Deciding to go home..
#91
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 318
Re: Deciding to go home..
I've been here nearly 18 months and I'm finding it hard. I miss the British sense of humour and generally the Canadians I've met in BC don't get it. I now tried to avoid jokes apart from a local RCMP guy I'm mates with who does get the uk sense of humour.
I've also found the British tendency towards self-deprecation is completely misunderstood. I've found locals where I am far from straight talking and not in possession of the strongest moral compass.
All that been said the mountains, mountain biking, hillwalking and skiing is amazing. It beats fighting your way around the M25 on a Monday morning.
I've also found the British tendency towards self-deprecation is completely misunderstood. I've found locals where I am far from straight talking and not in possession of the strongest moral compass.
All that been said the mountains, mountain biking, hillwalking and skiing is amazing. It beats fighting your way around the M25 on a Monday morning.
This is my experience too. I find the moral compass point depressing.
If you are useful or in the vicinity, they are pretty nice though.
#92
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 318
Re: Deciding to go home..
Oink, why do you live here then, and are you just sarcastic because seriously, you must deal with your fellow country people and hang out with them
#94
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: Deciding to go home..
Depending where you live you sometimes find it hard to actually find this elusive Canadian. I could go out this afternoon to the mall and Im betting I would find many people of various backgrounds who might hold a Canadian passport but truly don't regard themselves as Canadians.
Same here in the US. I know many US passport holders who don't really consider themselves to be American. One close friend is originally from Peru, holds US citizenship and feels unwelcome in the US. She feels that too many Americans consider it to be a white, heterosexual, Christian country and that anything outside of that is somehow less American. All Hispanics seem to be considered as potential illegal immigrants when the reality is that there are legal and illegal immigrants of all backgrounds here. The current election campaign is certainly not helping to make her feel more at home.
#95
Re: Deciding to go home..
Ive been here nearly 11 years and feel i have adapted to life in Canada. It wasn't easy though as im single and i dont make friends easily, My first friends where fellow brits brought over by the same trucking company. I think having decent numbers arriving created a superb support network and social network very quickly. If you arrive alone i think it's much much harder to make a social circle up.
Some still failed here in Canada, some spectacularly ! If Canada isnt right for you then it just wont work ! Recognising that it isnt working and planning your withdrawal back to the Scotland is the best thing you can do.
My friends network isnt solely brit now and i have friends from all over the world as well as Canada BUT only a few, Ive never been someone who had large numbers of friends which maybe helped me adapt to life here ?
Once your back in Scotland the bad memories will fade leaving you with the good ones, I'm hoping you have some good memories !
I did travel back to the UK last year for a Family wedding and i visited my old city (Hull) and i felt utterly detached and out of phase with the city and the people, Or maybe i'm just getting old now lol
Good Luck on your return to Glasgow !
Some still failed here in Canada, some spectacularly ! If Canada isnt right for you then it just wont work ! Recognising that it isnt working and planning your withdrawal back to the Scotland is the best thing you can do.
My friends network isnt solely brit now and i have friends from all over the world as well as Canada BUT only a few, Ive never been someone who had large numbers of friends which maybe helped me adapt to life here ?
Once your back in Scotland the bad memories will fade leaving you with the good ones, I'm hoping you have some good memories !
I did travel back to the UK last year for a Family wedding and i visited my old city (Hull) and i felt utterly detached and out of phase with the city and the people, Or maybe i'm just getting old now lol
Good Luck on your return to Glasgow !
#98
Re: Deciding to go home..
Seeing that you've been in Canada just a couple of years, do you go out of your way to only 'hang out' with British people, or do you mix with folks from different cultures that are also immigrants to Canada - then whinge about everyone else that is 'not British like' to your taste?
#99
Re: Deciding to go home..
My workplace is an exceedingly mixed place culturally, with people from all over the world working there. It's a nice environment in that not many people are from BC, so everybody is being nice to everyone else, no matter how weird they or their humor seem.
I lean a lot on being the "quirky British girl". If I say something weird or I'm ignorant of something I'll immediately follow up with "...is this a British thing?" or "Do I not know this because I'm not from here?" It does wonders for me because then I get to sit back and try to explain things or have them explained to me. It's cultural sharing.
I lean a lot on being the "quirky British girl". If I say something weird or I'm ignorant of something I'll immediately follow up with "...is this a British thing?" or "Do I not know this because I'm not from here?" It does wonders for me because then I get to sit back and try to explain things or have them explained to me. It's cultural sharing.
#101
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 318
Re: Deciding to go home..
My workplace is an exceedingly mixed place culturally, with people from all over the world working there. It's a nice environment in that not many people are from BC, so everybody is being nice to everyone else, no matter how weird they or their humor seem.
I lean a lot on being the "quirky British girl". If I say something weird or I'm ignorant of something I'll immediately follow up with "...is this a British thing?" or "Do I not know this because I'm not from here?" It does wonders for me because then I get to sit back and try to explain things or have them explained to me. It's cultural sharing.
I lean a lot on being the "quirky British girl". If I say something weird or I'm ignorant of something I'll immediately follow up with "...is this a British thing?" or "Do I not know this because I'm not from here?" It does wonders for me because then I get to sit back and try to explain things or have them explained to me. It's cultural sharing.
#102
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 318
Re: Deciding to go home..
Seeing that you've been in Canada just a couple of years, do you go out of your way to only 'hang out' with British people, or do you mix with folks from different cultures that are also immigrants to Canada - then whinge about everyone else that is 'not British like' to your taste?
#103
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 5
Re: Deciding to go home..
Hi, I'm in the interior near Kelowna. I don't want to be too specific as I'm learning these small town tend to gossip! It'll be great to go to an event.
#104
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 10
Re: Deciding to go home..
Good Luck! I am debating what to do too.Something is missing nothing clicks! All my friends are Eastern European !!!
#105
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 9
Re: Deciding to go home..
We're going back to Europe after 18 years here and one of the reasons is the lack of 'buzz' here in Canada. During our time here we made lots of acquaintances but not many real friends and found most of them quite 'blah'. Maybe it's the environment here or its just the Canadian personality, but eventually the lack of motivation can affect you, as it has in our case. When ever we've been back to Europe we've found people more motivated and excited about life, something we hope to get back when we move back.