Nibbles2005

Hi,

We landed a week ago in Toronto and feeling I suppose quite naturally a bit strange and displaced, missing friends etc. Trying to take each day at a time but wondered what phases other people went through in what sort of timescales and how they coped, what helped etc?

Thanks

Alberta_Rose

When we landed we rushed about like mad things for the first week getting everything sorted; schools, money, officialdom etc then I left the family and went back to UK for a couple of months to finish affairs there.

When I rejoined the family they were all installed in schools/work. They seemed to know how everything worked ... I felt left out, un-needed, as well as lonely, as it was a while til I could get my own work sorted out, ... and quite alien.

Things were fine once I got established though.

SMCNI1968

I moved here in November 1997, I found the first month a bit teary. Then I got used to it for a little while, not happy or sad, but come April/May (when the weather starts to warm up) of the next year I loved it! If you need any help or to meet up for a coffee etc, message me.

Stephen

Ginger3710

Welcome to Canada!

We landed 7 months ago and I would say with regard to paperwork, the more organised you are the better you will feel. Things like insurance, schooling, drivers licences, bank accounts, health cards etc get onto them straight away and get them over and done with.

It's interesting to read different people's experiences, from being lonely and not enjoying Canada at all, to people like us who have loved being here from day 1. At first some differences were a little frustrating, like different groceries, different driving habits especially the freeways, but gradually you get used to things here and tend to forget the old ways. Actually, we found driving on the right side of the road much easier that we thought it would be. Now when I see Aussie or British movies or tv shows with drivers on the left, it looks strange!

I would recommend getting out into the community as soon as possible to start meeting people. You don't say if you have any children, but volunteering at the school is a great way to start, get the kids into sports or other activities, the local library has lots of info for new immigrants. When we first moved into our rental home we didn't have a computer, so we practically lived at the library, using the computers for info and we got to know some of the staff who were very friendly, it was a real comfort zone for us until we got to know the place.

After 7 months of being here we feel totally at home and love it here. Even though our 3 boys miss some friends and family, they say life here is better than Aus. For us the first few weeks were the hardest as we didn't know anyone and were getting used to how things were done. Once all our paperwork had been completed, that was a huge relief so I would recommend that be your number 1 priority.

Good luck with everything.

Londonuck

Was pretty euphoric to be honest. We stayed with a friend in Calgary for about two weeks which was nice. Drove to Vancouver, checked into Shaughnessy Village on W12th, which was pretty awful. In fact another English couple we met called it Shagnasty Village. Did three weeks there until we found our lovely flat over North Van. That was the hardest bit when we moved over, those three weeks. But got through it cos i hated the UK at the time and was so glad to be gone. As the OP said, wait til the summer comes in.

snowshoveller

I remember writing seemingly endless cheques, and visiting dingy government offices packed to the gunwhales with dodgy characters in shellsuits

Nibbles2005

Thanks guys it means a lot to know it gets better and interesting to see all the different ways people feel.

I was fortunate enough to get a transfer with my company so we landed Thursday and I started work on Monday so think I have missed out on some of the familiarisation stuff and time to enjoy the country and feel at home before I have had to hit a routine. Don't think this is helping and in general I still think we have done the right thing and like it here. I have suffered from Anxiety in the past and just think a little of that is coming through and have to be tough and get through it. I think I was being unrealistic to think I wouldn't feel a little odd, displaced and anxious at first but wanted to know I was not alone.

If anyone does want to meet up for a coffee in Toronto that would be great x

Aviator

I'm always relieved after each landing, especially if I can use the aeroplane again.

Souvy

Very encouraging. You sound like a pilot on Saudia.

"We will be landing in Jeddah in 20 minutes, God willing....."

Aviator

One thing in aviation, you are always guaranteed a landing of some sort or another

The time I walked on the aircraft with a parachute on caused a stir. It had a tag on the back 'Pilot - Use only in an emergency' I got in all kinds of s**t for that.

elouisa presley

auto pilot
numb yet it felt like a holiday after we did all the paperwork and Ohip cards etc
bought 2 cars then a large house with land.
got kids into schools
made the basement into a granny annexe for Mum and stepDad. They've visited twice for 6 weeks each time.
6 months here, we bought a duplex rented it out for 3.5 yrs, sold it.
Got Canadian Citizenship in May 09.
I became a foster mum.
kept busy - so I wouldn't face the fact that I was miserable here without the rest of my family.
Sept 09 mother became ill and step father had quadruple heart bypass - unable to be sponsored into Ontario and also they're early 70s and set in their ways and have decided to stay put in UK.
Our eldest is almost 17 and we're returning once he graduates so that we can be near our ailing parents. Nothing can replace that.
We've been here, done that and if we hadn't we would have always wondered. Our wondering is over and we're sooooo excited to be returning to HOME- GREAT BRITAIN

Grendel

We've been six months and it's all gone by in a rush.

In the first few weeks I wanted to get everything sorted immediately - get a job, buy a car, find a house, get our OHIPs, driving licenses, etc - and then realised how ridiculous this goal was. You have to take things one day at a time, although we definitely felt better once all our bureaucracy was sorted out.

You have taken the biggest, most complex step you could ever take, so it's natural to feel a bit strange, out of place and nervous. Everybody's been in the same boat.

We made a conscious effort to get things done while trying to enjoy ourselves and find out about our new home, so we alternated getting car insurance, etc, with seeing sights, going to a bar, touring local shops, etc. Trying to do the things regular Canadians do so we felt less like tourists on a long holiday and more like citizens.

Yes, there have been stressful moments - my last grandparent and two friends have died since we arrived, one of them quite tragically, and my wife had to rush home for two months following a major health scare involving her mum - but we absolutely love it here and haven't really felt homesick. Of course we miss friends and family, but they all want us to be happy doing what we want to do, and many are making plans to visit us.

It's not perfect (where is?) but we never expected it to be. We simply wanted a better life than the one we had in the UK, and so far we've got one. There will always be bills to pay and problems to deal with, but we're tackling them one at a time and rejoicing in the fact that we're in Canada, the place we dreamed about for 7+ years.

Good luck and I hope you like it here as much as we do.

swoops

I'll let you know in just over a week, landing in NS with the family...

Butch Cassidy

Jan the piglet, so nice to see you again.

MR79

Thats the poster, she has posted on another thread going on about dont move to Canada blah blah blah....let down socially by Canadians blah blah blah
get over it.........