Growing up I spent my summer in a small town in BC’s interior, Christina Lake. It’s where my mom grew up and where my grandma still calls home.
Christina Lake, BC.
Going back to the city was always kind of a rude awakening after having the peace and quiet of small town living. I was always so excited to escape the city life and all the hustle and bustle and spend my days jumping into the lake, fishing, and just being a kid,
And then I grew up, it was the age to get a summer job and my summers looked pretty different. No more two month vacation spent at grandma’s, maybe just a long weekend here and there.
Whenever I go back I can’t help but notice how different the culture is of small town living and city living even in the same province, just a 6 hour car ride away.
So these are my top 3 things I notice that make city and small town living so different.
- Living in a big city means things are right at your fingertips. Run out of eggs? Just head down to your nearest grocery store. But living in a small town means you could be out of luck if you have a recipe that needs eggs. Living in Christina Lake my grandma has no neighbours that live next to her year round, only seasonal folk who come down in the summer months and the grocery store is a 30 minute car ride – not the most convenient.
- City people can be rude. The people in Christina Lake are the most caring and compassionate group I’ve ever come across. It is really like one big family and the community looks out for each other and is always willing to support whenever. Living in Vancouver I don’t really get that same community feel I experience when in Christina Lake.
- I’m very much a go go go type of person. Staying in one place for too long kinda gives me cabin fever. I love to be out and about socializing and as I got older that was always something I struggled with when at the Lake. I didn’t have anywhere I could just go and do something, and while it’s a simple pleasure in life to be still and complacent, that doesn’t work too well with social personality.
North Vancouver, BC.
So there is always going to be plus sides and negatives, with wherever you may be and the grass isn’t always going to be greener on the other side. While city and small town life can be quite different, in the end, home is always where the heart is.