Six months ago I said goodbye to my closest friends in a parking lot, a house basement, and an airport. I finished the last chapter of my life in Fredericton, and started a new adventure series- to Winnipeg.
I traded sporadic midnight trips to McDonalds, with four-hour Skype calls per day.
Instead of passing notes with friends in my French and English classes, I write all over their Facebook walls- in my new classes.
Rather than Wednesday morning breakfast dates before school, I send lengthy text messages about how much I miss them.
In exchange for long conversations in car parking lots, my friends send letters.
Instead of gossiping behind closed doors of my big white house, I gossip on the transit bus-where all of Winnipeg can hear me.
I sacrificed living down the hall from my best friends, to living half a country away.
Six months ago, I sat in the backseat of a car for five days- regretting my decision to move West. I wanted to go “home”. And sometimes, I still do.
I miss knowing everyone at university-and what they take in their Tims coffee.
I miss going to my roommate’s bedroom at 2 a.m. when I just had a nightmare.
I miss parties at my big white house, where everyone sits on the floor because there aren’t enough chairs.
I miss grocery shopping with my roommates-and eating a full bag of M&Ms before checkout.
I miss bringing a truckload of homework to a local coffee shop with my best friend-and getting none of it done.
I miss going to the gym-for the sole purpose of talking about the people who are also at the gym.
I miss dancing in my kitchen to One Direction and Whitney Houston, while my roommate unpacks all my groceries.
I miss buckets of dialogue on a Friday night.
I miss knowing who’s footsteps are walking into my big white house-whether it’s someone who lives there or not.
I miss the pile of dishes that my roommates and I never did.
I miss getting stuck in our driveway every time it snowed, because we were always too cheap to buy a shovel.
I miss finding friends who did shovel our driveway, because they knew we were too cheap to buy said shovel.
I miss always having someone there when a life-changing event happens in my day.
My new adventure is different. And a lot has happened since I said my goodbyes.
Now, I have new roommates who I go grocery shopping with, and who also do my dishes.
Now, I have new friends to do homework with-and still, we get nothing done.
Now, I have new classmates-who I pass notes to and know what they take in their coffee.
Now, I have Sunday breakfast dates instead.
Now, I choose to dance in my hallway-to the Baha Men.
Now, I have a new coffee shop.
Now, I own a shovel.
And everyday-is still an adventure with friends new and old.
The experiences I had in New Brunswick are memories in my scrapbook. The people are not, because despite time or distance-they’re still very much a part of my life.
Thankfully, there is always someone to take part in this adventure series of mine-whether they’re an old friend who lives on the other side of the country, or a new one who happens to be under the roof-of a different big white house.
❤ Love you Liz!! Love our Fab 5 picture!
Can’t believe I never made the “miss list”…..oh well, I still love ya~~And once again….great job!!
Hm, sounds like you may need to invite your friends out west for some takeout from the _other_ White House:
http://www.winnipegsbestribs.com/
Elizabeth, you will make good friends wherever you go. You’ll have to move on but those friendships will endure. You are a friend magnet and that’s a good thing!