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-   -   Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/am-i-normal-abnormal-no-smart-remarks-please-532050/)

Emmjay Apr 24th 2008 7:56 pm

Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
Hi everyone.

I know i am still at the beginning of this long and frustrating process. However i am not sure if my thoughts and feelings are normal or not? Any advice would be welcome.

I still want to move to NS but i am terrified of doing this and doubts and all the "what if's" start to fill my mind. Is this normal? I keep thinking of leaving my family behind etc and my comfort zone.

Did anyone else, who has gone before, have these feelings or is anyone currently in the middle of doing this scared to death at the prospect.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Emmjay

hawkman Apr 24th 2008 8:33 pm

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 

Originally Posted by Emmjay (Post 6263382)
Hi everyone.

I know i am still at the beginning of this long and frustrating process. However i am not sure if my thoughts and feelings are normal or not? Any advice would be welcome.

I still want to move to NS but i am terrified of doing this and doubts and all the "what if's" start to fill my mind. Is this normal? I keep thinking of leaving my family behind etc and my comfort zone.

Did anyone else, who has gone before, have these feelings or is anyone currently in the middle of doing this scared to death at the prospect.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Emmjay

Emmjay,

I started a thread called 'How does life in Canada compare to life in the UK'

You were kind enough to be one of the sensible contributors to that question.

My wife and I haven't made any final decisions about moving to Canada yet, and we're both terrified!

We actually got as far as my wife getting a job interview for Regina in Sasketchewan, but when we took a close look at Regina we didn't like it at all, so we didn't take matters any further.

I hope we will do it one day, but it's a terrifying prospect; giving up all our friends and families. Selling our hourse, pulling our little girl out of school, and both giving up our jobs...what if it all goes wrong?

I'd say your fear is perfectly healthy. It would be far worse to be cocksure and mistakenly believe life in Canada is a garden of eden.

Even the bravest of soldiers will admit to being scared and tell people that that fear is healthy.

Good luck; I hope it all works out for you, I'm sure it will, and ignore some of the churlish remarks your question may generate, I'm sure most people will be supportive.

Cheers.

Hawkman

emmabell Apr 24th 2008 8:45 pm

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
I can perfectly understand your feelings. I also feel same way as leaving everyone behind, even my son (23) and mother who is 82. But if you dont do it think of the regrets. Also you can always come home. Change is as good as a rest so it goes. By reading peoples experiences on this site, there are not that many negative ones, and meet ups will be a good way of making friends. Good luck.:)

Mrs Muesli Apr 24th 2008 9:58 pm

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
It's perfectly normal to feel the way you do, in fact if you didn't, you'd be abonormal! No amount of analysing beforehand will make the final decision easier, and if you don't do it, you will always wonder. I'd say, give it a go. What's the worst that can happpen? You'll feel homesick - most of us do from time to time; you might not get the job/house/car that you want - again, this happens to many of us. We've all given it our best shot, and if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, buy a ticket home and be happy in the knowledge that you didn't sit on your bum waiting for Things to happen!
Good luck, and I really hope it all works out the way you want. :)

destinationnovascotia Apr 24th 2008 10:00 pm

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
We are moving to NS in August and although we are absolutely sure we want to go it is still a scary process. If anyone says that they are not the least bit nervous IMHO they are either lying or bonkers.

In the early stages we talked about how scary it was and weighed up the following option as to what scared us more:

1. Going, hating it and coming back

2. Not going, staying in our comfort zone and for the rest of our lives thinking "what if"

For us there was no contest.

beccaj Apr 24th 2008 10:09 pm

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
We are only at the begining of the process to, and I have days where I think we must be mad, and we should just get on with our lives here in the UK. Then something just kicks in and I think I would be mad not to go for it. If it all turns out and we get the chance to live in Canada we can say we did it, and if we really don't like we come back to the UK after having the experience. You only have one shot at life and do you really want to spend the rest of your years wondering.

ireland2canada Apr 24th 2008 10:29 pm

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
Just my tuppence-worth......Normal!
It's a nerve-shredding experience, but hopefully one for the better. Character building stuff!

Ontheboatout Apr 25th 2008 12:24 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 

Originally Posted by Emmjay (Post 6263382)
Hi everyone.

I know i am still at the beginning of this long and frustrating process. However i am not sure if my thoughts and feelings are normal or not? Any advice would be welcome.

I still want to move to NS but i am terrified of doing this and doubts and all the "what if's" start to fill my mind. Is this normal? I keep thinking of leaving my family behind etc and my comfort zone.

Did anyone else, who has gone before, have these feelings or is anyone currently in the middle of doing this scared to death at the prospect.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Emmjay

We never found the route long or frustrating - have you searched on "Community Identified" you could be here within a year!

Also it takes the same time to get from NS to Yorkshire as it does to drive from Yorkshire to the Isle of Skye. So you are not really that far away.

SAW 04 Apr 25th 2008 12:50 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
And I guess you may know someone who might be able to help?


Originally Posted by Ontheboatout (Post 6264354)
We never found the route long or frustrating - have you searched on "Community Identified" you could be here within a year!

Also it takes the same time to get from NS to Yorkshire as it does to drive from Yorkshire to the Isle of Skye. So you are not really that far away.


Ontheboatout Apr 25th 2008 12:54 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
Yes, Margot Begin, Director of Communications, Colchester RDA. People find her excellent.

wonderwoman Apr 25th 2008 3:39 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
Did anyone else, who has gone before, have these feelings or is anyone currently in the middle of doing this scared to death at the prospect.

YES!! I think its normal, but for us, we had looked at it so much and talked about it so much it would have been worse not to go for it, i think in the end i just tryed to push the scary thoughts from my head, and lived in that insane bubble that surrounds you when you're wanting for the 'Yes' or the postman!! :)

Caitilin Apr 25th 2008 4:32 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
trust me, you're completely normal. You're taking a great leap into the unknown, and you're going to have yourself and anyone you take with you as the only thing to rely on for sure. Look into the phenomena of culture shock before you go, it does happen to the best of us.

I've emmigrated 6 times, and this will be the 7th and last. I'm nervous too.

Then again, I also know that I have this board, and friends to rely on to help me.

If you need help, ask. Most of us are happy to help where we can, and learn to accept graciously if offered - something i'm very bad at.

cheers
Deb

Moggiemiss Apr 25th 2008 4:51 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 
Of course moving to live and work in another country is a huge step and you are bound to have the occasional doubt, but as some contributors have said, you don't have to stay forever, if you don't want to . . . and what a great experience you will have.

E-mail and cheaper phone costs mean that keeping in touch is a lot cheaper than it used to be years ago ... go for it!!!!

Patsy Apr 25th 2008 5:01 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 

Originally Posted by emmabell (Post 6263571)
I also feel same way as leaving everyone behind, even my son (23) and mother who is 82. But if you dont do it think of the regrets.

I'm a bit puzzled by that. What will the regrets be?

Lorna_D Apr 25th 2008 5:08 am

Re: Am i normal or abnormal? no smart remarks please
 

Originally Posted by Emmjay (Post 6263382)
Hi everyone.

I know i am still at the beginning of this long and frustrating process. However i am not sure if my thoughts and feelings are normal or not? Any advice would be welcome.

I still want to move to NS but i am terrified of doing this and doubts and all the "what if's" start to fill my mind. Is this normal? I keep thinking of leaving my family behind etc and my comfort zone.

Did anyone else, who has gone before, have these feelings or is anyone currently in the middle of doing this scared to death at the prospect.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Emmjay

You wouldn't be human if you didn't have a variety of thoughts and feelings. I left my children, grandchildren and 80 year old mother at home but still talk to them a few times a month, email and text etc daily, some days are good some are bad for missing them, but I only miss them not the place I moved from. I believe if you want to settle you will make it work. Life is not a dress rehearsal so go for it, you can alway return to Britian or move onto another country if you feel Canada is not for you.

Maybe you should spend some time on Returning to UK Forum to see what is making people return, but remember you are an individual and what works for one doesn't for another. :thumbup:



Originally Posted by hawkman (Post 6263512)
Emmjay,

I started a thread called 'How does life in Canada compare to life in the UK'

You were kind enough to be one of the sensible contributors to that question.

My wife and I haven't made any final decisions about moving to Canada yet, and we're both terrified!

We actually got as far as my wife getting a job interview for Regina in Sasketchewan, but when we took a close look at Regina we didn't like it at all, so we didn't take matters any further.

I hope we will do it one day, but it's a terrifying prospect; giving up all our friends and families. Selling our hourse, pulling our little girl out of school, and both giving up our jobs...what if it all goes wrong?

I'd say your fear is perfectly healthy. It would be far worse to be cocksure and mistakenly believe life in Canada is a garden of eden.

Even the bravest of soldiers will admit to being scared and tell people that that fear is healthy.

Good luck; I hope it all works out for you, I'm sure it will, and ignore some of the churlish remarks your question may generate, I'm sure most people will be supportive.

Cheers.

Hawkman

I didn't realise you had reccied Regina, we could have arranged to meet up and given you a proper tour. We have been lucky to meet people like Lizwil98 who has lived in Regina with her husband since Jesus was a child :lol: Also Saskatchewn is now a booming province so to be in on the ground floor now would lead to a lot of opportunities.


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