zippy666

Hi, well we went through the whole skilled worker app, took us just over four years in total and we landed on PEI in September 2011 but we were back in April 2012.

We did have special reasons - a bereavement meant we had to come home, but we still deeply regret leaving and want to share our feelings to help anyone else just starting in Canada.

Homesickness is a real condition, you miss everything - we missed walkers Cheese and Onion crisps and Hollands meat and potato pies!! The food was strange, cuts of meat had different names, cereal was different, we ended up eating out so much at places like mcdonalds just because it was familiar!

The heating systems are weird - big vents blowing warm air that goes nowhere - have they never heard of a radiator? Is our accent really that hard to understand? Being looked and pointed at when out shopping when we were talking never failed to creep us a out just a little!!

Well - everything is different but it does not make it bad, after being back six months we have booked our flights to return to Canada next September, we urge anyone to give it at least a year before making any rash decision to return, just as we came home the homesickness was passing and we starting to get used to everything, our situation was complicated but I think we should have held on and just come back temporarily.

We now can not wait to go back, everything we thought we missed we have had and it was a really disappointment, the saying true absence makes the heart grow fonder but it also greatly misleads you, so to everyone just about to go or just about to land, keep smiling, keep hoping and stay strong - it will be worth it and it does get better, we can not wait to get back,

Good luck to all and hopefully in a few years we will have our own real canniversary

hmac

Hi Zippy666

We landed in March 2012.

Me and her made a decision that we would do 2 years no matter what. As it happens things are going ok so far, no homesickness or food cravings this last.

Hope its second time lucky for you.

beautiful050278

+1

Hope all goes well this time round for you.

We have just celebrated our 6 months and love it here.

We are here on the TWP and just started the PR process.

hmac

I took all our forms home last Friday for checking and signing.

MillieF

Good for you Zippy. It takes a lot to admit that you think you may have made a mistake and to go back for another crack at it. I would also say that I think that there is a great big sense of anti-climax when you finally get to Canada. You make plans to go, you square it with your family, you say the big goodbyes and it's all emotionally knackering, so it's not surprising that the first few months ain't great and it's tempting to throw in the towel.

Best of luck on the re-run!

Steve_

Radiators freeze during the winter, I assume, which is why they're not common here. I actually grew up in a house in England that did have a forced air system, they're not that uncommon. You usually seem them in older houses that had a furnace in the basement. A lot of people replaced them with boilers and radiators but not everyone did, you can run them on oil or natural gas instead of coal, which is the case in Canada obviously.

beautiful050278

Looks like we are in the same boat then

Simon Legree

I think that you assume incorrectly. How would they freeze inside a house if the temperature was above freezing ? Many older houses have hot water radiators, they just aren't popular any longer because of more efficient modern methods. Forced air is usually the choice but in floor, hot water heating is also common, at least here. Baseboard electric heat isn't usually the first choice because of the cost of running it. I have forced air because it is easy to add central air conditioning. The duct work is already in place.

iaink

Its a hard job to piggy back A-C on a radiator system. I know people here who have radiators, but that was an old house and it came with it. When it broke down it took a long time to get parts to fix, but fortunately it wasnt winter so nothing froze.


Good luck to the OP 2nd time around

GC44

I can relate quite a bit to your statement about missing things from the UK. We used to live in Germany in the early 1990's and missed all sorts of strange things like fish & chips, a morning paper or a decent pint. When we moved back to the UK we found we didn't want those things anymore and we missed Germany! I think this set us in the right mindset for our move to Canada and having been here about 14 months now I can honestly state that none of us has suffered from homesickness at all. This is our home now .
I'm sure that your second attempt will be much more succesful. Good luck .

spam-marie

Do they have Marmite in Canada? That was what made me homesick when I lived abroad before. I'm hoping I can cope with almost everything else!

dbd33

Yes, but it's not cheap. $3.50 or so for the little jar. Bringing buckets of it would be prudent.

Howefamily

Good luck with your re-run. It IS hard when they dont understand your 'water" but you can perfectly hear their "warder" . We had to find a way to enjoy all the things we missed when poss (cherry bakewells) and remembering that we are in a different country and having some commonalities such as a language is a bonus.

james.mc

We tend to not think of things we miss, but instead think of the new things we like that we know we can't get back in the UK

It's a positive way forward.

chadwicks

Ohh Cheese and onion walkers are very much missed!

And we did get funny looks in Sobeys the other week, mind you we were making a much deserved song-and-dance about the Salad Cream we just found!!

All the best wishes for your decision to come back!!