Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Hi I am sorry after reading your post that you feel so negative and dissappointed with your move. We have only just moved to Calgary at first it was great and we were in a holiday mode and loved it. But now we are coming to the end of our first month and we are having feelings of have we done the right thing. As my husband is an electrician and the work is so completely different compared to the UK and the kids are finding it hard to adjust to Canadian school life and how different they are taught things. Also the the lingo, as some Canadians look at us as if we are speaking a foreign language and vice versa. We had a particularly bad yesterday with my son so miserable and our daughter falling out with one of her friends. Our friend from the UK staying with us crashed our car and if they had earthquakes here it would have finished the day off nicely. But on a lighter note deep down we feel it is just homesickness and getting used to the change. Yesterday we could have thrown it all away but instead we sat down and put it into perspective and that is maybe Calgary is not the place for us, or it is still early days but at the end of it we are going to give it 2 years no matter what. As the worst feeling would be throwing in the towel returning to UK and then having regrets for the rest of your lives. You are in my opinion on the downward spiral and in my experience it can only go up. However, if you are desperately unhappy then life is too short. It is easy for people to say why did you want to move but when you are in the UK and unhappy with the situation around you it is clear. But like everything when you are away you forget the reason you really did this and miss the familarity, routines and what was your life. We both had good jobs in the UK and a house but the reality was that yes we had good jobs but my oh wages had been driven down so much and the job I had was only temporary. Where we lived was rural and village location but the kids still had problems with the local kids, their education I had to fight hammer tooth and tong to get extra support for my son. Oh and we could hardly afford a holiday as the bills were constantly rising as well as the taxes. However, I do wish you all the best with what you decide. As there is nothing worse than being miserable and wanting to go back. But I also feel that a life changing move like this has a rollercoaster of emotions. Once they settle down things become a lot clearer. Hope it works out for both you in the end.

Regards

Rachel

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

I have been reading the post with a lot of interest as I am currently in my downward spiral too - we have been here six months and everything that could go wrong is going wrong. I spend every waking and sleeping moment trying to work out what the right thing to do is. Requalifying is a nightmare, finding a job is impossible witout canadian experience and giving up on the dream after just six months seems like such the wrong thing to do - I always wanted to give it two years but now financially it seems so difficult to achieve especially as the Oh just got shafted by the company that specifically recruited him...so right now, we seem to be going nowhere fast...and when you are feeling down, the lure of the familiar is so strong..so sorry, no real help from me, just more mixed up feelings about this huge leap of faith we made! any words of wisdom would help right now - its all I do at the moment, scour the threads to find some words that help!

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Amardan - What a kind reply -doubt very much the OP will reply as the thread has not gone as they had hoped I fear.

As for you, it will get better. It may be Calgary, but it will certainly be the feeling of being unfamiliar and everything/everyone having a hard time immersing into the new life. Focus on you as a family, that doesnt change, though your location has and in time more friends will come and a new life will emerge. Lets face it, you said it yourself, your daughter fell out with her friend, and you have only been there a month for her to have made friends - thats good in itself.

Look forward to Thanksgiving and plan a wonderful family time together. Get down the Dollarama and get loads of Fall decorations and go to town, lots of food, games, films and walks out together.

Well done for having the presence of thought to not run away and give your new life a chance! Good luck!

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Hey there - start a new thread and let us help you. Your feelings will be lost in the oblivion of this thread and there are many of us who are really ready to offer some support. So PLEASE start a new thread, ok? Give us some details, like jobs and location and see who else is out there who can offer some advice and support. I know it can seem immense, but many of us have started in less than ideal circumstances and fought the odds to still make it a far better life.

Hang in there!

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

I can so relate to what you are saying............We was by the sounds of it feeling exactly how you are right now:( And i wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone.
Know one can tell you whats right for you, we are all so different.....we arrive here with so much hope for a different life to the one we left, whatever and where ever that was.

We struggled and every door we tried was closed on us, we was drained of most of what we came with and OH couldn't improve on his wage without finding $1000's more to take the red seal...........And he was even told he would have to jack the job he had in and go to a different province to take the red seal :eek: They even took money off him to tell him that:frown:

So after 14 mths and afew other things that went wrong........we decided to leave while we still could afford the air fare.

Like i said only you can decide whether its worth battling it out or not......But you are far from on your own in what you are feeling :) Good Luck

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Hello All

I've been keeping an eye on this thread as I am in the process of trying to make the big move and am therefore interested in the stories of everyone who has ever done it before.

I feel so sad reading some of the tales on here:(:( and wish that I could somehow make you all feel better.

What comes to mind for me when I read these accounts is the 'change curve' - the emotional rollercoaster experienced by people undergoing change.

http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/im...cle1a001_2.jpg

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/fig/0230150304006.png

I heard about it in some training I attended years ago but it seems to fit with some of the emotional rollercoasters described on this post. For me it shows that all these feelings are perfectly normal and to be expected after such a huge life changing event and helps visualise the light at the end of the tunnel that many of you describe. I am not sure whether it will help anybody but thought I would put it out there as I think it would maybe help me if I was in 'the thick of it' so to speak.

I hope you all make the right decisions at the right time for you and your families and that all turns out well. :wub:

Rubie x

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Thank you for your kind responses. I felt so awful this morning after posting that I had to just get out for a walk otherwise I knew I would just breakdown.... it just helps knowing that there are others in my situation or similar and that there is so much support and understanding particularly when things are not going well and everything is pointing downwards which right now is the case...i don't want to give up on the dream but right now nothing seems to make sense. I will start another thread to deal with me - as you said - others maybe able to relate and give their thoughts and opinions, all of which help

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Chin up chin up.

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

I did miss my old life over there but with Vancouver house prices it wasnt really a good idea. Also hated being back in London. My wife didnt want to go back though. We might in the future but who knows. We're just starting here but with Irish parents its not new to us. Dont you wish you'd never gone any where sometimes!

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Yep!!!...for sure :D I wished i'd listened to afew people that tried to warn me off and to afew niggles of my own :o

The worst thing for me , is its made us too scared to try anywhere else :frown:

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

[QUOTE=pammiej;6841915]I have been reading the post with a lot of interest as I am currently in my downward spiral too - we have been here six months and everything that could go wrong is going wrong. I spend every waking and sleeping moment trying to work out what the right thing to do is. Requalifying is a nightmare, finding a job is impossible witout canadian experience and giving up on the dream after just six months seems like such the wrong thing to do - I always wanted to give it two years but now financially it seems so difficult to achieve especially as the Oh just got shafted by the company that specifically recruited him...so right now, we seem to be going nowhere fast...

Hi
So sorry to hear about your time here in Canada so far ,and I relate to a lot of what you have experianced
We had doubts initially and thats one thing I would say, go with what YOUR instinct tells you , from our initial doubts we met up with some fellow expats here , they were so pro canada I thought they were here for the long term and mistakingly now as well meaning as they thought their advice was, they went back to the UK so lesson learned the hard way ,just do what you think is right for you .
After all everyones experiance is unique and thereby everyones descision should be .
All the very best in whatever descision you come to

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

It must be really hard for you guys at the moment, but you are not alone most people at one point or another go through exactly the same. i think Canadian employers know how hard you want to be here & some take advantage of that & do take the p**s. My advise would be listen/read other folks experience/advice & then do what is right for you at that moment.
Good luck

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

Thank you all. Knowing what the right thing do, doing the right thing and then being sure it is the right thing is very difficult particularly when there are so many issues at stake...I thought I would be able to walk back into my old job - well the recession has put that idea to bed so its back to the drawing board for me and what to do!!! I will see how the next few days pan out and let you know

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

I dont think anyone can be 100% sure they are doing the right thing, you just have to hope that YOUR decision is the right one for you and yours.

We had an over whelming majority to leave and that and ill health, as well as my mum passing away was a big clincher for us, as well as the fact that we just couldn't afford to remain :( It was gut wrenching even then, not an easy decision.............But one that we had to make, and luckily for us the right one.:)

Their is one thing tho.... you sure as hell find out who your real friends are when your down on your knees HA!!!!! And Bull sh.ters and hangers on you dont need.
Your very welcome to PM me if you think i can help, if only so you can bend my ear;)

Re: NOVA SCOTIA BACK TO UK
 

You've stuck it this far and done all the hard stuff getting the kids in school etc chin up stick it out, the kids will thank you for it in the long run and dont worry about the falling out business kids argue it'll straighten itself out in the long run it sounds like you did have problems in the UK especially with the schooling aspect of things, but you've got a family to keep you company, the job thing will balance out you've come so far you just need to keep it going. Coming here with kids is by far the bravest thing you could ever do, i havent got any so it was just a case of sorting myself and the oh but you have worked so hard to get here just keep pegging away at it and it'll work out,
wishing you luck x