I've hit the two month mark!

Wow. In some ways, I feel like I've been here forever, working really hard, in other ways I feel very, very new as I continue to make wrong turns and appear blissfully unaware of the issues that matter in Guysborough County. Today, we got the paper done by supper time (hurrah, though it did mean we didn't order any food in, which was slightly disappointing).

I went to a really interesting meeting tonight. It was a discussion on immigration, the benefits of having immigrants in the community, the ways to attract them, and the hurdles they face.

It must be really scary coming to a new country with a very difficult culture and then have trouble integrating with the community, that is, not feeling accepted or welcomed.

It also really set me to thinking. I'm very new to this community, and have been facing hurdles of my own. I can't imagine how much harder it would be to have culture shock (I mean, beyond the differences from moving from Halifax and Toronto to here!).

For example, I'm currently living in the basement of The Journal. Luckily, the exterminator came over the weekend, so my bunny rabbit Al and I aren't finding cellar bugs (or sow bugs as they're called here) in our beds. However, I'm still living under my work in a one room apartment, which is slightly less than glamourous, or comfortable.

My fiance can't find work in the area, so he's looking West. It's awfully lonely here without him, as we've spent the last three years attached at the hip. We've always planned to return to Ontario, where he's from and where I fell in love with cbc.ca, but the plan was always to go together. Now it looks like he might be moving very soon. Which leaves me in a tricky situation, as I do really like a lot of the people here, the area is beautiful, and am getting great job experience and portfolio pieces, but at the same time, I want to be with him. And be able to afford a place for us to live.

The final hurdle is similar to what the immigrant community voiced tonight. It's a feeling of not being included. I have no family here. I had to look up Guysborough on the map when I took the job! Luckily, a good friend of my Mom's works at the RDA, so I have a bit of a support net. People are very friendly, but I'm generally out of the loop. I don't know who's who or what's what. I have a loose grasp of some of the things happening here in the last two months, but past that, I'm up the creek without a paddle. Or on my way back from Sherbrooke at night without a map. Either way, I'm lost.

I keep intending to go to yoga, but my job keeps me really busy. In some ways, that's a good thing, as I spend less time missing James, my friends, people my own age, malls, and starbucks, but it also means that I lack real roots. Without an address, a private line, or even a changed cell phone number, in many ways I still feel transient, ready to pack up and go when the work or loneliness gets too overwhelming. These last two weeks have been particularly difficult, as we've been quite busy, Sharon, our office manager, is on vacation in Mexico, and Melissa, the graphic designer, put in her notice for this spring. I've started having nightmares about having to come up with story ideas, do them, edit them, and lay out and proof the paper.

I had an opportunity to move to Toronto this week, and work casually for cbc.ca. The job would have started early May. And, it was quite tempting. James could find work, I could get into the mother corp system, and there are an awful lot of fab shoe stores in Toronto. I could spend hours alone at nine west (and well over my year's reporter salary). But, it's also hard. I'm learning so much working here, and I haven't been here very long so would feel really guilty about bailing. There are no guarantees that this casual work could turn into something, either, which would leave James and I high and dry.

When I moved here, I wasn't sure what to expect. In some ways, everything has far exceeded my expectations, while in others, life here is really hard--for newcomers and long-time residents alike. Across the county, work is scarce. Money is tight. Teens and twenty-somethings are packing up and leaving in droves. The county's in a tight spot, and desperately needs positive things to happen. The RDA and all the councils--Guysborough, Mulgrave, St. Mary's and Canso--are working so hard to make positive changes, but economic renewal is a really slow process.

Luckily, for many of the residents, there are tight-knit support groups in the form of family and friends. People are incredibly active in their communities, a fact I'm becoming more and more aware of as volunteer week progresses. People are able to live happily here because of these things, things that newcomers aren't hooked into.

So, even if it takes a while, even if it happens long after I'm gone, I hope someone acts on the recommendation from tonight's meeting to form a newcomer's group--a way to meet people, interact, learn what's what and get involved in the community. It certainly would help any one new to the community, not just those coming from overseas but even those like me coming from the south shore. I'm sure that if/when the Keltic and Melford terminals projects get going, there will be more newcomers, and they will face some of the same hurdles faced tonight, and may too have trouble setting down roots.

To end on a happy note, my school-related work is done! Now I just need to wait on the marks, and hit up the ceremony on May 17. James is packing up our Halifax apartment and selling off our furniture, so things are progressing and my to-do list is getting shorter. And, even better, I have nothing on my calendar for tomorrow. I will get to work on some stories, make some calls, and hopefully have an early night--especially necessary since I'll be at volunteer ceremonies Friday and Saturday nights!