Small Town Versus Big City

For 17 years, I lived in a small town.  By small, I mean really small.  Population of 1,000.  Yeah, it was the kind of town where you knew everyone.  The place where you'd go for a walk for exercise and ten people would offer you a ride home.  The place where it was hard to date someone you weren't related to.  That kind of place.

When I was 17, I left for college, lived in what I thought was a big city for three years.  And a few months ago, at age 20, I moved to the real "big city" aka Toronto!

The differences between small towns and big cities are very, very amusing.

One thing I've really noticed is politeness.  In a small town, you say hi to everyone, you wave to everyone, that's just how it is.  In a big city ... no one even smiles at you!  It's like everyone is hiding from you or avoiding from you.

Stop signs and pedestrian crossings are another thing.  Everyone is sooo aggressive here.  In a small town, people will be like "no you go" and let the other person go.  Especially if someone has been waiting for a while (although I guess you don't wait that long in a village).  But here, it's first come first serve!  You have to be aggressive.  I will now walk out in front of a car who is rolling, trying to start up.  But the thing is, all the other pedestrians will do the same thing.  So if I stop, I just look silly!  At first when I moved here, I was like - oh no, let the car go!  The car is anxious to go of course but it doesn't want to hit you!

The one thing that really bothers me about the city is all the beggars.  Especially the beggars who are smoking!  I will NEVER give a beggar money if he or she is smoking!  Or drinking!  When I was at college, there were a couple beggars.  None in my hometown!  But here - everywhere I go!  I do feel sorry for them.  But the fact is, I'm not making enough to give it away.  I come first.  I have to be able to pay my rent and buy groceries.  Which I can barely do.  So no, the beggars are not getting my money.  Some of them are rude too.  Like being mean to me because I'm not giving money.  It's frustrating!  Some are nice though.  There was a nice guy today - he said "have a good day" to everyone.

There are also tons of charities.  Doctors Without Borders is my least favourite.  They have stopped me so many times!  I tell them that I'm unemployed and I can't even pay rent.  Yet they still expect me to donate money to them.  No, I can't do that!  I can't just take money that I don't have!  I will never EVER donate to Doctors Without Borders.  Simply because of how persistent and annoying they are.  When I have a real job and can afford to donate to a charity, I will donate to one that a) appreciates my efforts, b) is thankful for what it gets, and c) did not harass me.

I also really enjoy being able to go grocery shopping whenever I went!  I love 24 hour grocery stores within walking distance from my house.

And transit.  So amazing here!  Going out after 10:00 p.m. was difficult in my college town because there wasn't a bus back!  And there was (of course) nothing within walking distance.  During the day, I could get anywhere.  But not at night.  Here ... I have a 24 hour streetcar outside my door.  The new place I'm living - there is a 24 hour bus that is only a 5 minute walk away (another bus just outside my door but it doesn't run all the time).  In my hometown?  You'd have to drive an hour before transit existed!  If you didn't have a vehicle, or someone who would drive you, you were out of luck!

I also feel like I fit in.  I did not feel like I fit in in my hometown.  I don't know why.  It just wasn't "me".  I didn't enjoy being there.  Perhaps because there was nothing to do.  But it sucked!  But here - always something to do!  Even walking down the street is enjoyable.

A lot of people are like "how can you enjoy Toronto?"  My question - how can you NOT enjoy Toronto?  We have parks here too, if you want to go to the park.  It's not like it's all city.  There are tons of small parks throughout downtown actually and some bigger parts outside.

All in all, I love the big city.  Sometimes it's fun to go visit my parents in my hometown.  But I can't handle it for more than a couple days!  I love the city and can tell that I am definitely the city type of girl!

Trying To Volunteer

I have been noticing lately how hard it is to get a volunteer position. I have contacted a number of organizations in my area in the past few months to see what positions are open. I have not heard back from any of them, even to say that they are not accepting volunteers at the present time.

I feel like organizations who have volunteers should be kind and respectful and friendly to those who want to help. I really just wanted to help out somewhere but no one contacted me. It is not like I am under qualified. In fact, I am often over qualified. But organizations being insensitive just makes me want to never volunteer for them or donate my money to them. What happens when they are looking for volunteers next year? I certainly won't volunteer. They couldn't bother with me before so they don't deserve me now.

I'm not going to list names or anything but there have been about ten organizations that I have contacted. Perhaps my message got lost once or something. That may be an excuse for one or two, but not all ten. Either way, I personally am not too pleased with those organizations although I'm not going to name them because they are still good organizations, no matter how poor their customer service is.

It just seems to me that not for profit organizations aren't very friendly to others. They think they are doing a good deed by helping but they aren't helping others help. I feel like I could make a difference if they would let me.

I want to be a good person. I want to make a difference. I want to help people who are less fortunate than me. But no one wants me to. Is that how this world works? They don't even talk to me to find out if I am qualified. They don't get checks on me to see if I have a bad background or something. There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to help someone. But I can't.

It also bothers me when people say that others should be volunteering. Maybe they would, if the organizations would let them. Willing volunteers are not going to bother the organization relentlessly (for the most part) because if the organization doesn't want us, that's the organization's loss.

How Do You Get Around The City?

When I moved away for college to a “big city”, I was very excited about the public transportation. I could just hop on a bus and go anywhere! I found (and still find) it exciting and convenient. It seems like if you personally are driving, you always have to know your destination, and you just don't get to be as adventurous.

So many times, I have just gone on a bus and ended up somewhere. Or tried to get home using a different route. It is just fun to explore.

You don't even have to go within the city. You can try intercity buses such as the Greyhound or the Go Bus or Train. I love knowing that I can just hop on the bus and go to Toronto or almost anywhere! I feel like public transportation gives me so much freedom.

Sometimes public transportation can be a bit irritating. It seems like it takes longer to get anywhere on Sundays. The bus that goes by my place only runs every hour on Sundays instead of every half an hour. And the bus that's a short walk from my place doesn't run at all on Sundays.

I also wish that the buses ran later. On Fridays, the bus near my place runs until midnight. I like to go out and party and it is always later than midnight. I feel that the buses would be used better if they ran until two or two thirty so that people are able to get home. Sure, taking a taxi is an option, but I definitely prefer the bus!

If you have not used your city's public transportation – I definitely suggest taking a look at it. You can usually find some information and bus schedules online. Happy bussing!