Shard

A new language?

Teaandtoday5

Have you been bugging my house??

MegSnow

Back in 2010 when we applied DS was 10 and excited, now we have PR he's 14. Now it depends on the day, the hour of the day and if he's speaking or grunting at me lol! Bit like if I ask him to get in the shower! I've just got to rely on hopefulness that it will turn out ok and the fact it's a better place to grow up for him. He seems to be quite circumspect about it all. Kids are lucky now they have FB, Whatsapp and Skype so at least they can keep in touch instantaneously.

HGerchikov

I am not sure I agree about the social media being a good thing. When you can constantly see what your friends are doing and what you are missing out on, it's hard to get on with making a new life. It would be an interesting experiment, for those who are horribly homesick, try keeping off Facebook for a while and see how you feel.

MegSnow

I have no worries, my son is a bit of a geek so he and his friends interact by media, talking about zombie apocalypses and no I don't understand their conversations and I'm too scared to ask lol!

prairiechicken

Yeah I think I agree. Our son has used Skype a bit since we arrived to keep in touch with a couple of friends. But whereas they are now on facebook, I've held off from him getting a facebook account. It's one thing to talk in person once or twice a week for a bit, but something else for him to be constantly bombarded with photos of his old friends with new friends (they've all just started secondary school in the UK) and seeing what he is missing out on.

I don't know how easy it would be to stop him using facebook if he already had it though.

Tirytory

Shall I be a test case for you? How long do you want me to keep away from the world of Facebook?

Shard

I don't use FB, but from what I have been reading it's said to be contributing to some social anxiety. The reason is that everyone tends to paste/upload all the good bits of their life (photos, parties, friendships, purchases, kids achievements) and edit out all the mundane and awful bits. So there can be a bit of unhealthy competition and other negative impacts for viewers when watching.

HGerchikov

A month should be a decent test, you may need to give your FB friends a heads up first though. Don't want you losing friends because they think you are ignoring them

Tirytory

Mmmm, there's a lot to be said for that...

A month?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

scrubbedexpat091

It used to bug me, but it doesn't so much anymore, I also realize how silly mid to late 30 somethings look in photos posing with 20 somethings in the clubs and bars pretending to be 20 still.

The other segment is the opposite and all people posting photos of babies, apparently everyone thinks their baby is the cutest baby ever.....

Tirytory

God I hate that pursing of lips women do in photos....it's probably got a name I can't think of now! Baby brain....which will in turn lead to the cutest baby ever

Teaandtoday5

I believe the clean version is 'duckface'

Gozit

Mm. Sounds like me. I don't necessarily blame my parents for "taking" me here, because I, and they, were born here. I have the extremely lucky opportunity of being a dual citizen with Malta, and therefore the EU. My mum blames the place itself. I love it there [in Malta], the sea, the beaches, the weather, the people... I consider it home, for now. I don't call Canada home because i don't like it here. I cope, and the 5 months where the weather is bearable is the best and i seem somewhat happy during that time. My nana and nanu live in Malta and I try to go back as much as I can to visit. I do want to move there in the future, or failing that maybe the UK or elsewhere in the EU.

I hate the winter here, makes me miserable, so has the bloody weather we've had the last week. Wearing jeans early September wasn't on my to-do list.

If your son is 18 and wants to go home tell him to do so. If I am homesick enough at the time and just fed up then i'll be doing the same, careless or not.

Back to the original point. Given my views advocating peaceful parenting, if I was emigrating with a child I would involve them in as much of the decision that I could, and depending on the circumstance, if after about 2 years the child was as I am, I would bring him/her home.

The thing is with you adult expats is if you get homesick, you can go
for a quick visit to cure it, or if its bad, you can plan a move back. I can't. I don't have that option. At best, its "less than 3 years until I can bugger off if I so choose" , at worst I feel stuck and I have no idea what to do.



Well, how does he actually feel? Does he want to go to Canada, or is he happy in the UK and pissed at you for making him go? If he doesn't like cold weather, tell him he's in for a ****ing world of it.

Like I said, if after about 2 years, my child was as unhappy as I am, I would bring him/her home if the circumstances allowed.

scrubbedexpat091

There is always BC....lol... The winters here are pretty tolerable, even if it does rain, however its a sweet 28 or so degrees this weekend, and so far has only rained once this month....

If it does snow, well it can be comical how people react here...

(I refer to the lower mainland and Island when I say BC. The interior and north obviously have different climates and weather, and haven't spent enough time in those places to say either way how the winters are.)