Cowtown

This one looks like the biggest 'test'. Its already a long wait for a visa who wants it to be even longer?

snowqueen

Thanks everybody for your insightful posts. .. I guess it is normal to have off colour days when you question your decision and start to actually imagine staying... But I feel more 'back on course' today and the vision is intact once more!

You make a good point Rich about the good things at home being 'distractions' because that's how I view them really. The underlying reasons for wanting to move haven't changed. However, I am acutely aware that Canada isn't "all good" any more than Ireland is "all bad" - they're just different.

At least one of the redeming features about the long processing times is that it really gives you the chance to thrash out your motivations and concerns. Certainly no chance of doing anything on a whim!

All in all, we're still up for it. Can't imagine not giving it a go really. We are already looking at the option of renting out the house (house prices still rising here and worth silly money) but the temptation to sell and run off with the money is huge

Snowqueen

CalgaryBlade

We live on the edge of downtown, not the edge of town. As such, the C-Train is free and there's very few on it. I always get a seat, if not a carriage to myself.

As for safety, a few weeks ago you were saying how you take your life in your hands everyday driving on the Deerfoot

Cowtown

We live on the edge of town which suits us better for quick escapes

You're in Kensington - you could probably walk to downtown quicker

Unfortunately, I'm downtown this week and crawling up McLeod daily - I timed it today, took me 35 minutes door to door, that's hardship, eh?

Anyhow, I didn't say I felt unsafe on the C-train, I just object to inhaling everyone else's bugs .....

CalgaryBlade

As opposed to everyone else's carbon monoxide?

ross&carolyn

If you got your visa and decided not to come do you think you would look back in years to come and keep asking yourself 'what would it have been like if we had moved to Canada when we had the chance"

Life isn't a dress rehersal you have to grab it by the goolies and get everything out of it you can!!

We got here in July to find the job market mad, I got the first job I applied for and it took my husband 3 weeks. (We didn't have any interest at all before we got here, they would only consider us once we got here so don't feel despondant if you don't get any offers beforehand) The job agencys all said they didn't have enough recruits for the jobs they needed to fill.

I'm glad we did loads of research before we got here and did 2 reckies. We sold our house in the uk and bought one here which I think has made it easier to settle as we have our own place.

The kids go to the most fantastic schools, they get to play outside in the park our house backs onto and I feel they are safe there, I get a great view of the mountains when I drive home, we have a house twice the size of our uk one and mortgage half the size!!

Still waiting for any signs of homesickness - maybe thats still to come but so far I can say we have no regrets at all.

Well might as well go have a soak in the jacuzzi as there is always complete trash on the tv!!!(so its not all good )

Carolyn (now in Calgary and happy)

Bleech

Hi Snowqueen,
Try not to worry, it's perfectly natural what you're going through.
I was really down whilst waiting for any news from CHC. I just remember thinking Is it worth it?. But as soon as we had our med requests the whole reasoning came to life again. You start to get excited that things are 'really happening' and it becomes a lot more real.
I've got a great job here, I'm in IT and I actually work from home, nice house, family, long term friends etc etc. All our friends think we're mad, but to me there's more to it than that. For a start I find IT very boring, I've done it all my working life and want to do something different, maybe open up a new business or try something completely different?!? I want the kids to enjoy the outdoor life, the lake in the summer and snowboarding in the winter every weekend, thing's they'd never be able to do here. Mortgage (or very little mortgage) free life, maybe own a boat or a Dodge Charger - Material things aren't important, but they'd be nice
I guess really for us, it's more about the kids. My 6 year old has developed a very broad Bristolian accent and I tell everyone we're emigrating just to get rid of it
I expect all our dreams and visions of what we 'think' it'll be like will be completely different when we get out there, but if thing's dont work out and we only last 12 months or so, so what? At least we've tried and it won't be the end of the world if we do have to come back! But we'll try damn hard to make it work. Good luck, stay positive.