helcat12

I feel the same in lots of ways.
As I was a very successful primary school teacher in the UK, I am used to being completely immersed in my work, which I am passionate about.

Here it took me 6 months after PR just to get my certification.

Now it is taking me a long time to get a teaching post and very frustrating having to do courses which repeat what I did at O level, just because Canada thinks its teacher education system is better than ours. (It isn't )
In the UK I would just go and work somewhere on Supply and show what I can do. Several times HTs just offered me a job when they saw what I could do with their most difficult classes.
I miss the challenge and the cut and thrust of school life, I miss my children, I miss the energy and fun and intellectual sparring with ten year olds I really feel very emotional when I think about it.
It is very demoralising when you know you have the skills but there seems to be no way to get past the bureaucracy and the closed-mindedness of Canadians.
I do have a job but it is seasonal in nature and this time of year is very quiet, so I am at home most days.

I spend my time making soup and casseroles which go into the freezer, but now that is getting full I am going to be at a loss.

I haven't found Canadians to be friendly in the main. Although I am quite outgoing and friendly, I haven't made friends. I find most of them boring, humourless, lacklustre and false. Their 'politeness' is often a front for just refusing to engage openly with others, especially in anything which might require them to come out of their comfort zone and give their views honestly. Consequently, their conversation is rarely interesting or challenging and mostly trivial and, as they do not have a sense of humour, there isn't much fun to be had with trivia either!
They are MUCH more repressed than the English, whatever the stereotypes about Brits being reserved, and if my OH's Christmas party is anything to go by, they have NO IDEA about letting their hair down and enjoying themselves.
Hockey seems to be the only legitimate outlet for their emotions and I am not interested in that at all.

I am a musician and singer and I miss the Folk scene in the UK so much, especially at this time of year when there would be loads of get-togethers and pub sessions with great beer, good food, friendship, roaring fires and beautiful music, voices, stories and poems in the Derbyshire and S Yorks area. I am reduced to following the fun on Facebook and hearing about all the good nights I am missing

So, just like shunter1977, I have things that I miss very keenly - we all do - and I am quite sure that if I dwelt on what I have left behind, I might want to bolt for it.
That being the case, I choose not to dwell on those things because I find them painful.
Apart from writing the above, that is

If you are going through a bad phase, whether early on or later in the emigration process, then if it helps to put down those thoughts, do so.

ArthurBrit

Well there is a difference between a retirement home and a care home.

Admittedly you will always find someone who should be in a care home in a retirement home but for the most part these are fully functioning elders that just want to live in a safer housing where they have easier access to things in life.

I am not sure on this statement 100% but my wife and I do not get taxed on any income we've earnt through St. Amant and not being taxed might mean that it's not counted as a job but i'm not sure maybe someone with more knowledge about your work restrictions can comment on this?

Make a few phone calls see what you can come up with and let me know how you get on

Good luck!

Hawk13

On the bright side, you have your family though. I went to New Zealand on my own and found it very lonely. Yup, there where people at work you interact with but after work, they had their own lives, families and friends and it took a real effort to get to know them on that level. You just have to keep at it. Some of things that I found that helped were:

Sports - for me it was finding a mountain biking group

Join a gym but not just a gym, join a "boot camp" as it's more personalized

Dance lessons - I suck at dancing but as a guy, there is always more women than men at dance lessons

Cooking classes - Again, I suck at it but you meet people.

Get a dog - when all else fails, your dog is a great listener and will always be there for you

ArthurBrit

I could suggest the same to you in regards to foster agencies.

I'm pretty sure they could use volunteer 'private tutors/helpers'. My foster boy has a genetic problem which has left him quite delayed in terms of education (13 with the skill set of a 5 year old). In my opinion he could potentially be relatively normal in terms of education if pushed the right way but unfortunately he has this habbit he has picked up where he manipulates everyone around him (like I said he's smart) to get out of work and even when we warned the school about this trait they still fell into his trap!

What I wouldn't give to have a fully qualified tutor coming around for an hour or so a night to try a push his intelligence up slightly so he can catch up as much as possible, probably wont catch up now as he's already 8 years behind but even if we reduce it slightly it's still positive.

My trouble is I personally don't have the right stuff to motivate him positively because I'm overly hard whereas others are overly soft with him we are trying to find a good balance and he seems to be improving which is nice but it's a slow process!

shunter1977

As Hellcat mentioned music!! When I was growing up my brother and I every Xmas bought my Mum the new Abba album and Mum used to sing the songs to me (along with the Carpenters and John Denver) consequently I have a very embarrassing liking for the band and have all their albums myself.

Since about a month before we left when I saw Mamma Mia on the TV I have not been able to listen to any of their songs as the floods start threatening to come

I probably miss my parents, brother and little sister more than anything else x x x

orly

The key to happiness in Canada must surely equate to moving to Southern Ontario

Auld Yin

And why would you say that? Are you so very happy there?

orly

I'd be happier with a bit more snow but other than that I have zero complaints.

helcat12

Good for you, orly
I hope you get the whites Christmas they have ever had!

james.mc

Or, Van Island

Or, don't just dash over as soon as you get your COPR, move over in the spring ... you'll at least have a decent few summer months to enjoy whilst you are settling in. That'll help keep your spirits high.

I simply don't get the people that move over in winter and pretty much complain after a couple of months that the weather is not nice and they want to go back to the UK. Read something like that elsewhere on here a good while back.

helcat12

Winter is depressing in England quite a lot of the time (and this year has been especially bad!), but when you have all your friends around, your social life and your job to keep you busy, the small moans about the weather are trivial.

When you are in a new place after a huge upheaval, with none of the usual things to fill your day, lots of new and unfamiliar things to deal with and none of the familiar comforting things to make you feel better, even the smallest things like the weather can seem important.

I think that some feelings of loss are probably going to get to you sooner or later, though, whatever time of the year you arrive.

shunter1977

I don't think the OP is particularly complaining about the weather, just general homesickness.

I certainly have no problem with the weather, i'm still in the "all new, different and exciting" phase. Weather included! The impression I have had from reading on here is the people who have been here a couple of years or more complain about the weather.

Mad Jockette

Dollydee
Give me a call and we can arrange for you to come over during the festive period, if you would like to. Is the other half away again? You don't need to be on your own. You know I am on the other end of the phone at anytime.

We shall also meet up again after my work in Bower, once I am back to work on 4th Jan.

The processes we have spoken about are on hold over Christmas. Give them a call on the 2nd Jan.

Speak soon

MJ

james.mc

Maybe I should have put that a little better. I noticed that the OP has moved in winter. I guess I was suggesting that the time of the year anyone moves over can also have an affect on how they feel about life in general.
Any little thing.. such as timing of a move (if job and circumstances allow) can maybe make or break a general feeling of well being.

If you dwell too much on the good things you've left behind you'll likely not notice the good things you came for in the first instance. Canada is the new home The old home is now a place you used to live once

shunter1977