Fort St. John

Rob's friend Joe aptly called Fort St. John a black hole that you can't escape from. In most cases I would agree. A sort of drab place that is was the butt of my English 12 teacher's story of how FSJ is a large contributer to "paternity tests" conducted in the Lower Mainland. A place where no matter wherever the hell people went, they always came back...more broken and seemingly more pathetic. A sort of sad place where it hovers between lower class poverty and a depressingly good job that ends up in consuming either drugs or alcohol in order to make up for your depression....a depression that often is the result of you having no money.

Sure there are some nice things to say about FSJ. But we all know "nice people" that quite often we don't want to associate with. I wouldn't say that the cons outweigh the pros of this city, or vice versa. I'd rather say that the "perception" of cons outweigh the potential pros of this city. People are too wrapped up in being silly hill-billies (while first being a rapper skater thug in their teens) to decide what could be better for FSJ.

To tell the truth, I don't hate this town. I don't hate the people living here, because I know enough people here to know that it's a good place. That this is a pretty good place to grow up often. And if I were to voice my opinion on how much I disliked this town, it would be more of an echo of some other people's mind. In reality if you give me a comfy house, an ample theatre and some sort of art cultural centre...I'd be peachy keen for the rest of my life...generally speaking. Hopefully it hasn't come down to that yet.

I don't think that there's nothing to do in this town, because in reality.....there's never anything to do in a city you live in. Why on earth do they call Vancouver the most boring city in Canada when it plays host to the VIFF, the Internation Jazz Fest and many other fests that go through it?

And yet all the time I spent there, it was really me who didn't go out to explore all it's potential. There's nothing boring about life in FSJ because in reality, FSJ probably gives you a better opputunity to start something new, rather than waiting for something to happen. Small enough so everyone knows and cheaper compared to larger places, but large enough to give you the resources to pull it off.

I never realise that a lot of things that happen to me is really my fault. There really isn't an agruement against that because no one really knows how shitty and faulty I can really be...except Rob which he had the most wonderful privilage to actually call me out, which was refreshing for a change. And because of that revelation that there is a sort of animosty waiting and lurking for me to exploit and know that my friends have....kinda make me respect them more really. Much like how I respect FSJ as a town known for it's cons, but less recognized for it's pros.