, add some French and VOILA you have Montreal. I actually considered looking for a job and relocating there, I KNOW!
Was there during most horrendous weather, the weather in this part of the world is now the worst I’ve seen in the last two years. The only thing that comes close was when I arrived in Amsterdam in May 2010 with a pair of shorts on. That said, I was in Amsterdam and “wildlife” wasn’t my main goal so who really cares anyways?
Woke up today and did what anyone inspired from a trip to Montreal would do, went for a jog in a blue blazer with a ski hat that had a walrus on it. While jogging past random people wearing spandex that I found strange, they looked at me as though I was strange, then narrowly avoided getting hit by a large yellow school bus and deciding to turn home as imminent collapse was on the horizon.
Not having a job and living in Ottawa or most cities in North America is like observing people as though they were in a fish bowl, you’re there but not really part of the whole scene, flip side is on vacation most people see the local people there through a fish bowl like lens and typically through a fence of an all inclusive. That was a really long sentence but I’m cool with it.
To conclude the thought above, one must either take a pencil and pole vault back into the aquarium or keep moving. Simply sitting here looking into the fish bowl as a cold rain hits the roofs and the stock market crumbles is not a productive place, I assure you.
In other news, spent the weekend hanging out with old friends – it was good to see all of you. Please take this advice though readers, if you’re going to visit friends – ask if they are moving. Glad I could help but considering I loathe moving and have no possessions, moving someone else in the cold rain wasn’t a grandiose affair.
What to do what to do, Montreal has seriously changed my perspective.
So you’ve read this far!?
Question: Has a city ever changed your perspective on things?
Tips hat,
P.S: Photo above was taken while lost on way to the train station in the pouring rain.
Move to Vancouver. Lots of jobs in the Tech startup world these days. It would be a blast.
nice hat!
Duly noted, good sir.
Amsterdam. For me it has the right mix between REAL freedom, truly friendly people and the sense that this political / interpersonal / cultural system will work out for quite some time.
Can’t see myself being productive there. I’d like to be but… :”)
Ah yes, right you are
Hey bud here’s a idea …. pack up your shit and go somwhere warm …so we can continue living trough you.This time dont come back until you have seen the entire planet.MAybe come back here and there for a quick game of golf once and a while but I think if you leave now wonderfull things will happen… you will never know unless you go…. Montreal pfff who cares you can always go back there its only 1 1/2 hour away from home base… but before you leave one more golf game before the crazy white stuff comes down…….
Well said Phil, how did you get so smart!?
It was great to see you Rob! I’m glad Montreal inspired you…
Indeed it did, was great seeing you as well.
Can’t let 10 years go by again!
Keep it moving Rob… don’t stop now!
I’m actually working super hard to get a housesit job there for next year sometime. I fell head over heels in love with Montreal this year…I’ve never felt so at home and I’m DYING to go back.
And the same goes for hot Montreal men…IT WAS OVERWHELMING. THEY SMILED AT ME. THE INSANITY.
Bahahah!
First, good luck on the house sitting job. I hope you get it and it’s something I have thought of very briefly but as a single dude, I’m not a “good candidate” compared to a lady who loves cats OR a couple, I realize that.
Got some smiles as well that made me think, something is different about this place. The kind that inspire you to do… SOMETHING.
The busy-ness of many SE Asian cities has made me consider a move over the past winter spent exploring abroad … but, so far, my heart is in the mountains of Alberta and BC, and as such, I am determined to hack it out as a wilderness guide, offering a taste of the wild to those who seek it, from any corner of the globe!
Gotta follow your heart as long as it pays enough to live!
Yo we should hook up soon. I’m going bball jogging thurs ~7 if you want to join. Just don’t wear a blazer ok?
No blazer!? What kind of undignified affair is this!?
Mr. Lloyd, I truely enjoy your thoughts and wisdom you have shared for the past 2 years. Would you care to discuss on a bench in St. Laurent mall?
You mean a “business meeting” in a free office with new(ish) furniture!?
Why yes, kind sir.
You know my email, hook it up.
Ok, so … no one answered your question … really, but I will, if you care to hear …
After spending 5 years abroad — 2.5 in the Philippines, 1 in India and 1.5 in Argentina, I became a very different person. I calmed down, realized what I have is so much more than most people in the world and that life truly is too short to sweat the small stuff.
It took no more than a month to realize I could keep a promise to myself to NEVER complain about traffic in the US again. That the reason for the laws about emissions and rules of the road are truly necessary. That the corruption we think we see here is nothing — NOTHING compared to what happens outside our borders and that while home (the US) will always be home, I don’t need to be here to be a patriot.
And mostly, that my ways are not always the be all and end all and that there can never be enough time to see it all, learn it all and live it all.
You are right, nobody really did.
I’ve realized the traffic here is no big deal, still kinda sucks when you’re sitting in it thought. I’ve also taken the sentiment of how lucky you are compared to so many in this world. That said, it’s often hard to remember when all you see is the lifestyles here.
While abroad it’s a different story.
haha nice hat! And you really make me want to visit more places and experiance the world. I actually lived in India for quite a while and it just made me realize how lucky I was because so many people there have to beg for food. But I would really like to visit a place that will help me figure out what I want to do with my life.