merv

Hello

My boyfriend (of 8 years) has just been offered a great Accountancy job in Calgary to start Jan 2010.
I think the move would be exciting, and I have been to calgary and thought it was great.
However, I am really close to my family, speak to them and see them all the time. I want to move but at the moment the thought makes me cry because of the family I will be leaving behind.
Just wondered if anyone had any advice or success stories?

Butch Cassidy

My Advice?

Dump the boyfriend and stay in the UK with your family

Steve_P

A little harsh is it not?

Elaine B.

Moving to Canada doesn't have to be forever if you don't like it you can always come home of course the problems arise when your OH doesn't feel the same way. I would say do it now while you're young and before you have kids.

Butch Cassidy

Sorry but what exactly does the OP want to us to say?

I could have said....................
"Grow the Fork up"?
"suck it up princess"?

Alberta_Rose

Nobody can tell you what to do.

Some will think they can leave their families quite happily and then find that they actually cannot bear living away from them, and end up going "home".

Others find that through the media of the electric telephone, and video-links (internet) they actually have more contact on a regular basis than they used to. I'm sure I have spoken more to my dad, and more often, then when I lived in the UK.

Still others, I suspect, find that they drift away from past contacts, friends and family and move on to pastures new without it really bothering them at all.

It is, as they say, "horses for courses", and they only advice is, do what feels right for you! And remember, a) it is not irreversible, and b) if you don't try you might always wonder......

Getting There

Hi merv,

Welcome to the forum.

Well, missing family is a very personal thing and only you can truly decide if it is too big an obstacle for you. From our personal experience, this was a major concern for us too before we moved out to Calgary and surrounds. The first few months were quite tough on Jan in particular and even now, a couple of years on, she will still get days when she really misses being with the folks back in the UK. This is at it's worst when (as is the case at present) Jan's family visit us and then go home.

However, on the flip side, we are really enjoying our new lives out here. It's challenging to re-establish yourself in another country, both exciting and stressful. We like the pace of life, the people (sweeping generalisation there but let's say the vast majority of people), having the Rockies as a backdrop to our lives, etc, etc. Despite the sadness when they leave, our families love this new holiday destination they have easy access to!

Technolgy can help reduce the sense of distance...that's what we started our blog below for...it helped connect family and friends to what we were doing here. Skype is great (both IM and webcam) for connecting you with the family. Phone calls are dirt cheap. Sure, none of it is the same as being co-located with your family but then it comes back to having to choose how you want to live your lives. There's no one correct answer but we hope you find the best answer for you.

Drop us a line offline if you want futher help.

Kind regards,

Eamonn & Janet.

PrairieSushi

You have plenty of time between now an January - go have fun with your friends and family in the meantime and stop worrying about it.

The UK is only a relatively short flight away and Calgary is a nice city - it's not like you're going to Mars.

Buy yourself a webcam - saves a lot on those transatlantic phone calls.

snoopster

We've been here nearly a year, and although we miss family and friends loads, it is getting easier. Like Eamonn said there's loads of up-sides to living out here, and technology makes the world a much smaller place. I don't know what I'd do without my daily chats with my old mates on Facebook. We too set up a blog for our family and friends to check in on us, and we email and webcam the folks back home all the time.
On the flip side, we're making amazing new friends every day, and building our lives here slowly but surely. Although emigration isn't easy, it's often worth it!

Good luck with your decision. For what it's worth, I think you should try it, especially if you see your future lying with your boyfriend ....like other posters have said, you may always regret it if you don't and wonder 'what if?'. If it doesn't suit you, then you can return to the UK knowing you gave it your best shot.