From the CN tower to Nicholson Tower
/Trading in bright lights and the big city for Nish livin'
When the population of where you live changes from a million to around five thousand, it can be overwhelming. Luckily, living in Antigonish is worth adapting to the differences you will experience.
One of the first things any food lover will notice is that living in a tiny town does not offer a huge variety of specialty cuisines. While there are many outstanding restaurants such as the Brownstone Café or the Townhouse within the town limits, sometimes you just need food from your favorite sushi place. Luckily, as the semester progresses, you will probably be craving Kenny’s or the Wheel more than any specialty foods.
If you are from a big city, you will notice the difference in what transit is available. In the city, you get used to taking either the bus or light rail transit all while dealing with rush hour. In Antigonish, if you do not have a car, you will probably be walking or calling a taxi to get places. Luckily, you don’t have to break the bank to get around, most taxi companies tend to be around $5.00 for a lift to anywhere in town. Additionally, within the limited transit options, there is a fixed bus route that hits all the main spots including Sobeys and Superstore. Again, this is cheap with the student fare being $2.00 for two trips. There is also the Drive U program for students living off campus which is a free service that will drive students from the Students’ Union Building to their houses and it usually runs late. Fortunately, most stores or locations that students will need to get to are within walking distance from campus. Besides, all the walking will help justify having that extra sundae at meal hall!
The pace of life is vastly different in a tiny town. While living in the city means constant noise and people running about their business in a hurry, Antigonish is homey and peaceful. Of course, everyone still has a to-do list to complete in Antigonish, but there always seems to be time to breathe a little. Among the school work, part-time jobs and many Pub nights, the four years that students spend at StFX would not be complete without some downtime at the Tall and Small or going for walks with friends down to the Antigonish Landing.
Living in Antigonish means you will have an entire community that will treat you as one of their own. While there are many perks of that relationship, including that many of the locals will always be willing to give you a hand, it also presents things that are potentially more difficult to adjust to. It is hard to be totally anonymous in such a small town, which is entirely opposite to the attitude in a city. This is something to keep in mind before getting up to some trouble on a night out.
All in all, the sense of belonging to the community of Antigonish is what makes StFX such a unique place to go to university. Even if you consider yourself a city person at heart, living in Antigonish will give you an appreciation for small town life and most importantly, it will give you a second home. Besides, if you desperately need an escape from Antigonish for some city lights, Halifax is only a couple of hours away!
