Quinn of Québec

Hello all,

I haven't posted for a very long time but I thought today would be an opportune moment to do so.

Today is 27th July and it's the first anniversary of my arrival in Canada. It has been a crazy, stressful but ultimately wonderful year and my new life here is even better than I though/hoped it would be.

It certainly has been full of stress and has been exhausting; from the moment I touched down at the airport it has been a high intensity roller coaster ride. I had to very quickly get all my paperwork sorted out (SIN card etc), find/buy both a car and home and start a new job.

Despite the energy levels required and the tight deadlines to get everything sorted IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL!!!

I don't want to sound to gushing but my life here is incomparable to the one I had in the UK. Before arriving I had high hopes for living in Canada and thought that I was perhaps idealising how it would be BUT the reality has in fact, surpassed my lofty expectations.

I live in the beautiful Laurentian mountains in a beautiful village surrounded by crystal blue lakes. I have a great big newly built 3-story house which has an acre of forest land surrounding it (I could NEVER have hoped or afforded anything like it in the UK!!). I am surrounded by great wildlife and have seen Eagles, wild deer, hummingbirds, raccoons ETC and have also lay in bed many evenings listening to wolves and coyotes outside. . . it is fantastic!

My career has taken off to I man gaged to get promoted to head of department within 3 months of arriving and have had lots of great opportunities here to collaborate with various organisations on exciting projects.

I ski in the winter (I live 5 minutes from ski centre) and enjoy the great outdoors in the summer by canoing etc.

As a footy maniac I thought I would find it hard living here but even that is better here in a sense as I have far more live premiership games on TV.

I have a fantastic quality of life here and I don't miss the dreary grey life of the UK one bit.

I can honestly say that moving to Canada has made me happier than I ever thought possible.

I wanted to post this as prior to my move I used to use this board a lot and would often get bombarded by negative posts from cynics telling me that it doesn't work out in Canada for most Expats and that noone can get jobs etc etc. I know that many of these posts came from individuals who were having a hard time and I sympathise with them BUT I wanted to post this message to redress the balance a bit with some positivity. . . .

Emigrating to Canada from the UK is a great move to make, it's the best decision I've ever made and I can't recommend it enough.

If you are on the verge of making the same move or in the lengthy application process, take it from me, it is a land of great opportunity and beauty affording you a quality of life that simply isn't possible in the congested continent of Europe.

Good Luck!

M.

iaink

Happy Canaversary! First of Many.

Craftybanshee

Congratulations on your anniversary and thanks for posting such a positive story of your new life in Canada.

1066

It sounds lousy ... I can't imagine why you didn't stay in the UK!!

Happy Anniversary

Butch Cassidy

WFM
At last somebody with something positive to say ( )

Happy Canaversary (aint I original )

BC

ralstne

Thank you so much for that uplifting post! This time next week we will have just landed and it feels almost unbelievable to think about it. I'm feeling slightly bogged down by the sadness of leaving friends and family and of the uncertainty and enormity of what I'm doing and your post has seriously lifted my spirits. I'm so glad that your move has been such a great experience for you and can only hope that mine will be the same.

Thanks!

creamcrackered

well done! a positive post is a joy to read. may you continue to be healthy, happy and prosperous. congrats on your anniversary.

Souvenir

Good to hear you're enjoying life in La Belle Province. By now I'm sure you have mastered one of the most commonly used phrases:

"vaynedagauwze".

Are you quite certain about the hummingbirds, BTW? I can go with eagles, coyotes, wolves and other Canadian domestic pets, but tropical birds????

1066

You've never seen them?

http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

iaink

You dont see them? I though you were close to Ottawa.

I guess after my local beach holiday, maybe I am living in the tropics after all

Get yourself a cheapo feeder from Crappy Tire, make some food up (one part sugar in 4 parts water), and ignore all that bullshit on the box about placing it near red tubular flowers at first, and you should see some within a week if you are patient.

nivlad

I agree, Canada is much better than the UK. We have been here almost 1 year (August 2). I have been back to the UK for business and I was just dying to get back on that plane "home". The UK has no gravity, it just sucks!

Souvenir

Reply to Ian and 1066.

No. I've never seen a hummingbird here. Come to think of it, I haven't seen all that many birds of any description around here. Maybe it's just something to do with the area. There is plenty of other fauna. You live and learn.

Linda P

Sounds idyllic.

I love a story with a happy ending

Linda

dozzzzy

Friends of mine have about 30 humming birds at their feeder for most of the day, but then, they are in the more moderate climbs of Richmond, BC. It is hard to get an accurate count as they move so darn quickly, they are really beautiful to watch.

Dozzzzy

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Mans

Great post.....

CONGRATULATIONS

Wish you the very best of luck for your next anniversary

Karma Sent