Eastbound

Hi LucySpoon
wow what a coincidence Im a cheltenham girl, born and bred and used to love living in Cheltenham , but your so right its not the place it used to be, I couldnt believe how quickly such a beautiful place could change in to a place I now hardly recognise ,whereabouts are you headed ?

YYZlover

The one thing that threw me completely when I was living in Cheltenham was that just about everyone I met was doing drugs. Very few did not do drugs wether for recreational reason or being addicted.

And that is me saying that and I work in the music business.

I miss my friends there and the architecture is stunning. The fact that you travel 5-10 minutes and there is fields, cows and horses. I could take a taxi from high street out to the stable, bring in the horse and jump in the same taxi to go back to work and it wouldn't waste too much time.

And I miss shopping at Primark.

Eastbound

I miss my friends there and the architecture is stunning. The fact that you travel 5-10 minutes and there is fields, cows and horses. I could take a taxi from high street out to the stable, bring in the horse and jump in the same taxi to go back to work and it wouldn't waste too much time.

And I miss shopping at Primark.[/QUOTE]

Hi
Can totally relate to your post. It the friends I made there that I now miss the most now, though .

agr

Mountains. Real ones with not many people.
Oh and tiger ice cream.

dingbat

No........you cannot be serious <said with a true Victor Meldrew tone>. Tiger ice cream is, along with Kraft Dinner and Cheese Whizz, truly one of the horrors of the world.

JLT

That would pan out were it not for the fact that it happens the other way.

Our UK/canadian relatives returned to UK and their kids were kept down a year.[/QUOTE]
Have you been to Canada and for how long just curious?

You did get me thinking back re the education system and other issues and did get my back up! . Having come out to Toronto area some 12 years ago with children aged 4.5, 8.5 and 12.5 youngest went into French Immersion amazing programme and is now bi-lingual.

I am in the UK presently with my sixteen year old daughter due to my father being somewhat elderly. I decided to bring her with me but was somewhat panicked as to whether she would be able to get into school/college to complete her A/levels for progress into Uni. I was relieved but shocked that when they evaluated her ontario provincial results into UK entry she had excelled in her results needed to gain entry although she was not in the consistent A stream at school but doing average ok in the academic grading.
This confirmed my thoughts that we have a great education system in Canada. I feel at the moment as I am also studying myself there are tremendous problems and panic in the UK and that some people are choosing to not see them as they are worried about the future as so I did myself and it was not until I came over to live for a while that you get the feeling of what is really happening to my wonderful country that I had left. Even sitting on a bus listening to conversations and constant moans and groans that I had not heard in Canada came as quite the surprise. I know we are a nation of moaners but it is now something else...... I really hope with our immigration control we take note of what is happening globally in order to progress for the worthy.

I really wanted to let my views known that I feel "Canadian" education presently is amazing if you are in a position to grab what is being offered to you. They have amazing programmes and support. Both my other children are in U of Toronto are are doing well and enjoying life also.

I feel I need to let all those who are thinking of moving here to do so. The oportunities are out there and you do not have to come from an afluent area to take advantage so please do not be dismayed by comments that have been made. Although there are issues here it is not on the scale that I feel in my stay. In Canada well Toronto anyway everyone seems one whole in saying that we all want Canada to grow and unfold into the glorious country that I researched about before emigrating. I truly feel Canada is the place to be if you are a go getter but be warned you really have to work hard to you will truly reep the rewards.

I truly hope that my England does a turnaround but until it does I will just have to build in little part of her here in "Oh Canada"

Sorry for dragging it on everyone but I really needed to get down on paper some of the reasons for returning to Canada along with the wanting to see our wonderful friends from across the globe who seem to be content living and working together in our great, diverse needy and affluent country Canada. But my heart will always be in England forever .......

jericho

Sometimes it's just the little things...
I was in Walmart the other day, and a bloke asked me to help him with a box in to his truly- and I of course assisted. He couldnt thank me enough- even when we crossed paths later on, he thanked me again and said hello to my 2 girls.
Just today- we'd been to Safeway, and some bloke helped my wife to the taxi with her bags.

Every day niceties like this just dont happen back in the UK- certainly not where I come from.

Dave+Jules

I have found the same in NB. Each individual act of kindness begats others.

I have voluntarily helped other people and over Christmas my OH and I gave 4 hours of volunteer effort to help doing nothing more than pack food hampers for those in need.

It leaves you feeling satisfied that you have helped make some people in the community happier over the holiday. We had never had time to do something like this in the UK (or perhaps never found time for it).

OK so I said I would only make one post on this thread but I thought this one was nice and no evidence of bile

The Smiths

Have you been to Canada and for how long just curious?
Yes I have been to Canada We have numerous relatives in GTA and NB who emigrated over the last 25 years.

You did get me thinking back re the education system and other issues and did get my back up! . Please re read my post. I was giving MY honest experiences of the UK education system, why should that upset you so much?

Having come out to Toronto area some 12 years ago with children aged 4.5, 8.5 and 12.5 youngest went into French Immersion amazing programme and is now bi-lingual.

I am in the UK presently with my sixteen year old daughter due to my father being somewhat elderly. I decided to bring her with me but was somewhat panicked as to whether she would be able to get into school/college to complete her A/levels for progress into Uni. I was relieved but shocked that when they evaluated her ontario provincial results into UK entry she had excelled in her results needed to gain entry although she was not in the consistent A stream at school but doing average ok in the academic grading.
This confirmed my thoughts that we have a great education system in Canada. I feel at the moment as I am also studying myself there are tremendous problems and panic in the UK and that some people are choosing to not see them as they are worried about the future as so I did myself and it was not until I came over to live for a while that you get the feeling of what is really happening to my wonderful country that I had left. Even sitting on a bus listening to conversations and constant moans and groans that I had not heard in Canada came as quite the surprise. I know we are a nation of moaners but it is now something else...... I really hope with our immigration control we take note of what is happening globally in order to progress for the worthy.

I really wanted to let my views known that I feel "Canadian" education presently is amazing if you are in a position to grab what is being offered to you. They have amazing programmes and support. Both my other children are in U of Toronto are are doing well and enjoying life also.

I feel I need to let all those who are thinking of moving here to do so. The oportunities are out there and you do not have to come from an afluent area to take advantage so please do not be dismayed by comments that have been made. Although there are issues here it is not on the scale that I feel in my stay. In Canada well Toronto anyway everyone seems one whole in saying that we all want Canada to grow and unfold into the glorious country that I researched about before emigrating. I truly feel Canada is the place to be if you are a go getter but be warned you really have to work hard to you will truly reep the rewards.

I truly hope that my England does a turnaround but until it does I will just have to build in little part of her here in "Oh Canada"

Sorry for dragging it on everyone but I really needed to get down on paper some of the reasons for returning to Canada along with the wanting to see our wonderful friends from across the globe who seem to be content living and working together in our great, diverse needy and affluent country Canada. But my heart will always be in England forever .......[/QUOTE]

Good for you

agr

I agree about Cheese Whizz, never had to resort to KDs. But, honestly, tiger ice cream is something I would travel halfway around the world for.

Dave+Jules

Never had any of those delights ..... yet.. I guess it will be part of the citizenship ceremony.

Coffeepot

expect to see photos on your blog cheese whizz, tiger ice cream and KDs
the mind boggles, i didn't see any of this in the WIKI guides

Dave+Jules

You'll have to wait a year. Time served will be 5th Nov 2008

There is one good thing about not being a citizen. No vote means I am much less bothered about politics than in the UK. Which still irks me even though I don't live there.

startwin

I'm one of those rare folks that loves KD! My idea of heaven is when it's just me for dinner and I can eat the whole thing to myself. Everyone else hates it.

manghams

We left Bradford to give our kids a better life; only been here 5 weeks, but so far, everyone is friendly, there appears to be far less stress, traffic, and much much more space.

Banks, schools, lawyers have all been more than helpful and people seem open to our strange ways.

My 16 yr old has been at school 2 weeks and has made new friends who are happy to go the extra mile to help him out, picking him up, helping him settle in.

However, so far, other than relatives all our new friends are ex-pats, and not necessarily through this site.

We haven't experienced any of the yob culture we left behind - we even decided to drive down town Windsor at 11.30pm New Years Eve to check it out - Horror - orderly queues!! Nobody rolling around the street, or yelling across the road, or being sick - nothing like Bradford or Bingley at the time on a average Friday or Saturday night.

I feel safer, if not more conspicuous, but not alienated.

We went into the Mall Friday pm, masses of teenagers, but security were not moving them out, they were well behaved, not intimidating and polite, nobody pushed, they even opened doors for us!
I appreciate that down town Toronto may not be at safe, but we didnt choose Toronto for that reason.

We are close to US border for shopping etc., but comfortably within the gentler Canadian society. Things are looking good.