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 Two years ago we landed! Here is our story, for those who don't already know it! Those who do, feel free not to bother with it!
Hubby (then 53) and I (43) came for a visit in 2003, stayed a week (snowbound) in May with my friend in Central Alberta and fell in love with the way of life they had here. We discussed on the way back to the airport whether we might like to move here as they had done, and decided to go for it.
Once back in the UK, we informed our astonished children, then aged 12 and 17, and I started researching and applying for accreditation of my qualifications as physiotherapist, as we agreed to apply as skilled workers, with myself as principal applicant. We submitted our application in Dec 03, and received our AOR Feb 04 with a 15 months estimated wait for further contact. This was just after the points dropped so we just got in before the rush!
In 2004 we came over to Calgary with the boys at Easter, stayed in a rental and spent 2 weeks exploring and having as many informal interviews as we could set up with prospective employers. People seemed interested but only to the extent of "let us know when you arrive".
My husband kept contact with one company and when we received our visas in August 2005, we thought we'd do a landing trip and arrange proper job interviews. We then decided that hubby and the boys should just move over and get work and school started if possible, while I returned to pack and sell up the house, which had been on the market since that spring. We had some buyers who pulled out during that awful period while our family was split between two countries, but were replaced by a couple who offered the full asking price and wanted to move within 2 weeks, having sold their own place already. They even bought the car!! I had to pinch myself to believe it was all coming right after seeming to be a disaster! I rejoined the family, mid-October, leaving our solicitor to finalise the sale.
Meanwhile, hubby had a proper interview with a jewelry store during his first week here and was taken on at their downtown store. He is now store manager! I had to sit my competency exams here, passed the written one in Jan04, failed the practical in June, but passed it in November last year. I had a temporary job with Calgary Health Region in Home Care, and am now working in rehab. I maybe would like to go back to homecare, and am continuing to think about a private home visiting practice, but lack confidence to let my guaranteed income drop!
Housing
We took a short term rental in Erin Woods, not an ideal place as it was too near the NE trouble spots, but it was furnished and they allowed our old border collie to come too. We then took a 7 month lease on a big house in Hawkwood; again, mainly cos they allowed animals, and it was getting towards the area we wanted. When our house sale went through in November we bought our present house in Arbour Lake, and we moved here last summer after it had had a facelift. Since being here we have had the basement professionally developed, and we love it.
Schools
The elder boy had applied for Engineering at UoC before we came, having just sat his A levels in England. They stated he needed some top ups in Physics and Chem, so he spent the first year doing that, then was accepted at Calgary, and is about to start his second year of his engineering degree.
The younger had to attend a junior high school in Erin Woods to start with, then moved after 2 months to the school which served Hawkwood. His time there was not easy really as he hadn't been allowed to start at the beginning of the year , but he made some friends and they all moved to senior high last year. He's about to start 11th grade. He says he much prefers the way schooling is done here. We were surprised to find that in senior high they spent the first half of the year (i.e. first semester) doing just four subjects, then did the other four the second half. I didn't know how it'd work just to do e.g. maths for half a year and still remember it the next year.
Both the boys love it here, and feel it was the right thing to do .... only criticism was that we'd not come years ago! Mu husband and I have joined clubs and societies, and have busy active lives. I am feeling that we don't really see a lot of friends, and sometimes I feel we have made more commitments than actual social outlets! ... but I do believe friends take time. We feel our work/home life balance is possibly needing some adjustments to make more time for each other, but it is not impossible, we just need to keep at that one.
It is expensive, living in Calgary ... no two ways about that, but my pay is slightly higher than it was in UK, and hubby is earning quite a bit more, so we do feel we have more disposable income than we had. I think I'd settle for less material goods and more quality time together if we could manage it, but that I feel is part of the adjustment we can make here given time.
I am hoping that at some point, when the boys are a little older, we will sell the house and get somewhere smaller and out of the city a bit...... we'll see.
So that's it, in a rather large nutshell. I just thought I'd share our story for any newcomers (especially) who might like to know how things worked out for us!
BritishExpats Member "Morwenna"
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