First thoughts on Thompson

So, I've been in Thompson for two and a half weeks now. What do I think?

Well, it's still hard to say in some respects, but I've noticed a few things.

For one, the people are friendly. Very friendly. There are a few possible causes for this--strong Newfie ancestry, people not wanting to be on the bad side of a reporter--but I think the most likely culprit is that it's a transient town. Most people don't live their entire lives in Thompson--aside from the mayor, I'm not sure anybody has (40 years is the most I've heard, it's worth keeping in mind that the town was only created in 1956). You get people coming and going every few years, so reaching out to strangers is only natural because it's the only way you'll know people down the road.

Traffic is another huge difference. It's a smaller town, so of course there aren't as many cars on the road, and they're generally not going as fast as what I'm used to. It's already starting to feel weird to go above 50, really. I'm going to kill myself when I come home in December if I try to drive on the 401, or even the KW Expressway. Driving here isn't without its own set of challenges though--crosswalks are all over the places, and so are pedestrians, some of whom don't bother with the crosswalks. Maybe that's why everyone goes so slow, because they might need to suddenly slam on the brakes when somebody darts out in front of them.

Why are there so many pedestrians? Same reason there's so few cars--it's easy to walk almost anywhere in this city. Everything's so densely packed and was designed so that all retail/commercial would be in the same basic area, and it works great. I'm not sure anything in town is less than a five minute drive from where I work or where I live--maybe some of the more residential areas, but I won't be going out there too often.

The sunsets look beautiful, though they're late at night and there's always buildings in the way. Some weekend, once the sun starts setting at a more reasonable hour (I mean, I've never seen it dark here--I've woken up at 4:30 AM a few times, and it's already getting light out!), I plan to check out a sunset from a better location.

There's not a lot to do. The theatre only has one screen, there aren't any concerts, and I've been warned not to go to the bars (though I wouldn't without knowing anybody anyhow). Luckily I've got enough to do to keep me busy, but I think I'll get stir-crazy before winter hits.

And that is what I think of Thompson thus far.

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Here's a video where the creator went to far more work than the joke deserves. The effort makes it more enjoyable.



Also, Polkaroo is now on Twitter. Hurry, before you miss him!

--Ryan