sorry - it was badly posted - you were (correctly) suggesting that people try to be objective and not tar and feather the whole country - the very next post someone was doing exactly that, but about the UK this time not Canada.

I agree Fled.

I get tired of the "life is what you make it" line too. Having emigrated a few times what I've learnt is that sometimes it really isn't you, it's the country. If it's not right, it's not right. Sometimes it can be as as simple as the climate, or in the OP's case, the more structured way of life in St Albert.

I can't believe this thread is still going. The original poster did not want advice ... maybe they wanted approval (I don't know, and it doesn't really matter anyway what any of us thinks)

A move to Canada might not be successful for everyone ..... a town/school/job might result in misery for one person but be exactly another's cup-of-tea! A family may or may not find that the move fixes problems that existed at home.

Whatever!: Everybody has a different tale to tell. If you think you will be happier moving back, then move back. Horses for courses and all the cliches ...

Nobody is right and nobody is wrong to feel how they feel. What is WRONG is to try to tell people that how one person feels is what another person will feel. People's stories may or may not have any relevance to the next immigrant.

Rant over: I'm going to decorate my tree ...

Erm.....I thought 'advice' was exactly what the OP was asking for?

In a nutshell, that's exactly what it is.

One further thought for the OP: it is not that unusual for a twelve year old boy to change from a happy-go-lucky child to a morose adolescent in a matter of weeks. Hormones rather than country or school. He'll grow out of this.








Eventually.

MMMMmmmmm why didnt I think of that.Should give him a belt round the lughole.

Have you never seen the infamous Harry Enfield 'Kevin morphing' sketch??

As the parent of an ex teenager I can vouch this is fairly accurate!!

Let me oblige...it will cheer you up while you pack anyway!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLuEY6jN6gY

Best of luck on your move back to blighty.

I ABSOLUTELY Agree with this one! We are exactly of the same opinion. The OP talks about being a teacher / knowing child psychology but to be honest, all schools are not the same anywhere in the world and we are very lucky to have a fantastic school which has teachers and a principal that we can talk to, address issues etc and be heard....He also specialises in child psychology. We dont have too much homework - in fact we have asked for more at this stage as our son is doing stuff he did last year due to the age difference etc.

I definitely believe there is more to it than this and the OP is entitled to chose which way to go. It is a HUGE move though and a major decision - the person it will affect the most is their child so I am sure they have put thought into it. It shocks me though as I cannot say I have seen any issues that they have.

The very next poster, me, was generalising on the basis of this thread. Let's be honest, a lot of people will visit a foreign country and as a result decide they don't like it after perhaps a long weekend in one town!
So I didn't mean to criticise it was more an observation on human nature sadly!
When living in France I came across quite a few French who had had bad experiences in the UK and as a result never wanted to go back again!
It's just human nature!

hi...just had to pop my head in and give u my tuppence worth....

we've been there, done it, got the t-shirt, blah, blah
first, canada is not the uk, lets get that clear!
they have their own ways and means, which may or may not be like back home.

second, and i dont know where the idea comes from (as someone on here has said, that canada is way behind in school terms compared to the uk)! what an understatement of the century! during our time in canada, my boys found it to the very opposite of the uk, ie they just couldnt cope with the level their canadian school was teaching at!

and i know why. in the uk, kids are just too damn lazy to study and the teachers are wont to push them too much, as it mightnt be politically correct!
so what happens is that we're bringing up, on the whole, a bunch of dunces who cant read, write or compute simple maths, and would gladly sit around on their pc adding to twitter, facebook or what-have-you.

in canada, it was the opposite for my kids..they were given homework every single day, and plenty of it, and the poor dears didnt have time to scratch their ar...... er, heads, let alone hang out with their mates.

i found that in canada, kids are pushed harder, and in general they perform much better than kids here, which cant be a bad thing.

getting back to your situation; 5 mths is really nothing. you have just about started to get stuck in with life there, and it will be at least another year to 18 mths before your feelings start to change and you begin to "gel" with the way things are over there.

sincerely, i urge you to grit your teeth and stick it out...honestly, there's nothing in the uk to come back to...take it from me!
PM me if you want.

I'm sorry things are not working out for you. I will stress that five months is not long enough though. I'm only feeling really settled after 18 months.

In terms of friends have you tried looking for ex-pats? That is where we first started. Fellow ex-pats are a wonderful support. They understand what you are going through, things you miss etc. In terms of getting to know Canadians you really need to invite people over for coffee etc.

Kids are always playing out in our neighbourhood, I wonder if it would be better if you tried moving towards Calgary way or elsewhere in Canada?

In terms of school, just look at international school league tables. Canada is always in the top ten, the UK is nowhere to be seen.

Best wishes for the future, however things work out for you.

I think as long as you refer to England as home you will always be homesick. As soon as I started to accept that this here is our home now, it got better. I had more energy to go out and find friends etc.
But I agree it is very hard and you have to make the effort to talk to people, invite them round to yours, join clubs or recreation classes ,hang out at the local parks, ice rinks etc. ask other parents with kids at the same age to go out for lunch and then it slowly gets better.
Head up and think about why you left the UK.....
Have a nice Christmas time, get yourself some wine and enjoy the snow and give it a few more months.
We've been here 8 months now and it just starts to get better.
Merry Christmas and a "happier" new year !!!!

it wasn't you - see post 129

Excellent. Daily Mail reader rant of the day