Where the Streets Have No People

You know in post-apocalyptic movies like I Am Legend, where the main character is walking through big-city streets, with skyscrapers towering on either side of him but there's not a soul around? That's what downtown Winnipeg is like after 6pm. I had heard this already, but I couldn't really comprehend it until I was actually there. On Friday evening (yes, a Friday! This isn't just a during-the-week phenomenon) my friend Evelyn and I headed downtown to the movie theatre, to watch The Great Gatsby on opening night (great film! Highly recommended! Awesome cinematographic choices and excellent acting, though 3D seemed unnecessary, like usual.). We were downtown around 7pm or so, so it wasn't even dark yet, but there was just no one around. And because Winnipeg is so flat, you can see straight down all the streets you cross, as far as the eye can see, and see no one at all.

It's like this, except the bridges aren't all smashed and stuff.

It wasn't as if we weren't "downtown enough", so don't try that argument - we were basically as downtown as you can get. But even so, the theatre had a grand total of 20 people, including ourselves. For opening night. Of a highly anticipated movie.

I'm not sure you can imagine what it was all like, but it was very, very surreal, and it really struck me. As I mentioned in my last post, Osborne Village, another neighbourhood about 20 minutes from downtown, is the  place where people actually go on a weekend evening. I guess all of this is because of the extreme poverty in the downtown core, and the associated social problems that come with it, including gang activity (in the 90's, Winnipeg was the gang capital of Canada, though it has since been replaced by Vancouver).

Then, of course, on the way back after the movie, I got on the wrong bus that took me "north of Portage". Portage St. is one of the main roads in Winnipeg, running East-West, and there is a general sense that north of it is the "sketchy", poorer neighbourhoods, while south of it are the safer, wealthier neighbourhoods. So on the bus, when I realized we had turned north, I was gripped by panic and had my smartphone out, using up my data plan trying to figure out where I was and where I was going. Eventually, I figured out where I was, got off the bus before I got farther away from home, and basically jogged south until I hit Portage again. Of course, nothing happened and the streets were empty, but I'd like to pretend it was a harrowing adventure.


Meanwhile, at work, I've survived my first week! And got my first paycheck! Very exciting stuff, especially since it's the largest paycheck I've ever gotten, and I couldn't help feeling like this. With a week behind me now, I've gotten a good enough handle on what I'm doing that the work has become interesting. It now involves a fair amount of problem solving, which means I stay mentally stimulated. That being said, it is still accounting so there is also a decent amount of tedious data entry or data comparing.

I'm starting to see the need for my position: there is just so much to do in our department and I always have a ton of things that I could be doing. Specifically, I am in Crop Inputs, meaning I'm doing the accounting for the purchases of seeds and other things that help seeds grow, like fertilizer or pesticides. There are a bunch of locations across the prairies that are making these purchases, and they send all that info to me, where I make sure it all matches up with what the vendors are invoicing us for. This is kinda neat because I am actually required to be able to identify a lot of products based on their brand names: for example, I need to know that a product called SuperDuper (made-up name) is a fertilizer while OcuTron (also made-up) is a brand of canola seed. I didn't expect to be so closely linked with the agricultural aspect of the company, but it's interesting and gives me lots more to learn.


This weekend I explored my neighbourhood of Wolseley a bit too. Evelyn and I went to a Community Art Festival at the neighbourhood Community Centre. It was cute, and there were even some cool art pieces and crafts. The best part was just the feeling of community you could feel in an event like that. And walking, properly, through the streets of Wolseley (I leave on the edge of the neighbourhood, and normally head away from it on my way to work) I got to appreciate it's beauty. Quiet, tree-lined streets, with beautiful "character homes". There seem to be a smattering of shops and restaurants as well, so it will be great to check those out too! So basically what I'm trying to say is that I love where I'm living!

But now: let Week 2 begin!

P.S. There is no snow here hahahaha! And Happy Mother's Day!!

Welcome to Wolseley

First things first: By popular demand (or rather the complaints of a certain Mr. Parker), the title of this blog has changed to "Cam Does Winnipeg". But I'm still open to even greater, more inspiring names! So let me know your thoughts.

I'm super flattered by 101 page views I've now had. Not sure if that's just one person checking every 5 minutes (Mom?) but still, not too shabby for one fairly boring post.

Also I've always really loved articles and blogs and sites that have tons of words and things as links to other sites, and so despite the fact that I have very little practical use for this tool, THIS IS MY BLOG AND I WILL DO WHAT I WANT WITH IT. So there. Hopefully some will be enjoyable or interesting.

I got into the Peg in the mid-afternoon yesterday, allowing me time to find my way to my apartment (conveniently on one of only 2 bus routes from the airport), unpack, settle in, and go for a little walk around the 'hood.

My apartment and roommate are both delightful and I don't think I could have lucked out any more on either front. The temptation is to spew tons of info on them right away, but I think this post will have enough content without, so I'll try and save some stuff for a boring period. So basically all that I'll say is that my roommate Jen, is a cool cat, who herself owns 3 literal cats. She is a genius in decorating the apartment, which she does with a combination of her own artwork and numerous gems found at antique and thrift shops.   Also she makes a mean honey dill sauce.

Jen took me on a little walk around the neighbourhood, both to give me a sense of my way to work, and to show me around the neighbourhood. I live on the edge of a neighbourhood called Wolseley. It's known for being young and kind hippy-esque, which is fine by me! (Except, the next day at work, a coworker informed me that Wolseley is the only neighbourhood in the city that doesn't fog for mosquitoes... are they really that bad here?). We walked to the Manitoba Legislature, which is only a few minutes from my place and which I can't wait to explore, and crossed the Assiniboine River into Osborne Village. Osborne Village is another neighbourhood that's young and cool, and as Jen put it, "more downtown than downtown itself" (the real downtown is known for being kinda terrifying at night and no one likes to go there). It was bustling, with pretty old buildings and tons of little shops. A really cool area I'd like to check out in more depth.

Then today was my first day of work. WOO! Exciting stuff. I walked to work (25ish minutes) which is really nice to be able to do, especially on such a gorgeous day like today. I took the major streets to avoid getting lost on the first day of work, but on my way back, I took a more interesting route and passed these fancy buildings:

Aw yeah, cool fancy hotel or something!

Politics! Neat!

Work itself was great. I mean, to be honest, I didn't do a whole lot today. I had to do all sorts of payroll and new hire stuff, and we kinda set up my desk space as we went. We had to call IT like 5 billion times. I actually have a kinda neat place in the office. There wasn't really any cubicle space left for me, so I've been given a sort of makeshift one (near the photocopier - awwww yeeeaah!). But I have an excellent view of a lot of the rest of the office. And one of my "cubicle" walls is a REAL WALL, which I think is a sign of a status in any office setting.

Then there was the accounting bit. So basically, for now, after half a day of training, I understand my job to be such:

1) Compare what you see on paper to what you see on screen.
2) If comparison doesn't match, figure out why and solve discrepancy.

I've a handle of #1 down pat, but #2 is proving to be a little tougher. Of course, that's 80+% of the work, and the whole point of me being here. I'll have to work on that.

But my first impression of accounting (and the reason I'm struggling with #2) is that the terminology is super specific (even though the words are all familiar) with the main purpose of excluding non-accountants like me. I mean, I have this software with all these menus of where to find different info but it throws around words like "inventory" and "receipts" and "payable" and they all seem to mean the same thing to me and I don't know what to click on.

The office atmosphere seems to be great, and I think it can be best summed up with an anecdote. I had just finished using the washroom and was exiting when the door was pulled open in front of me and I was pretend-karate chopped... by the President of the company. Good thing I had just gone to the bathroom, or I would have peed myself, but you gotta appreciate the laid-back, funny, chill attitude of senior management!

After work, I met up with my friend Evelyn who is also spending her summer in Winnipeg. She works LITERALLY 3 minutes from my apartment which is cool and fun, but I'm too tired to talk about that any more.

I know it's early, but so far, I think Winnipeg is winning the war against the nay-sayers. I might be falling in love with this city (but then again, it's early. Maybe it's just lust)...

YYZ to YWG

Winnipeg!

When I started telling people that's where I was headed this summer, I got a lot of laughs and skeptical looks. "Why Winnipeg?" they would ask, "Of all places?"

I guess, like any Canadian prairie city, Winnipeg has a bad reputation for being boring as hell. But hey, my friends are from Ontario. Aren't we seen as being kinda stuck up to the rest of the country?

So I'm going to Winnipeg with an open mind. I'm leaving behind all my negative preconceptions of this place, and hoping that I'll be able to discover the city that produced so many great musicians.

But the question remains: Why Winnipeg?

Well, a number of reasons. Last summer, I had an experience of a lifetime in Asia. While I'd love to just go back and do it all again, I recognize the need to try out different things and explore life and the world in different ways. So this summer I decided I'd check out a field I'd never been introduced to before: the private sector. I don't pretend to know how the private sector works, and I think it's about time I learn.

And what better way to do so than to throw myself into it all as deeply as I can? So I found myself a job in accounting. Now, I'm no accountant. Nope. Not me. I study political science and psychology, not accounting. In fact, I've never even taken an accounting class. Not even in high school.

Again, when I explained this to friends, people told me I'd be having the most boring summer in the world (in the most boring city in the world). But look at it from my perspective. I don't know anything about accounting. Seriously, nothing. And I want to learn about the private sector, which I also know nothing about. So why not do something I've never done before, and which - as of right now - I have zero intention of doing ever again over the course of my career? Each and every moment will be a learning opportunity. So by the end of it all, yes, I might think accounting is boring, but at least I'll understand what it actually is and how it's done, and what it's for, and all that.

So part of being in Winnipeg is because that's where the job is. The other part is because I wanted to get out of Ontario. Yeah, Ontario's cool and has a lot to offer, but I was born there, grew up there, and still study there. And while last summer I ran off to the other side of the world to have crazy adventures, I did so without having yet seen the entirety of my own country. I wanted to go west of Ontario this summer, since I haven't been in a long time and I know the Maritimes a bit already. I wanted to explore a city I hadn't explored before. And Winnipeg fit all of that. And that's why today I'm flying from Toronto to Winnipeg.

The next logical question is "Why a blog?"

It's a fair question. My adventures won't be nearly as blog-worthy as last summer's, I suspect, but I do believe my list of reasons is decent enough. Here it is:

1) The fam loves it. This is the easiest way to keep them up to date.

2) My goal for my free time is to actively explore the city. Surely that exploration will provide some interesting stories (unless Winnipeg really IS as boring as my friends seem to think it is).

3) Other than when travelling, I've never lived outside of either my parents' home or a university residence. This will be a new experience, and hopefully a funny one.

4) As I said, I'm not an accountant but I got an accounting job. I see comedic potential in this situation, which may translate into blog posts.

5) Blogging is fun.

So now I'm at Pearson, waiting to board in the next few minutes. I'll be getting in in the afternoon, and starting work tomorrow! So stay tuned, the fun is about to begin.