Moving to Canada: Take 5

canada5feature

It's been a minute since I last wrote about my move. It was at the end of January and I was finally feeling pretty positive about my relocation. I had started to make some friends, and my work life was getting increasingly busier. So busy, in fact, that I hadn't had any time to reflect on how I was really feeling.It's nearing the end of six months and I've finally had a slow weekend to relax and think a little bit. I think I've started to settle into a rhythm here in Calgary.  Work has picked up a ton which keeps me busy (and keeps my stress levels engaged). I travel almost every single week, so I guess it's a good thing I have such cheap rent now since I hardly spend time in my apartment during the week.

I've also really been trying to work on those friendships I started back in January. Since originally just going climbing with a couple girls a few times a week, I've done a ski weekend, and had some double dinner dates thrown in for good measure. I've gotten loads better at downhill skiing as well as steadily progressing on rock climbing, and actually look forward to being outdoors (shocking, I know).

All in all, I am starting to feel good about my life here. But that is just it - I feel good, but not great. I don't believe this is any fault of the people I've met, the city itself, or even underlying homesickness. I believe it's my own unrest that is leaving me dissatisfied.I was talking to a friend earlier in the week and we were discussing how most people in our friend group always need to feel like we're moving forward and part of that feeling is physically moving locations at every available opportunity. I'm particularly guilty of this (7 places in 5 years), but I can't figure out where it stems from. I fear to stay in any place longer than a year and view part of my success synonymously with changing locations. And now that I'm past the halfway point in my lease in Calgary, I'm starting to feel myself growing restless.

Where do I go from here? I've conquered my fear of moving to a new city in a new country and building a life from scratch, and part of me craves doing it all over again. The other part of me simply fears growing complacent by staying in one place for too long and becoming comfortable. One of my favourite ways to challenge myself is by moving to new places and I'm terrified of ever growing too attached to a place out of convenience.So my new questions for myself are as follows: why do I feel the need to move around? And if I don't move, how can I still find ways to push myself?

Does anyone else feel like their success depends on moving around? Or feel afraid of staying in one place for too long and becoming too comfortable to move again? Let me know!