Terry readers, help me along in my self education. Teach me the art of moving.

Terry lovers, I’ve met my ‘almost twin’ in a Bollywood movie. Confused? This weekend I saw a delightful film titled “Wake up Sid!” and fell completely in love with the female protagonist. Her name is Aisha, and by the time we meet her, she’s moved to Bombay (the film doesn’t use the name Mumbai) with beautiful dreams of living in her own place, finding a job, cooking her own food, becoming a writer, and just experiencing life.  In sum, she has dreams of independence. She’s terrified (she’s never lived alone), but has so many plans that ‘there simply isn’t time for fear”.  (If you’re interested, you can find her introduction to the city here, until the 7 and a half minute mark).

Like Aisha, I find the prospect of adventure a tantalizing one. Not adventure in the holiday sense, but in the sense of that amazing, courageous journey people begin when they decide to move cities.  Tantalizing, but also terrifying. I’m feeling hope and fear in equal measure.

Like other scary things, it seems a good first step is to learn more. So Terry friends, I am ready to be your attentive student. I’m sure there are many of you who have made huge journeys-perhaps multiple times! Whether that’s leaving home for university, or leaving UBC for exchange, or traveling for co-op, or immigrating to Canada at some point, or leaving Canada post graduation, there are a thousand possibilities of how you’ve traveled the country, the world.

And so I’m curious: In your travels to new places, how did you make the unfamiliar home? How did you adjust?

In the case of the film, Aisha meets a friend right away who introduces her to the city, takes her apartment hunting, and is there to share a cup of tea in lonely moments. She gets homesick, but she knows what she wants to accomplish, decorates her apartment beautifully, has her favourite books with her, cooks lovely meals, and wanders about by herself every morning, absorbing Bombay’s flavour into her very being, becoming a part of the city, and developing an intense love for it. But that’s also a 2 hour film, so I’m sure real life is far more complex.

Terry readers, whether your passport has taken you to Paris or Peshawar, what have your experiences taught you about creating community wherever you go? Surely there must be pieces of advice that ring true regardless of where it is you move?

Please do comment!  And do come out to Terry Tales on Monday March 15th at 5:30 pm (new time for this session) so we can continue this conversation there. You can RSVP on the facebook event page here.