Simon Legree

Meanie !
Mine said the same about a hot air balloon. I said that she'd make good ballast !! Debate over.

Novocastrian

Ah. I'll have to see about that. Procrastination is my middle name.

rach_woz99

Been here coming up to 2 years and we are happy, settled and contented.

Not to say it wasn't hard to settle down - but never once did we think we had made the wrong move. Just learning a new way of life, making new friends, getting used to prices and products being different, humdrum stuff but be prepared for a permanent headache for the first couple of months!

We have no desire to go back to UK for a visit, first baby on the way, life is good

Good luck with your move

libgirl

Hi,

I know how you feel about the doom and gloomers on this site, had my experience with them the other day, BUT, they are the minority, for every negative response to a thread, i have had 2 positive, people just vent.

My situation is a bit different, we are still in process with our move to BC, fingers crossed, will be there by late summer, We have however already made the move from the UK and HAVE NOT AND NEVER WILL regret taking my kids away from the UK. It was the best thing we ever did for them.

We are in southern California and the lifestyle is i imagine very similar to north america, they love it, they are so much more sociable, much happier kids. Even though the immigration hasnt worked out for us here, as the wait for a greencard is currently 7 years, we will never regret doing it.

Cold feet is a normal part of the pocess.

spaceace

This is what motivated us to move, and even after 4 months we've noticed positive changes with the kids.

mrsr0binson

That's great to hear; we have less than 4 weeks until our move and mine are starting to feel like blocks of ice

It's so nice to read such lovely positive stories. We plan to embrace our new lives and enjoy the adventure - We are really looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead - as well as the fantastic experiences..



It's so nice to know that I'm not the only woman having to kerb her husbands desires for 'Boys-Toys'! That seems to be my OH priority once we land too!

Exilelass

I can only tell you about our experience, but you can take from it what you will.
We came to Canada in 1989 when it was impossible to move to somewhere as 'civilised' as Vancouver and so were in Northern Alberta. I was 6 month pregnant with our 1st (and subsequently, only) child. I hated the place.
We moved 18 months later to Northern BC and I began to make friends, many of whom were from other expat communities. I still felt like a fish out of water and longed to be among my own people, but I was gradually beginning to see the benefits of living in Canada.
In 1994 we decided to go home as our son needed to be at school and we were told he was too young for school where we lived. We moved back to Scotland.
That move cost us dearly. Almost everything we needed in the UK, the house, cars etc was twice the price we would have paid in Canada and the cost of the actual move was huge. My husband could not get decent work in Scotland and ended up going back to his old job in BC; commuting on a month on, month off basis.
In 1999 we moved back to Canada.

We now live on the Island and recognise that there are many wonderful things about Canada...the space, the peace(of the country and the people) the service(you won't get service like this in the UK, except in M&S), the people (are non-aggressive, unlike their southern neighbours and accepting), the weather (like the Channel Islands), the cost of living (generally lower than the UK). However, we have never completely settled here.
We deeply miss 'our people', we miss our culture, our land and our language. We would go home again if we could afford it, but that move is very expensive.

Am I saying, "Don't do it"?
Not in the least. Canada is a wonderful country, it is full of opportunities and can offer you a fantastic life, but I would say, consider how attached you are to your family and your way of life, to you "Englishness" (I am assuming you are English!) and how much you would miss those things. We have English neighbours who have whole heartedly embrassed being Canadians; they speak like Canadians and have taken up Canadian hobbies, drink and life style and are as happy as sandboys! Long may that continue for them.

We can't do that. I am not saying one is right and one wrong, simply that if you have a deep connection to your homeland you may find the move difficult.

However, if you think, sod it we're going anyway, you will not regret the experience.

If you are serious about going back in a year make sure you budget for that from the word 'go'; but whatever you decide I wish you health, peace and joy in your new life.

mandymoochops

Would never return back to the UK.

Living the rural lifestyle, have a fab Canadian husband and extended family, great friends who share our outlook on life - work hard, play harder.

Hell i've literally just planted a vegetable patch in my former guise as an old council estate chav that would never have happened.

I will draw the line at wearing those fluffy jackets with the wolves on etc, but aside from that - f**k yeah life is good

Partially discharged

Any Northern Reflections sweatshirts for when you are going out for a formal meal?

Partially discharged

I'd be interested to know what these Canadian hobbies, drink and lifestyle are?....huntin',fishin', Tim Hortons drinkin'?

mandymoochops

Formal meal the closest to formal we get is a napkin with the wiener roast

Novocastrian

Eh? I first came in 1982, straight to a relatively civilized part of Toronto.

fledermaus

You're just posh totty aren't you?

lindaANDneil

Hi

Well, we've been in Vancouver now for 5 whole weeks.
Vancouver is Vantastic!

It's expensive but I can see why, the sheer beauty of the place and it's surroundings is breathtaking. It's soooo clean! Since we came last March, things have improved around the city and it feels safer and more welcoming to us.

And today, my hubby got a job, a good one!

It makes me giggle when we smell the strong scent of weed on the beaches!
You can't drink openly on the beach - didn't know that so everyone has their vodka/beer in funny flasks or paper cups! I asked someone in a restaurant if they had any spirits (gin/vodka etc) and he thought I was asking if they had ghosts in the place!

We're still very disorientated, not made friends yet so will be attending the next Meet Up for sure.

Linda

FStone

lindaANDneil,

We are moving to Van in August and are sooo pumped!! I am Canadian, hubby British. We should swap details and meet up once we get our there!!!