what am I missing?
Jul 30th 2015, 1:32 pm
#16
Proudly Scarberian
Joined: Aug 2014
Location: Scarberia
Posts: 2,196
Re: what am I missing?
The curry lament thread is 7 pages long.
I think if you like brick lane currys and London pub culture then you are really going to struggle in a satellite village outside of Ottawa. You need to be in central Toronto, itself a nebulous concept, but it's smaller than the official City of Toronto but larger than the downtown/ CBD.
I think if you like brick lane currys and London pub culture then you are really going to struggle in a satellite village outside of Ottawa. You need to be in central Toronto, itself a nebulous concept, but it's smaller than the official City of Toronto but larger than the downtown/ CBD.
Jul 30th 2015, 2:24 pm
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 1,497
Re: what am I missing?
Its funny you say that. I find myself really talking to Indian looking people when I see them. I feel as though I have much more in common with them than the local Canadians. I find most Asian (Indian) people have experience with the UK and the food is something I really miss. I don't find the variety of tastes here.
In fact the first curry my wife ever had was in brick lane in London. She was 24 and had been to uni in Ottawa and Montreal. She never looked up once while devouring that curry and is now a passionate lover of indian food.
In fact the first curry my wife ever had was in brick lane in London. She was 24 and had been to uni in Ottawa and Montreal. She never looked up once while devouring that curry and is now a passionate lover of indian food.
And it's not as if there are no Indian restaurants round here - we even have a few that are pretty good. It just doesn't occur to them to try different cuisines for some reason.
For the record they all seemed to enjoy it and I may have converted a few locals
Jul 30th 2015, 4:37 pm
#18
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,113
Re: what am I missing?
We are in Ontario, approx 45 mins from downtown Ottawa, very Anglo. Nice little town with friendly people but severely lacking in all the things you take for granted in a UK town.
My wife was as uncertain about coming here as me. She misses aspects of the UK, she has good friends there and is a lover of the UK culture now. I think she is 50 / 50 whether we should stay or go.
My wife was as uncertain about coming here as me. She misses aspects of the UK, she has good friends there and is a lover of the UK culture now. I think she is 50 / 50 whether we should stay or go.
Memories are nice, but thats all they are, memories, you can remenisce anytime and anywhere, and dont they say you shouldnt live in the past....its all about the present and the future? and if the UK makes you both happy...whats the point of sticking around a place that doesnt really cut it for you both?
Its the same with family, its nice to have family close by, but ive found everyone has their own immeadiate family, and so the family you grew up with is just a memory. You have to live for today, and for each other, and from what you have said it seems the place to do that for you both is the UK.
Jul 30th 2015, 4:43 pm
#19
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: what am I missing?
The first 6 years are the worst.
It's hard to settle when you are still looking to replace what you had with something similar, it isn't here. You have to find something new that you wouldn't get back home.
It's hard to settle when you are still looking to replace what you had with something similar, it isn't here. You have to find something new that you wouldn't get back home.
Jul 30th 2015, 4:52 pm
#20
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,113
Re: what am I missing?
Thats what i was saying in my earlier post....you must have a reason (or a pull) to come to Canada in the first place. If you have that, it will usually work out, if your not coming for something that Canada offers and just for job/family/spouse/kids reasons, you will always be pining for what you left behind.
Jul 30th 2015, 5:33 pm
#21
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2011
Location: Somewhere between Vancouver & St Johns
Posts: 19,849
Re: what am I missing?
Perhaps CIC should stop Brits emigrating to Canada for say those over 20 years old then that way BE would have less threads about how things in Canada are different to the UK. If there was an Olympic sport for whining about other countries not being the same as the UK then the Brits would be gold medal winners with probably the USA winning silver.
A thread several pages long about how Indian food and curries in Toronto being bad. The only obvious reason I can come up with is Toronto isn't in ****ing India thats why.
As someone else said you are trying to replace something thats isn't always here and because you miss it you become unhappy and question your reasons for moving here.
I have yet to meet anyone who said they moved here for the fish and chips or banking system or any of the other things that Brits miss. It also comes as no surprise that if they are told they can actually get this or that which they miss they then bitch about how much it costs or its too far to go etc etc
Admittedly Canada being part of the Commonwealth is totally at fault for this as they advertise certain aspects of Canada being similar to that of the UK. They have towns and cities named after their UK counterparts to fool you into believing that they are the same such as London, Liverpool, Halifax and Stratford to name a few.
Im sure there is a French expats website somewhere where they are bitching about how come there are no Renault, Peugeot or Citroen dealers in Canada.
There again Im sure there are just as many Canadians bitching about the lack of iced hockey and its standard of play compared to the NHL or the fact that there are very few moose to hunt in Cheshire.
I could go on and on but lets face it Canada is not the UK and never will be no matter how hard they try to replicate things. Once you come to realize this and the sooner you accept it then life will become easier.
Now how come chip shops in London UK don't sell steak puddings? They certainly didn't in the 80s nor did they sell Lions bitter or mild. What sort of place is that to live?
A thread several pages long about how Indian food and curries in Toronto being bad. The only obvious reason I can come up with is Toronto isn't in ****ing India thats why.
As someone else said you are trying to replace something thats isn't always here and because you miss it you become unhappy and question your reasons for moving here.
I have yet to meet anyone who said they moved here for the fish and chips or banking system or any of the other things that Brits miss. It also comes as no surprise that if they are told they can actually get this or that which they miss they then bitch about how much it costs or its too far to go etc etc
Admittedly Canada being part of the Commonwealth is totally at fault for this as they advertise certain aspects of Canada being similar to that of the UK. They have towns and cities named after their UK counterparts to fool you into believing that they are the same such as London, Liverpool, Halifax and Stratford to name a few.
Im sure there is a French expats website somewhere where they are bitching about how come there are no Renault, Peugeot or Citroen dealers in Canada.
There again Im sure there are just as many Canadians bitching about the lack of iced hockey and its standard of play compared to the NHL or the fact that there are very few moose to hunt in Cheshire.
I could go on and on but lets face it Canada is not the UK and never will be no matter how hard they try to replicate things. Once you come to realize this and the sooner you accept it then life will become easier.
Now how come chip shops in London UK don't sell steak puddings? They certainly didn't in the 80s nor did they sell Lions bitter or mild. What sort of place is that to live?
Jul 30th 2015, 5:38 pm
#22
Bon Vivant
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 2,956
Re: what am I missing?
Perhaps CIC should stop Brits emigrating to Canada for say those over 20 years old then that way BE would have less threads about how things in Canada are different to the UK. If there was an Olympic sport for whining about other countries not being the same as the UK then the Brits would be gold medal winners with probably the USA winning silver.
A thread several pages long about how Indian food and curries in Toronto being bad. The only obvious reason I can come up with is Toronto isn't in ****ing India thats why.
As someone else said you are trying to replace something thats isn't always here and because you miss it you become unhappy and question your reasons for moving here.
I have yet to meet anyone who said they moved here for the fish and chips or banking system or any of the other things that Brits miss. It also comes as no surprise that if they are told they can actually get this or that which they miss they then bitch about how much it costs or its too far to go etc etc
Admittedly Canada being part of the Commonwealth is totally at fault for this as they advertise certain aspects of Canada being similar to that of the UK. They have towns and cities named after their UK counterparts to fool you into believing that they are the same such as London, Liverpool, Halifax and Stratford to name a few.
Im sure there is a French expats website somewhere where they are bitching about how come there are no Renault, Peugeot or Citroen dealers in Canada.
There again Im sure there are just as many Canadians bitching about the lack of iced hockey and its standard of play compared to the NHL or the fact that there are very few moose to hunt in Cheshire.
I could go on and on but lets face it Canada is not the UK and never will be no matter how hard they try to replicate things. Once you come to realize this and the sooner you accept it then life will become easier.
Now how come chip shops in London UK don't sell steak puddings? They certainly didn't in the 80s nor did they sell Lions bitter or mild. What sort of place is that to live?
A thread several pages long about how Indian food and curries in Toronto being bad. The only obvious reason I can come up with is Toronto isn't in ****ing India thats why.
As someone else said you are trying to replace something thats isn't always here and because you miss it you become unhappy and question your reasons for moving here.
I have yet to meet anyone who said they moved here for the fish and chips or banking system or any of the other things that Brits miss. It also comes as no surprise that if they are told they can actually get this or that which they miss they then bitch about how much it costs or its too far to go etc etc
Admittedly Canada being part of the Commonwealth is totally at fault for this as they advertise certain aspects of Canada being similar to that of the UK. They have towns and cities named after their UK counterparts to fool you into believing that they are the same such as London, Liverpool, Halifax and Stratford to name a few.
Im sure there is a French expats website somewhere where they are bitching about how come there are no Renault, Peugeot or Citroen dealers in Canada.
There again Im sure there are just as many Canadians bitching about the lack of iced hockey and its standard of play compared to the NHL or the fact that there are very few moose to hunt in Cheshire.
I could go on and on but lets face it Canada is not the UK and never will be no matter how hard they try to replicate things. Once you come to realize this and the sooner you accept it then life will become easier.
Now how come chip shops in London UK don't sell steak puddings? They certainly didn't in the 80s nor did they sell Lions bitter or mild. What sort of place is that to live?
Jul 30th 2015, 8:47 pm
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 1,497
Re: what am I missing?
Perhaps CIC should stop Brits emigrating to Canada for say those over 20 years old then that way BE would have less threads about how things in Canada are different to the UK. If there was an Olympic sport for whining about other countries not being the same as the UK then the Brits would be gold medal winners with probably the USA winning silver.
If those threads irritate you that much why read them? Surely this is exactly the place that people would expect a little empathy about the fact they don't find every aspect of their new Canadian lifestyle perfect?That is the thing though - as we all know life is a series of trade-offs and compromises and very few people will find their Utopia here or in the UK or anywhere else for that matter. It shouldn't mean we can't have a wish list of things from different countries we would like to combine. So a little bitching about things to get it off our chests, get others view points and then decide is it a deal breaker take action accordingly and move on with our lives to me is not a bad strategy.
Jul 30th 2015, 9:18 pm
#24
Happy
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 2,942
Re: what am I missing?
Why does it bother you so much? If those threads irritate you that much why read them? Surely this is exactly the place that people would expect a little empathy about the fact they don't find every aspect of their new Canadian lifestyle perfect?
That is the thing though - as we all know life is a series of trade-offs and compromises and very few people will find their Utopia here or in the UK or anywhere else for that matter. It shouldn't mean we can't have a wish list of things from different countries we would like to combine. So a little bitching about things to get it off our chests, get others view points and then decide is it a deal breaker take action accordingly and move on with our lives to me is not a bad strategy.
If those threads irritate you that much why read them? Surely this is exactly the place that people would expect a little empathy about the fact they don't find every aspect of their new Canadian lifestyle perfect?That is the thing though - as we all know life is a series of trade-offs and compromises and very few people will find their Utopia here or in the UK or anywhere else for that matter. It shouldn't mean we can't have a wish list of things from different countries we would like to combine. So a little bitching about things to get it off our chests, get others view points and then decide is it a deal breaker take action accordingly and move on with our lives to me is not a bad strategy.
Jul 30th 2015, 9:40 pm
#25
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: what am I missing?
The first 4 or 5 years were the worst for me, I just wanted to leave and go home to California again.
Now I tolerate it and can manage fine. Its not ideal but my wife is Canadian as was my first wife and there are compromises in a marriage.
The scenery in this area is nice but so is the scenery in San Diego so I never really fell in love with it here.
My heart is and always will be in San Diego but for now we stay here as moving isn't feasible but one day it might be.
I am used to having alot of activities to do that don't exist here which leads to a lot of boredom and I have just never found a good job and fit which doesn't help. The type of jobs I can get here are just not on the same level which leads to unhappiness in the job.
Now I tolerate it and can manage fine. Its not ideal but my wife is Canadian as was my first wife and there are compromises in a marriage.
The scenery in this area is nice but so is the scenery in San Diego so I never really fell in love with it here.
My heart is and always will be in San Diego but for now we stay here as moving isn't feasible but one day it might be.
I am used to having alot of activities to do that don't exist here which leads to a lot of boredom and I have just never found a good job and fit which doesn't help. The type of jobs I can get here are just not on the same level which leads to unhappiness in the job.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Jul 30th 2015 at 9:44 pm.
Jul 30th 2015, 11:53 pm
#26
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: Orton, Ontario
Posts: 2,032
Re: what am I missing?
The first 4 or 5 years were the worst for me, I just wanted to leave and go home to California again.
Now I tolerate it and can manage fine. Its not ideal but my wife is Canadian as was my first wife and there are compromises in a marriage.
The scenery in this area is nice but so is the scenery in San Diego so I never really fell in love with it here.
My heart is and always will be in San Diego but for now we stay here as moving isn't feasible but one day it might be.
I am used to having alot of activities to do that don't exist here which leads to a lot of boredom and I have just never found a good job and fit which doesn't help. The type of jobs I can get here are just not on the same level which leads to unhappiness in the job.
Now I tolerate it and can manage fine. Its not ideal but my wife is Canadian as was my first wife and there are compromises in a marriage.
The scenery in this area is nice but so is the scenery in San Diego so I never really fell in love with it here.
My heart is and always will be in San Diego but for now we stay here as moving isn't feasible but one day it might be.
I am used to having alot of activities to do that don't exist here which leads to a lot of boredom and I have just never found a good job and fit which doesn't help. The type of jobs I can get here are just not on the same level which leads to unhappiness in the job.
Jul 31st 2015, 12:08 am
#27
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: what am I missing?
I'd like a Renault. I loved my little Clio.
Jul 31st 2015, 12:13 am
#28
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 62
Re: what am I missing?
Perhaps CIC should stop Brits emigrating to Canada for say those over 20 years old then that way BE would have less threads about how things in Canada are different to the UK. If there was an Olympic sport for whining about other countries not being the same as the UK then the Brits would be gold medal winners with probably the USA winning silver.
A thread several pages long about how Indian food and curries in Toronto being bad. The only obvious reason I can come up with is Toronto isn't in ****ing India thats why.
As someone else said you are trying to replace something thats isn't always here and because you miss it you become unhappy and question your reasons for moving here.
I have yet to meet anyone who said they moved here for the fish and chips or banking system or any of the other things that Brits miss. It also comes as no surprise that if they are told they can actually get this or that which they miss they then bitch about how much it costs or its too far to go etc etc
Admittedly Canada being part of the Commonwealth is totally at fault for this as they advertise certain aspects of Canada being similar to that of the UK. They have towns and cities named after their UK counterparts to fool you into believing that they are the same such as London, Liverpool, Halifax and Stratford to name a few.
Im sure there is a French expats website somewhere where they are bitching about how come there are no Renault, Peugeot or Citroen dealers in Canada.
There again Im sure there are just as many Canadians bitching about the lack of iced hockey and its standard of play compared to the NHL or the fact that there are very few moose to hunt in Cheshire.
I could go on and on but lets face it Canada is not the UK and never will be no matter how hard they try to replicate things. Once you come to realize this and the sooner you accept it then life will become easier.
Now how come chip shops in London UK don't sell steak puddings? They certainly didn't in the 80s nor did they sell Lions bitter or mild. What sort of place is that to live?
A thread several pages long about how Indian food and curries in Toronto being bad. The only obvious reason I can come up with is Toronto isn't in ****ing India thats why.
As someone else said you are trying to replace something thats isn't always here and because you miss it you become unhappy and question your reasons for moving here.
I have yet to meet anyone who said they moved here for the fish and chips or banking system or any of the other things that Brits miss. It also comes as no surprise that if they are told they can actually get this or that which they miss they then bitch about how much it costs or its too far to go etc etc
Admittedly Canada being part of the Commonwealth is totally at fault for this as they advertise certain aspects of Canada being similar to that of the UK. They have towns and cities named after their UK counterparts to fool you into believing that they are the same such as London, Liverpool, Halifax and Stratford to name a few.
Im sure there is a French expats website somewhere where they are bitching about how come there are no Renault, Peugeot or Citroen dealers in Canada.
There again Im sure there are just as many Canadians bitching about the lack of iced hockey and its standard of play compared to the NHL or the fact that there are very few moose to hunt in Cheshire.
I could go on and on but lets face it Canada is not the UK and never will be no matter how hard they try to replicate things. Once you come to realize this and the sooner you accept it then life will become easier.
Now how come chip shops in London UK don't sell steak puddings? They certainly didn't in the 80s nor did they sell Lions bitter or mild. What sort of place is that to live?
Jul 31st 2015, 12:18 am
#29
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2012
Location: Qc, Canada
Posts: 3,787
Re: what am I missing?
Impressive rant, FL .
And yes, of course there are French expat sites where they bitch and moan too: funnily enough, often about things that aren't like France ...
.And yes, of course there are French expat sites where they bitch and moan too: funnily enough, often about things that aren't like France ...
Jul 31st 2015, 12:21 am
#30
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2012
Location: Qc, Canada
Posts: 3,787
Re: what am I missing?
Laddo, fwiw, you didn't sound like you were whining. I got a sense of disappointment more than anything else from your original post.