The Art of the Hustle

by Edward Mullen

  ***

  I arrived in Ontario one week before classes commenced. The air was crisp and the leaves were starting to turn brown and fall off the trees. The campus looked really beautiful this time of the year. It was not as large as my previous school, but it was big enough to make me feel insignificant. I was essentially starting from scratch here. I didn’t know a single person and did not have any of my usual comforts from back home. I had worked for the number one bank in the country, had a great girlfriend, and lots of friends. But I traded it all in to follow my dream. There was no doubt in my mind I would end up back in Vancouver, but I just needed to focus for the next three years and get the credentials that I desperately wanted.

  I had gone there a month prior to secure an apartment. I had found a nice one-bedroom apartment on the seventh floor of a brand new apartment building on campus. It had a small gym, sauna room, entertainment room, and in-suite laundry. Rent was a lot cheaper out here than in Vancouver, so it was definitely an upgrade.