Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

Glad it went so well - I was wondering how you got on. I agree on the Skype thing - it is so cheap and I believe you can call landline numbers in another country using it.

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

Yep, I use it to ring to book things in Canada from the UK.
I think my sister uses it in Canada instead of a land line phone - then they just have cell phones on top of that.

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

Pleased it went well for you - bet it was a shock to get that sort of response! :lol:
Heres to your future :beer:
Linz
xxx

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

I am considering the move myself, and got mixed reactions, my mum is delighted at the prospect of an extended trip to Canada to visit us, my dad is in despair and denial.
The thing is I can't live my life for my parents, they have to accept that I may not always be there for them (luckily I am not an only child) - I lived in France for 4 years and they got used to that. If dad had his way i would never have moved out of the village!
Incidentally I am going over for 4 days next week, can you suggest any areas to visit which I should consider living in with 4 kids under the age of 6 within a commuting distance to Markham...

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

Quite right. You have to do what is right for you as, inevitably, they will not be around for ever. It is always going to be a tough decision, but our parents would have been devastated if we gave up on our emigration dream just in case they became ill.

A former colleague saved up her allotted holiday time in work as she wanted to make sure she could have enough time off in case her parents were taken ill. As expected, they were never ill and as a result, she sacrificed the possibility of going somewhere nice in the summer and had to use all her holiday weeks up in the depths of winter, never leaving the country in case she couldn't get back in an emergency. Did her parents appreciate it? No, they were probably dismayed that she was giving up so many possible experiences.

The days when emigrating meant never seeing other again our long gone - with Skype, e-mails and (relatively) cheaper flights, it has never been easier to keep in touch and go back and forth if necessary.

Lots of luck with your plans. :thumbsup:

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

linz,
Youre telling me. It was a complete shock, but they are definately putting a brave face on. Once the process moves on we will start to tell them how it is going, show them pictures of the schools etc.
We can't live our lifes for our parents and the majority of them come round at some point (even if they are not completely happy with it) I think its when there are grandchildren involved that makes it even harder.
My mum and dad have been absolute rocks during the difficult times with my youngest due to his Aspergers. They have a really special bond with him and his sister. But still, the decision has been made and we are going and they support our decision.

Thanx again to everyone for the support...

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

Really pleased your parents took it so well Linsy, hope that everything goes smoothly with your move.

I'm dreading telling my MIL, so far everyone else, family and freinds know of our plans except her!

We have recently got Skype on our PC and it's great, OH been in India on business for two weeks so had a chance to try it out. I've also used it to call a landline in Florida. He said it made it so much more bearable being away from the children for two weeks, by being able to see them.

We are sneakily sorting out a new pc for MIL with internet and Skype so she can use it to call us while we are still here. Hoping that if she gets used to it and sees how good it is, it will be easier to deal with us being so far away if she knows she can just click on an icon and see us. As long as she doesn't do it at all hours of the night that is:lol:

My dad has known since 2006 after our first visit and his atitude is I'll visit once as it's too far and too cold. Considering he goes away for six weeks every summer to his flat in Portugal while the kids are on holiday and has always done this, even if it meant missing only grandsons birthday I'm not surprised.

He also went on this anual trip when I was overdue to give birth to said grandson and OH family were around FIL deathbed and I had no other family to call on. If it wasn't for my friend looking after my 3 year old daughter I would have given birth.

So if I get any complaints about taking grandkids away I will have a few things to say. As for being a long way it's not much longer than a flight to Portugal, we are going to NS not BC, but to be honest I think it's more a case of he doesn't want to put his hand in his pocket!

At least he's not moaning about us going yet and my sisters can't wait to visit. He's probably worried they'll want to follow us over;)

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

thanx for that.
We have skype, but haven't tried it although OH has. Have a pal in Vancouver to will skype her and give it a go. Can't imagine what it must have been like to emigrate years ago before google street view, skype, internet and of course BE! Must have been much more of a leap of faith! I wonder what the 'success rate' was like. My inlaws went to Toronto when OH was 6 months old and only lasted 12 months and came back with nothing. Guess we haven't learned. Never mind, I think we have a better idea of whats ahead of us....but you never know. Ah shit, what've we got to lose...oh yes thousands of pounds:lol:

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

I'm glad to hear that your parents are supporting your decision.
Tell them that calling Canada isn't as expensive as they think (or what they were quoted by Virgin Media).
It's only 0.5p per minute using http://www.discountdial.co.uk/index2.php
They simply use their landline (Virgin Media or BT) to make the call using the access number on the site. Should save them quite a bit of money and keep their minds at peace :)

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

It's only money and lets face it, you can't take it with you and it doesn't buy happiness!

We have a good comfortable lifestyle, nice holidays, etc, but since visiting Canada there's something missing. I think it's adventure and you only live once so why not go for it:thumbsup:

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

All this talk of costs on skype.....you do know that if you have skype and your parents have skype installed on their comp, then you can make an internet call and talk over a webcam for free!

Like SambaDeAmigo said, get a calling card and use that. i used a global gossip card for two years when i was in Oz and then took it to Canada with me and used it there to phone the rents back at home in the UK.

Dunc

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

cheers for that. I'll pass it on to them.
lindsey

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

I am really glad that it went well. I bet that was a weight off your mind.

As for mice, I also have that problem as I live next to a wood (sadly we lost our cat who was really good at catching them) I have even managed to catch mice with my hands :D

Re: I'm going to tell my parents of our plans to emigrate tomorrow
 

Well, I remember telling my parents, who are from the Caribbean and moved to England where I was born....they had no issue with it.....however, OH's parents were devastated....they thought we were running away from something, we did not love them, etc...usual stuff to make you feel guilty.

We have been here 2 years now, and OH's parents have visited...they love our dream home, love the fact we live in a fantastic neighbourhood, have fantastic jobs...this made it easier for them, but they still don't want us to be here, but they have accepted that it is what we want to do.....

Good luck as this is not an easy thing to do!

Jaffa