After I graduated from high school, one of the first places I saw myself living in was the house next door that was for sale at the time. I could still take the same route to work and not be too far away from family. But time went on and it got bought by someone else who had a family. I talked to my mom about what I was thinking about that house and we weighed the pros and cons for making that kind of investment. But we decided in the end that the house was too old and needed too many repairs to have been worth while anyway.
A class mate I knew from college wanted to rent an apartment in Vancouver and was looking for a roommate. I took some time to think about it. But when I talked this over with my mom she pointed out that there was no guarantee that I would like such a different living and working arrangement compared to what I had at the time already. When my brother got his new apartment down town Langley, I would think about if he got a promotion/new job that meant he would have to move out of town that I could rent the apartment from him. It wasn’t far from where I worked. But he has no plans to move any time soon. But I like the Idea that my mom had to house sit for him when he goes on one of his business trips. I may end up doing that alone or with my sister as a temporary roommate.
When I think about my close friends being possible roommates for me I see us not being able to afford the rent together. The one friend who seems the best candidate has dreams of traveling from place to place to see more of the world and find temporary work to do in each place she comes across. Not that I don’t want to travel myself. I would just prefer to go on a vacation once or twice a year and keep both my job and my place.
I once dated a guy who told me he would like a girlfriend to rent an apartment with. We’ve gone our separate ways since then but I still like the idea of renting an apartment with someone special. But finding a guy like that is a different kind of search on its own.
When I joined the UFCC I learned about subsidized home sharing where I could join a house hold of women with special needs. There I would get assigned a roommate and we all would get looked after by one house parent who would check up on us, make sure we got good meals, maybe drive us to fun places etc. I don’t think that kind of arrangement is for me. I don’t know if I’d get along with whoever they paired me up with and it sounds too much like I’d be babysat a lot. I want to be independent and have a place of my own that I could rent by myself or with someone I can get along with who would pay their share of the rent. It’s a lot to ask for in today’s economy. But I don’t want to settle for less if I can help it. I know some people who might like that kind of arrangement because it would give them more freedom then they have now. It would make them feel more grown up and independent. Some of my friends can’t read or write, they would need more help with that sort of thing.
I recently got tickets for the PNE prize home. If I did win I don’t know if I should rent it out, sell it, or keep it as a weekend getaway house. I don’t think I could live in that house myself because it’s too far from my work. I’m not very likely to win but a girl can dream.
By Natalie Fortin
