House

Read Time:3 Minute, 50 Second

The last three weeks were filled with such emotions that the day before yesterday I realized that my jaw was aching. Everything from tightening it nervously. I got into the game for the house completely by accident and I didn’t win this game by accident. In my world travel, I need a sense of being anchored. He is sure that I have to have a place that will not only perform the functions of a home, but simply be such a home. I also feel a bit that my entire migration journey with its various experiences has led me to the one I will have now. A house surrounded by a whole group of neighbors who know each other.

I have heard several times that moving is probably something natural for me and that I can live anywhere. It’s true that I lived in three places in Montreal, one of which was a home hotel. It is also important that out of the entire 5 years I have lived in Montreal, I have spent 4 and a half in my cottage in Verdun. It’s true, my life is a literal journey, but despite everything it has to be accompanied by rooting, even with the awareness that it will have to be torn off and it will probably hurt a bit.

After moving to Edmonton, everything turned out great. We even managed to find a nice and renovated flat with a washing machine and dryer (flats rented in blocks of flats have so-called coin-operated laundries). I kept telling myself that it was good that it was small, that it was completely new, after renovation, that everything was actually perfect. I did everything in my power not to resemble a hotel in my apartment. I installed some Montreal decorative items and reveled in the eternal warmth provided in the price of the apartment. In addition, I did not have to clean up after the parties, because the apartment can accommodate a maximum of 4 people.

I closed my eyes to the fact that the brightness of the corridor showed through the gaps in the front door at night. I replaced the potted flowers which had dried out due to the lack of moisture in the air with new ones. I kept telling myself that it was wonderful that I could clean them up in 35 minutes, that the door wouldn’t squeak, and that I was done collecting old stuff and “unnecessary” things.

When I saw the house to which I started in the (fortunately short) race, I realized how lucky I was to rent my perfect block outlet. It occurred to me that 5 years spent in a hut on Verdun was a kind of a trap. That the foundation I miss in Montreal is my too cold in winter, in summer too hot, with a creaking door and a real wooden floor, the riverside house that all my friends liked and knew.

The cooperative to which we move after Christmas provides us with one of their houses at the cost of its maintenance. Thus, me and Sergio become part of the cooperative and we are responsible together with the entire community for its development, financial security and cooperation of the entire community. The community itself is very interesting. It is largely constituted by Ukrainian migration, which originates mainly from academic and artistic circles. It is also interesting that the whole community strongly identifies with the feminist movement.

To become part of a cooperative, you first need to know about it. Here, we were helped by the contacts built on the basis of Montreal contacts from Lviv. As you can see, friends from European streets who are friends with our friends can be found everywhere. We were introduced to our future neighbors and there seems to be a click between us. We were included on the list, and somehow a week later one of the houses vacated. We underwent a short training about what cooperatives are and how they work, we filled out a long form about our housing experience, feminist and social commitment in general, our skills and expectations. We were invited for an hour-long interview, during which we told in more detail about ourselves and our experiences that interested the cooperative. A week later, the entire community was voted on. Apart from us, 4 other families applied for the house. In the final round, 13 people voted for us and for the second family of 9. We made it!