Helen Parnell

Thanks for the banter i am in one of those moods, so to continue fushiagirl, you have been on this website for a while and now live in Canada so you may have noticed that some people and i must emphasis some are expats who want to emigrate over here but have everything english. English food, hang the washing out, keep the uk drivers license, british tv, english fish and chips, english curries etc etc. I then just think to myself why come.

When you move over here we have to compromise on some things for the better way of life we are hoping to have. No one is forcing you to come. My biggest compromise is that i get stopped by the police all the time whilst driving, I often think have they no crime to deal with, rather than picking on me!! Well the truth is they do not have sufficient crime to deal with so they have to pick on me for some thing to do. i have to accept that, plus the fines etc etc. My sons have not been victims of crime, i have not heard of any break ins and I can walk around the streets in peace knowing that.

So for all of you who may be thinking of moving here, think about what you have to compromise and think whether you can do that. It may be you have to watch Britains got talent (I have a client who had to watch it) or drink british beer, pubs, food etc etc. England is a great place and I love to visit, but I have made a choice to move here, become a canadian citizen and am proud to be Canadian.

dbd33

It's not quintessentially English to hang up the washing. People hang washing all around the world. Indians hang the washing they've cleaned in the Ganges, Italians hang washing from lines strung across streets. The farms of unhyphenated Canadians have line of fluttering washing. A tourism advert for Newfoundland features a line of plaid washing flapping atop a cliff.

It may be that that there are some people who have strange hang ups about laundry just as there are those who want table legs clothed, grass of a uniform length and cats herded but they are the eccentric minority; they can twirl their faux pearls in frustration but they cannot keep the mass of people in Canada from drying clothes in the time honoured fashion.

fuschiagirl

I am actually Canadian by birth and have lived here for almost two years. I greatly prefer the Canadian lifestyle and do not miss anything at all about England except for family.

I agree with you to a certain extent about the attitudes of some expats to Canada and its customs. However I didn't think sarcasm was necessary in this case.

Souvenir

That needs a soundtrack. It's rather Churchillian.

Helen Parnell

True, but i do not see washing hanging out anywhere in Calgary, Cochrane okotoks or airdrie so obviously the mass of canadians over here don't do it.

fuschiagirl

You do have a way with words

lisadd

funny how this thread as gone from what food to pack in your container to hanging washing out again!

My tumber is on - no washing drying for free

lancashirebird

I must admit that i agree with helen, when i first moved over i was on here and kept with the british expat group, but then i relised why i had done the move and settled into my new home.
You do miss the stuff around you and you crave for some stuff somtimes, but you know what, there is stuff in the shops that you can buy, i have been here 8mth and yeah family bring over certain stuff for us, but if we did not have that luxury i would survive, plus i have learnt now how to make certain stuff

If the OP thinks that bringing stuff in there container will last them or until the next shipment, think again, kids will demolish whatever they can and you will find yourself stuck on what to get........
For my kids they thought they would never survive without proper juice or jaffa cakes..............You know what, they have
i miss proper mints, but i am getting used to things here and there mints are not too bad...

I had a mega craving for paxo, so used the canadian stuff and thought hmmmmmm nothing like english paxo, my friend brought me some over and you know what, the canadian one is not that far off it if you add your own bits, so please don't think you cant live here without the english stuff....you can

PS - Anyone know how to make ready brek yet

dbd33

I don't know quite how limited the range of your golf cart is but to my mind a few Albertan subdivisions do not represent Canada, nor do they house the mass of Canadians. On your evidence I suppose they may house a majority of Canadian prissy obsessives.

Monkey Puzzle

You are allowed to bring food. Definitely no meat (or dairy, I think). We brought Heinz Baked Beans and Yorkshire Brews.

We had the most pernickety customs official ever when our container arrived. Believe me, if you weren't allowed to bring food, this guy would have nabbed us for it!!!

He was determined to get our consignment opened to search for SOMETHING! Going through the GTF list with a fine toothcomb, he asked if we had imported office furniture to start a business as we'd have to pay duty on it. What "tools" we had and were they for DIY only or to start a business? Why did we have 6 boxes of paperwork?? On and on and on. I was peeing my pants he'd find a speck of dirt on the bottom of a garden tool and it would all be going back.

Anyway, you should have seen his wee face light up when he got to the last items on the list. Baked beans and tea bags! "Baked beans, eh? And do they have SAUSAGES in them?" (He was beside himself at the thought we may have imported meat which is not allowed.) Luckily I had kept the receipt from Morrisons which showed they were just in tomato sauce. He still came out of his office to see the massive lorry which had brought our consignment to the island (along with those of 4 other importers) to see if he could see these suspect beans for himself but of course they could not be found amongst all of the stuff unless the whole lot was unpacked. The driver (who knew this guy was a stickler from previous dealings) opened the side door and one of our big packages nearly fell out! The lorry was jam packed.

Worried that we'd have to pay for unpacking the lot and delay delivery of everyone's stuff we suggested that we take said contrabeans back to the airport after they'd arrived at our house the next day, still in their boxes and wrapped in Robinsons paper. He thought this would be a very good idea and was happy to think he'd be able to check the ingredients for himself. Luckily we're only 10 mins from the airport so this worked out! He wasn't even there the next day and you could tell his young colleague thought the whole thing rather pointless but he did come out to the car and check the beans for errant sausages.

Bring the stuff, pack it well, declare it on the GTW form and keep your receipts for any food with the paperwork, I'd advise.

Hey, it was worth it! We're still going through many fine cups of tea and 96 tins of Heinz. They're a special treat ...

fuschiagirl

And they all live in house with restrictive covenants regarding displaying one's undies in public

Monkey Puzzle

Oh, god, those strata rules fill me with horror. Run away ..run away! (Then find a house where you can sing your own tune and paint your front door any flippin colour you like ... )

Helen Parnell

LOL

I have to go and do some work now, and then this afternoon i am off to play golf, I know a hard life.

Thanks for making me have a good laugh.

dbd33

It's a hard life for your environment, that much we know.

MikeUK

“Environment” isn't in the dictionary in Alberta

I also believe you’re required to notify parent if you are going to teach anything remotely related to this topic