Where you Live

Before we started the adoption process, my priorities around living space were:

- must be urban
- must be close to amenities like coffee shops, markets and liquor stores
- must be easy access to downtown culture
- must have good dog walking spaces
- must have ocean view

We found a surprisingly large condo downtown with a big deck, a great view and close to anything I could ever want - the quintessential Victorian urbanite. The only downside, it is two blocks away from Victoria's largest homeless shelter. On one side of the building, we have views of a bustling, vibrant city that stretches across the ocean and to the Olympic Mountains. On the other side of the building we have views of a park often full of grocery carts, make-shift tents and garbage.

For us, right now, it is a small price to pay for living downtown. We plan our dog walks around the bodies laying in the grass, or the super thin woman doing the heroin dance in the middle of the road or the scary guy trying to sell me weed. We navigate through vomit and needles, cardboard and bottles - it is the uglier - and heartbreaking side of downtown living.

But I started thinking a few weeks ago that I don't know if I want to raise a kid in this environment. We visit friends in the suburbs and the neighbourhoods are so quiet - there isn't a constant hum of cars and shouting from the drunks stumbling away from the downtown core. I love the idea of downtown living and I can deal with this - but do I want to bring a kid into this? People told me life would change with a child, it's changing before we even have one!