Anybody else seen it?

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=327415

Although we are still happy with our choice for the future, we are feeling pretty down at the moment. Waiting for passport requests and facing the unpalatable prospect of splitting the family up for 6-9 months. We have very recently done two-city life, we have also done two-country life, but we have never had to face two-continent life before Thank God for those long European vacation allowances!

It can get quite lively on the Oz forum but all the posts here were very thoughtful and I think it highlighted the issues well. I often have a wander to "Coming back to the UK" forum to get a rounded view on things too.

Very good post, although it's made me feel a little home sick with some of the points he mentioned. Will soon get over it though

When I read the Oz forum, I often think "Thank heavens I married a Canuck".

Generally the Canada forum is a little more reserved, and a little more "old England", if you know what I mean. Also, Oz does seem so far away from most places.

As for the ex-pat in Germany, with the exception of interesting European cities he could have pretty much everything else he mentions here in Canada. Glad he's staying in Germany though, if, as he states, he drives "like a loon"

The points mentioned are the first considerations in emigrating and if they are significant then don't go any further. Why go through all of the paperwork, selling house etc. when these issues have not been resolved?

It seems klike there is a market for an "Immigrating for Dummies" book.

I have only been here 3 months, so I'm allowed to get a little homesick, especially since my family is not yet here!!!! Not regretting a single thing about the move overall. So if the last sentance was aimed at me please put your toys back in the pram

You mean just like the Calgarians, but with a faster rather than larger car

I don't find driving or the drivers here that bad. But then I rarely drive, except on the weekends, and when i do it's just point the car west and go.

Yes, I saw this earlier.
All credit to the guy. He has made a difficult decision and knows it is the right one for him and his family.
Although I did wonder why he had to get so far along the process before he realised, at least he had the courage of his convictions.

I quite frequently have a browse on the Returning to the UK forum just to try and get a "balanced" view. I am the kind of person who needs to know, as much as possible, what may be ahead so I find it valuable to read both positive and negative views. That way when culture shock and/or homesickness hit me I won't be completely floored. That's the plan anyway!

everyone is different.......the guy seems to have thought it through a whole lot.......for me I belive you really don't realize how good it is in Europe until you have been gone a few years and go back on trips regular.......and I think it's the people that I miss most.....fair play to him and good luck

I think that is why it was such a useful post. There are plenty of us out here in cyberspace who should have thought long and hard about these things, but it is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of new opportunities when the process is completed in a short period (I think it is less than 12 monthys for Australia?).

Perhaps there is a method in the CHC madness

I found the posters points v helpful and it certainly makes you think about what you have already, if you haven't already done so..... However, If I COULD drive to Val d'Isere for the weekend, I don't think I would be looking for a "better" lifestyle elsewhere!! ( A family skiing holiday for a week from Ireland costs approx 4,000 euro, which is why I can never go )

Snowqueen

The process for PR is so long that I think we all go through a 'down' period - mine hit earlier this year in June/July when I started to wonder why we were putting ourselves through the misery of living a life in limbo. I started thinking about moving to Eire and how much quicker the whole process would be, but just as I'd started trying to put the whole Canada thing out of my mind and move on in my life, hey presto, the med requests came through (August). We got our visas last week and I can say that since the med requests, thing have rocketed!

Hang in there - your turn will come soon and when it does, the speed of it will knock your socks off!!

Thanks for those kind words. I am in a much better frame of mind after a weekend of activity in the fresh air We still cannot whip up much enthusiasm until we actually get those visas issued (2 weeks and counting since CHC received police certs and meds), but at least we have a plan to work with, however harsh it seems at the moment.

Funnily enough, when we put the big move out of our minds and got on with our lives we ended up taking contracts away from "home" and just adding to the complexity of our situation