Moving During a Pandemic

Moving is hard wherever you are going. Whether you are moving from your parents to a new apartment, moving across town or moving across the country, it can be very stressful.

I decided to take a job in British Columbia and move away from Toronto. The current conditions for someone in my industry were not very promising and I didn’t see an end to the closures happening in Ontario. I had wanted to move to a new city for the past couple of years, but I thought this was as best the time to do it as any.

I was scared, but I had a good push to try and do it from the very important, new addition to my life.

hanging on the ranch outside

I began looking for jobs away from Toronto in January. I thought about the spring season and summer in other places in Canada and looked at places that were actively hiring. There weren’t very many jobs available in January, but there was definitely some promising activity when it came to seeing openings.

I zeroed in on a city and began pursuing all the avenues that were available. I wanted to work in a hospitality community again, like I did in Banff, but where there was also an opportunity to learn more about wine and tourism. I thought immediately about Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley.

I had visited the city twice before and very much enjoyed my stay. I liked the outdoor lifestyle and the fact that it was close to many farms and wine.

lots of snow still in Lake Louise

After 2 long months of looking for a job that would satisfy and challenge me, we made our way on our journey. I was stressed not being able to lock down a job, but I finally found what I was looking for and could progress with the next steps in the move.

A move like this required lots of planning and organizing, plus we also had to figure out what would happen to all of our stuff. Flights, car rides, car purchasing and moving into a new apartment. The list seemed endless to me, but my partner was confident that there would be no problem and could work through it all. Well, we did it all in those 2 months. We figured out jobs, a car packed up an apartment and planned how to get to Kelowna. We watched movers pack up our stuff and send it to a storage unit to sit until the next time we needed it.

We flew to Calgary to get the car and start driving from there. I didn’t want to drive across the country or sleep in dingy motels, especially during a time like this when the government doesn’t want you to leave your house.

I had a nice visit with my brother for 4 days and from there we packed all our stuff in our new car and began to drive to Banff. We stayed in Banff for one night, deciding that our journey could be like a vacation, if we stopped in some nice areas, so our drive wouldn’t be as long.

the old movie theatre in Revelstoke

I didn’t drive much in Toronto and was slightly concerned about driving on the highway. I was shaky on the wheel when we started driving from Lake Louise, but I got into it as we were going. The mountains were still covered in snow and the weather was cold, but the tunes were going and the air was fresh.

The drive from Alberta to BC is one of the most beautiful drives in Canada. The roads twist and turn and the crevices in the rock run deep down. I tried not to look down from top, since it can make you a bit scared.

Driving side by side with trucks carrying big loads can also give you a little stress when you’re driving the roads. Looking around the mountains is overwhelming, but also strikingly beautiful. You forget about your stress and start to power through, just trying to pass the next big guy before you get locked in again.

We made a stop in Revelstoke for lunch and a little stretch and decided to switch from there. After that we would drive straight into Kelowna, through the little towns in BC.

new view from Lake Country

Once we finally got to Kelowna, we had to move all of our stuff into our unit and find somewhere to get food. We decided on burritos and ate them in our new place around 9pm at night. Not a romantic way to spend your first night in your new apartment, but a girl's gotta eat.

The next morning, waking up with the sun shinning and the lake glimmering, made me smile. I felt so lucky to be in such a picturesque place, living close to the mountains on the lake. Now all we had to do was settle in and start our new lives in the city.

Moving and driving doesn’t seem like a lot of work, but when it’s all in one day it’s overwhelming. Canada is a beautiful country, with crazy views. You can look at a picture, but seeing it face to face it another thing. We got through it though and it was a great experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.

happy to be at the start of our new adventure