Dear John Letter.

"This may surprise you, but Winnipeg is not so bad." - Glen Murray, former mayor.

Dear Winnipeg,

I'm sorry to leave you so soon, right after I fell in love with you. It's not you this time. It's me. You're a precious little gem of a city, and it took me 23-and-a-half years to recognize this. We had something special this year, and walking away hurts me just as much as it hurts you.

I'm going to miss those coffee rituals and midnight guitar serenades. The smell of Stella's in the morning and the mix of cigarettes and candle fumes at night. I'm on Calgary's 5th avenue, trying to quiet the part of me that wants to turn back. My head is filled with irrational ideas that romanticize the nine-to-five, embrace quasi-stimulating hobbies and bitter winters, all for the sake of a bit more time in Winnipeg. I wonder when my wanderlust will fade away.

But my other half knows that I've got bigger plans. I'm going to chase the dream that I've been waiting for since I laid eyes on that picture of my Aunt Allison taking Sendai by storm, with her oversized glasses and indescribable fut-fut*. It's time for me to live my own Japanese dream. My hill-top apartment in Hidaka-shi is waiting for me, with a bicycle for me to explore this supposed 'Banff of Japan.'

I shed salty tears when I said goodbye to you, Winnipeg. I hope you're the same when I get back.

Love Chloe





* Literally. I can't actually describe what a fut-fut is. It's some kind of motorized bicycle which was all the rage in the 80s. I plan on buying one.