If I had to describe myself, I guess I would be forced to categorize myself as a “city girl”. That may be true in a sense. I was born in Vancouver, grew up in Richmond, Vancouver, Sydney (Australia) and have pretty much lived here my whole life except for a few years when I went to university out east in Ontario.

I like going out to eat, going out to clubs, shopping, driving around, going to the gym, and having many amenities nearby and accessible.

However, I can’t help but feel — at heart — that I’m secretly a small town girl inside. All my hopes and dreams in the future seem to revolve around a piece of land… running a bed and breakfast… having my own home and garden… things I just couldn’t do in the city.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years thinking about how my life would change if I moved to a place like Tofino, Courtenay (Vancouver Island), Seaside (Oregon) or even a smaller city in New Zealand like Christ Church. One thing is for sure — as long as I can — I’m going to stay on the West Coast in Canada.

Yesterday, I found a few nice piece of land and some smaller homes in Tofino and Courtenay for very reasonable prices. We’re talking like $85,000 for a huge piece of land to develop on, or just over $100,000 for a small house with a backyard. Incredible prices compared to Vancouver, and still expected to come down.

My parents both came from very small farm-based communities. Same with my grandparents. And their grandparents. I do feel like it is in my blood, somewhere. The times I’ve been happiest in my life are the times I’ve spent away from the city.

I’d be much happier exercising in the morning by running on the beach or in the woods than in a concrete gym. Being outdoors every day. I’d much rather use the extra time in the day to cook wholesome meals from scratch instead of going out to eat. And I go shopping about twice a year anyway. I’m pretty sure I can either eliminate that from my life or just travel to a larger town to do that. Or sew my own clothes, like I used to in high school and university. I love gardening… and I would have a large garden like my parents and grandparents… and grow just about everything I needed to eat, minus the meat. Life just seems so much simpler.

The real question, is of course the job. Unless you’re working remotely, jobs for people in the video game industry are hard to come by. Is it time to get creative? Run your own business? Or a change of industry?

Then there’s a question of timing. Is it better to make a drastic change like this when you are young? Or when you are old?

There are definitely upsides and downsides to living in a small town. Maybe people who have lived in small towns or grew in small towns for significant amounts of time can comment on this.

So much to think about. Can a city girl ever become a small town girl, or is it impossible? I guess if it did happen I’d have to change my blog name