Lamin

My original move to Canada should have been to NS, lots of trips, reccies etc but I was then offered a very good oppotunity in Calgary, which I took. I have been coming to Calgary for 20 years on & off, knew it would never be home and its not. I feel I am trying to enjoy it rather than actually enjoying it.

The mountains are great but I feel land locked in a big sterile urban city, with lack of choices where to go for days out, weekends away (within reason) and I miss the coast.

Now as luck would have it a poster on this site has tipped me about the possibilty of a job coming up, so I am flying over to have a chat etc.


I would be interested to know how other expats are finding life in NS, does it live up to your expectations, is it to quiet, to limited, do you find the winters brutal etc.

I know everybody is differant and has a differant opinion, but it does appear that NS is a popular choice and not only that the vast majority enjoy it and seem to have settled in and adjusted well.

I would appreciate any comments or advice.

Many thanks.

Lamin

Joe Sleepy

I was worried about the snow, is the fog really that bad?

Pebblebeach

Hi,

I have only experienced 1 winter here in NS, but it wasn't brutal at all. The snow was only on the ground for 2 months (mid Jan to mid March) and there were lots of sunny days.

Down here in Digby we get very little fog,certainly less than we experienced in England. I am pretty sure this doesn't hold for the whole province though.

Having said that, the current weather is probably the worst we have experienced here - windy, grey and rainy and the sea is pretty grey and choppy too. (Though I do have a sun tan from working in the garden last week!).

I love it here.

Hope your trip goes well.

Joe_Sleepy

It depends entirely on location, we live on an exposed site on the ocean & our fog is often very localised.. The reason I'd posted in that thread was more about refuting the assertion that fog wasn't a problem here, it can be, in certain areas, across The Maritimes..

Winters here are milder than much of the rest of Canada but they last a while, we're currently 7 months into the cold weather (no different from much of the country I'd imagine) & my patience is wearing a little thin..

Outside of Halifax there is a deep rooted provincial attitude to gender roles, race, sexuality etc.. As I've posted before, much of life here really is like living in England 40 years ago but that obviously has it's downside as well as it's upside..

Put simply, Nova Scotia is backwards in many ways & perversely that can be a mixed blessing, although I've met my fair share of both Rednecks & Pseuds since living here, the vast majority of the population are utterly detached...

I was born (& spent the first 40 years of my life) in London, a lot of places feel a little provincial to me as a result & so it would be wise to take my ramblings with a large pinch of salt..

Silverdragon102

Lived here 3 years and each winter has been different. Yes things at times appears behind to how things are done in the UK but I can't say it has really been an issue. NS is definitely in my opinion a poor relation to some of the other provinces but still love it here

alexisatk

Yet Kings and Hants Counties (both rural counties) keep electing an openly gay MP to Parliament.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Brison

Joe_Sleepy

Good for them. How's the fog where you are.?..

alexisatk

Cloudy and rainy off and on for the last couple weeks. But there has been no fog hiding the sun on sunny days - only on rainy days.

Silverdragon102

Meant to add, not had much fog here and haven't seen much fog in the 3 years we have lived here

Lamin

So apart from the weather has anybody got anything else to add?

nikki dreaming

hi

yes it is living up to my expectations, winters really aren't that bad, life goes on and it isnt as cold as other places in canada, jobs are going well, kids have settled, life is good.

To a certain degree living up to expectations comes down to the initial research you can do before moving here, I think if done thoroughly enough you can see if you will be happy here or not in the long term, although of course work and job prospects/situation you find yourself in can change life very quickly.

wats123

I'll be coming up to my first year in July, so from arriving the weather was great up to September... then it was OK up to Christmas and then since then my patience has been wearing thin, it is nice to see buds on the trees and the green grass!

But as for things to do, I haven't found much, sure there are lovely places to go to and look at and experience, but downtown Halifax is awful, plenty of bars though if that's your thing...

Siouxie

Are there any Brit meet up's in the area - I have a friend from the UK moving there soon and they are a little apprehensive about how to make connections.

Any advice appreciated!

jameswales

There should be Brit meet up's. Hell though, I'd never go - I moved here to get away from other British folk like you lot.

I love Halifax. I'd never move back to the UK. Anyone who wants to is a silly sausage.

Joe_Sleepy

Feel free to PM me..