May 7th will mark my one-year anniversary living in the community of Blairmore and working as a reporter for the Pass Herald.
My first year living in such a small town served many purposes for me. It gave me independence and responsibility, as I had never lived on my own and away from my family prior to last year.
It also gave me a new perspective to living, as I had never lived in a city smaller than Calgary, and was quite comfortable with the city lifestyle.
I have met many interesting and memorable people while living here, many of which are the people I work with at the Herald.
I’d like to believe that I have grown as a reporter, as I have encountered several challenging and expectant occurrences throughout this year.
A couple that stand out to me was the cancellation of Thunder of the Valley and the reaction to it, the petition against municipal council and administration last October, and the municipal investigation that started early this year and is still occurring presently.
Upon moving to Crowsnest Pass, I had no idea I would be covering such controversial and provincially known news stories.
But, despite my ignorance, I’m glad that I was given the opportunity to cover, and more so, be a part of the action that took place this year.
They say that the first year is always the toughest because of all the “firsts” that you will encounter. I am looking forward to all the annual events this year, as hopefully they will start to become more familiar to me.
One downside about this community, or at least as I have experienced, is the come and go of its residents. I have come to make a couple of good friends, all of who have moved away to other jobs in the city. In all truthfulness, I see myself moving away one day, most likely to Calgary, although that day is still unknown.
I suppose the silver lining to friends moving away is the opportunity to make new ones, which I have had the pleasure of doing.
It has been a great first year in the Pass, and I am looking forward to what the next one has in store. If it is even half as exciting as this past one, I will consider myself lucky.
