Moving back to UK
Jan 21st 2010, 1:51 pm
#241
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20
Re: Moving back to UK
We live in Alberta and have visited other bits to see if we like them and dont.
Jan 21st 2010, 2:00 pm
#242
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,986
Re: Moving back to UK
the food sucks, everything seems to be fried or have bread wrapped around it, no decent restuarants just fast food everywhere, the produce in the shops is either very old or has travelled so far it has no taste left in it, the standard of driving here is dreadful, the T.V. definition is horrible,( makes your eyes hurt)Oh and weve had more power cuts here than when we lived out in the wilds of untamed Scotland!
Your comments are about one place and one lifestyle in Canada. There are alternatives. I find avoiding surburban sprawl/hell/Hazeltown a good idea.
Jan 21st 2010, 3:16 pm
#243
Immigration Consultant
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posts: 2,144
Re: Moving back to UK
Me and my family have decided to move back, Canada is way too expensive and I can get twice the wage I get here back in the UK. I have had enough of paying 20 dollars for a bad bottle of wine and 10 dollars for very small piece of cheese. I also find that the Canadians are very two faced and really cant be trusted. After moving here I think that life is better in the UK.
Of course there are all the other things too. The TV is rubbish. Lack of curry houses, less vacation etc etc. And its totally understandable that people miss friends and family and get homesick. But going back to the UK is a huge step and you really need to think it through. Most of the things people get frustrated with in Canada turn out to be pretty minor in the overall scheme of things. Even though the average house price in the UK is now similar to the average price in Canada look at what you actually get in the UK for your money! Go to rightmove.co.uk - if you've got 700,000 pounds to spend on a house then you're fine but otherwise.... The houses are miniscule and crowded on top of one another and without any privacy or land. On top of that you've got the general seediness, anti-social behaviour, binge drinking, depressed economy etc.
Since I've lived here I have seen a few people that have moved to Canada decide to return to the UK; only to discover that they have made a huge mistake and then emigrate to Canada all over again a few months later. That's a hugely expensive exercise - moving once is expensive enough! I think once you get back to the UK and face much more serious problems the minor frustrations probably seem fairly insignificant so my advice to anyone who is homesick and is thinking about heading back to the UK would be to take a long holiday there first. See if it is really how you imagine it to be. After the novelty of meeting up with family and friends wears off after a couple of weeks is the UK really where you want to live? Go to the local school and see if that's where you want to put your children and look at some houses in your price range. Do the "reccie visit" in reverse before you make your mind up - it may help you avoid making a huge mistake.
Jan 21st 2010, 3:36 pm
#244
ModerĪ±tor Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,768
Re: Moving back to UK
My own take on this thread is that everyone who goes through the upheaval of moving to Canada earns the right to have a moan about certain things. Without question Canada is not perfect so it isnt fair in my opinion for anyone to get shouted down for coming out with something negative from time to time. I personally love both wine and cheese and so share completely canadiangrape's frustration with the cost of them. In fact we resorted to making our own wine because of the cost of it here. You still end up with a bad bottle of wine but when it only cost you $2 then it seems more tolerable.
Of course there are all the other things too. The TV is rubbish. Lack of curry houses, less vacation etc etc. And its totally understandable that people miss friends and family and get homesick. But going back to the UK is a huge step and you really need to think it through. Most of the things people get frustrated with in Canada turn out to be pretty minor in the overall scheme of things. Even though the average house price in the UK is now similar to the average price in Canada look at what you actually get in the UK for your money! Go to rightmove.co.uk - if you've got 700,000 pounds to spend on a house then you're fine but otherwise.... The houses are miniscule and crowded on top of one another and without any privacy or land. On top of that you've got the general seediness, anti-social behaviour, binge drinking, depressed economy etc.
Since I've lived here I have seen a few people that have moved to Canada decide to return to the UK; only to discover that they have made a huge mistake and then emigrate to Canada all over again a few months later. That's a hugely expensive exercise - moving once is expensive enough! I think once you get back to the UK and face much more serious problems the minor frustrations probably seem fairly insignificant so my advice to anyone who is homesick and is thinking about heading back to the UK would be to take a long holiday there first. See if it is really how you imagine it to be. After the novelty of meeting up with family and friends wears off after a couple of weeks is the UK really where you want to live? Go to the local school and see if that's where you want to put your children and look at some houses in your price range. Do the "reccie visit" in reverse before you make your mind up - it may help you avoid making a huge mistake.
Of course there are all the other things too. The TV is rubbish. Lack of curry houses, less vacation etc etc. And its totally understandable that people miss friends and family and get homesick. But going back to the UK is a huge step and you really need to think it through. Most of the things people get frustrated with in Canada turn out to be pretty minor in the overall scheme of things. Even though the average house price in the UK is now similar to the average price in Canada look at what you actually get in the UK for your money! Go to rightmove.co.uk - if you've got 700,000 pounds to spend on a house then you're fine but otherwise.... The houses are miniscule and crowded on top of one another and without any privacy or land. On top of that you've got the general seediness, anti-social behaviour, binge drinking, depressed economy etc.
Since I've lived here I have seen a few people that have moved to Canada decide to return to the UK; only to discover that they have made a huge mistake and then emigrate to Canada all over again a few months later. That's a hugely expensive exercise - moving once is expensive enough! I think once you get back to the UK and face much more serious problems the minor frustrations probably seem fairly insignificant so my advice to anyone who is homesick and is thinking about heading back to the UK would be to take a long holiday there first. See if it is really how you imagine it to be. After the novelty of meeting up with family and friends wears off after a couple of weeks is the UK really where you want to live? Go to the local school and see if that's where you want to put your children and look at some houses in your price range. Do the "reccie visit" in reverse before you make your mind up - it may help you avoid making a huge mistake.
Jan 21st 2010, 3:48 pm
#245
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 766
Re: Moving back to UK
I agree with you all the way, we are going back in april to have a look, our problem is the rents here are rediculous and we are finding it so hard to get something nice at our price range
but i will keep trying. Also can anyone tell me about drivers licences. We had a canadain one many years ago and still have the numbers, when we went to get our licences again, we were told we would have to take 2 driving tests, written test and something else, even though we have our british licences, I thought it was a straight exchange with maybe a writen test or eye test can you help me with this? thanks Djam:
but i will keep trying. Also can anyone tell me about drivers licences. We had a canadain one many years ago and still have the numbers, when we went to get our licences again, we were told we would have to take 2 driving tests, written test and something else, even though we have our british licences, I thought it was a straight exchange with maybe a writen test or eye test can you help me with this? thanks Djam:
) occassions we are in 100% agreement.
Jan 21st 2010, 3:58 pm
#247
ModerĪ±tor Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,768
Re: Moving back to UK
I agree with you all the way, we are going back in april to have a look, our problem is the rents here are rediculous and we are finding it so hard to get something nice at our price range but i will keep trying. Also can anyone tell me about drivers licences. We had a canadain one many years ago and still have the numbers, when we went to get our licences again, we were told we would have to take 2 driving tests, written test and something else, even though we have our british licences, I thought it was a straight exchange with maybe a writen test or eye test can you help me with this? thanks Djam:
but i will keep trying. Also can anyone tell me about drivers licences. We had a canadain one many years ago and still have the numbers, when we went to get our licences again, we were told we would have to take 2 driving tests, written test and something else, even though we have our british licences, I thought it was a straight exchange with maybe a writen test or eye test can you help me with this? thanks Djam:
Jan 21st 2010, 4:04 pm
#248
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 766
Re: Moving back to UK
License depends on the province. I dont know, but suspect that if you had one and are returning to the same province you should be able to reactivate it? Ontario and many other procinces will just swap a UK license if certain conditions are met, BC I believe you have to take the test (unless you can reactivate your old license)
Jan 21st 2010, 4:14 pm
#249
Beep
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Here
Posts: 8,311
Re: Moving back to UK
My own take on this thread is that everyone who goes through the upheaval of moving to Canada earns the right to have a moan about certain things. Without question Canada is not perfect so it isnt fair in my opinion for anyone to get shouted down for coming out with something negative from time to time. I personally love both wine and cheese and so share completely canadiangrape's frustration with the cost of them. In fact we resorted to making our own wine because of the cost of it here. You still end up with a bad bottle of wine but when it only cost you $2 then it seems more tolerable.
Of course there are all the other things too. The TV is rubbish. Lack of curry houses, less vacation etc etc. And its totally understandable that people miss friends and family and get homesick. But going back to the UK is a huge step and you really need to think it through. Most of the things people get frustrated with in Canada turn out to be pretty minor in the overall scheme of things. Even though the average house price in the UK is now similar to the average price in Canada look at what you actually get in the UK for your money! Go to rightmove.co.uk - if you've got 700,000 pounds to spend on a house then you're fine but otherwise.... The houses are miniscule and crowded on top of one another and without any privacy or land. On top of that you've got the general seediness, anti-social behaviour, binge drinking, depressed economy etc.
Since I've lived here I have seen a few people that have moved to Canada decide to return to the UK; only to discover that they have made a huge mistake and then emigrate to Canada all over again a few months later. That's a hugely expensive exercise - moving once is expensive enough! I think once you get back to the UK and face much more serious problems the minor frustrations probably seem fairly insignificant so my advice to anyone who is homesick and is thinking about heading back to the UK would be to take a long holiday there first. See if it is really how you imagine it to be. After the novelty of meeting up with family and friends wears off after a couple of weeks is the UK really where you want to live? Go to the local school and see if that's where you want to put your children and look at some houses in your price range. Do the "reccie visit" in reverse before you make your mind up - it may help you avoid making a huge mistake.
Of course there are all the other things too. The TV is rubbish. Lack of curry houses, less vacation etc etc. And its totally understandable that people miss friends and family and get homesick. But going back to the UK is a huge step and you really need to think it through. Most of the things people get frustrated with in Canada turn out to be pretty minor in the overall scheme of things. Even though the average house price in the UK is now similar to the average price in Canada look at what you actually get in the UK for your money! Go to rightmove.co.uk - if you've got 700,000 pounds to spend on a house then you're fine but otherwise.... The houses are miniscule and crowded on top of one another and without any privacy or land. On top of that you've got the general seediness, anti-social behaviour, binge drinking, depressed economy etc.
Since I've lived here I have seen a few people that have moved to Canada decide to return to the UK; only to discover that they have made a huge mistake and then emigrate to Canada all over again a few months later. That's a hugely expensive exercise - moving once is expensive enough! I think once you get back to the UK and face much more serious problems the minor frustrations probably seem fairly insignificant so my advice to anyone who is homesick and is thinking about heading back to the UK would be to take a long holiday there first. See if it is really how you imagine it to be. After the novelty of meeting up with family and friends wears off after a couple of weeks is the UK really where you want to live? Go to the local school and see if that's where you want to put your children and look at some houses in your price range. Do the "reccie visit" in reverse before you make your mind up - it may help you avoid making a huge mistake.
A couple of notes though. I'd say many people posting negatively on here (of which they're very much entitled to) are "shouted down" due to their generalisation. It's good for people to vent but deriding an entire country and its citizens is just a little daft on a public forum. Some generalisations are, in essence, insulting you (assuming you're a citizen) and your family.
You've also fallen into this category with your comments too (of which you're very much entitled to). Stating that the UK is generally seedy is a huge generalisation.
I do agree with you that after the emigration transition, small things that may have normally been ignored become major irritants. Also, i dare say that quite a few "returnees" figure out that their life in the UK wasn't actually that bad and the gap between their dreams and reality was a bit too much to overcome.
Your last paragraph is spot on
Jan 21st 2010, 5:13 pm
#250
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20
Re: Moving back to UK
No, it was the inner hebrides, The Isle of Mull actually. :0) 6 years worth of Scotland.
Jan 21st 2010, 5:22 pm
#251
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20
Re: Moving back to UK
Lots of nice restaurants in Toronto, we must have 100 or more within a fifteen minute walk. Some supermarket produce isn't the best, but the local organic specialist shops are excellent - as are the many smaller grocers nearby. Driving isn't great here I agree - so I use transit or walk. TV - I am very happy with free HD - amazing picture. No powercuts, though the heating was off in the condo block for an hour once I think.
Your comments are about one place and one lifestyle in Canada. There are alternatives. I find avoiding surburban sprawl/hell/Hazeltown a good idea.
Your comments are about one place and one lifestyle in Canada. There are alternatives. I find avoiding surburban sprawl/hell/Hazeltown a good idea.
Jan 21st 2010, 5:56 pm
#252
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,986
Re: Moving back to UK
I assumed you lived in the country, though your post was a damning condemnation of all of Canada. Given that most of the things you have a problem with seem to be more to do with living in the country than Canada as a country, perhaps you should think about living in a city and a condo. Would solve all the things you claim to be wrong with 'Canada' and might make you happier.
Jan 21st 2010, 6:26 pm
#253
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20
Re: Moving back to UK
I assumed you lived in the country, though your post was a damning condemnation of all of Canada. Given that most of the things you have a problem with seem to be more to do with living in the country than Canada as a country, perhaps you should think about living in a city and a condo. Would solve all the things you claim to be wrong with 'Canada' and might make you happier.
Canada is not for me. That is why I choose to go home now. Ive seen quite a bit of Canada, ok it's large, so what? and yeah youv'e got views, again I say so what? it's not enough. What would make me "happier" as you put it would be to go HOME.
Jan 21st 2010, 6:38 pm
#254
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,986
Re: Moving back to UK
Well, what you actually said you wanted was decent restaurants, a better TV picture, more fresh food in shops and no powercuts. I was pointing out you don't need to go the UK to get these, and that your criticism of Canada on this basis was rather unfair.
Jan 21st 2010, 6:58 pm
#255
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 766
Re: Moving back to UK
