Would I do it again i.e. leave NZ? yes. I did the right thing for me. I always knew, from a small child I would live in another country one day.

Would I come to Canada, knowing what I know now? I think so. It's mostly been positive. There is a side of me that wishes we went to Europe instead, though.

I bet you would with all those lady boys.

Yes, I might even have gone to them if I'd stayed.

They are quite numerous.

Would I do it all again - I don't think so. I gave up a very good job to come here and I should have hedged my bets more. We had to make decisions very quickly and I wish we'd had more time to think it all through (I know a slightly unusual situation for those emigrating to Canada!!)

Am I glad we did it - No, but glad of the experience.

Will stay forever - Definitely not

But if you can say that after 1 month how can you say no? Seems to me that you must have known that before you left?

No.

Although i always wanted to live and work in different country, so i feel i have scratched that itch!!
So yes would probabaly do it again!

I wish i had felt more settled & happy in the UK but i didn't leave it because i didn't like it, i left to try new adventures. I'm in no-man's land now.

yes no yes no, lol (does that make sense?)

I have to say I would probably do it all again, because it was always something I wanted to do, and it would always have been at the back of my mind.

HOWEVER, things I would do differently:

- rented a house for longer instead of buying so quickly. lots of things that we just didn't know/weren't sure about that we should have taken into account (for example - what kind of well, water flow).

- i would have shipped a container. we came with just 2 cases each and 2 smallish crates of things. it quickly gets very boring buying new things, and houses here are just bigger - we've been in our house 2 years, and still have half empty rooms. the cost also mounts up quickly even for things like graters, pans, bedding.........

- looked into the job market more. I came over expecting it to a bit difficult to get a job, turns out it is very difficult. I have gone back to university for more qualifications, which helps, but they are still looking for Canadian experience - the 10years experience I have back home, doesn't count for too much.


As for the future, who knows what will happen. As it stands, it has been a great experience (for the most part!) i have made some great friends and done a lot of things I wouldn't have done at home and I think i would always have wondered "what if" if i hadn't came. The part of Canada we came to (Newfoundland) is a very unique place and will always have a special place in my heart and the people are (for the most part) very friendly and have a great sense of humour and kindness.

Nope. Great experience tho'!

Aw.............

Absolutely without question.

Met my wonderful wife here.

Have two successful sons and three fantastic grandchildren.

Had a wonderful career as an Air Traffic Controller.

Does anyone on here do paper work for a living?

No. Could do for the right price tho'

Probably. Things going pretty well so far after two and half years here. Good jobs, nice house, making some good friends etc.

But I now also realize what a major pain in the backside moving countries can be, especially when setting up.

Seeing Mrs LF cry every time we leave Heathrow and she says goodbye to her mum and dad would also make me think twice. She gets over it and is happy here, but I know she misses them, and moving here was initially (mostly) my idea.

Absolutely, n\o question, although my circumstances are vastly different than most. I met my Canadian wife in the UK and followed her here (invited - no stalking involved!) via family sponsorship, so my process was relatively swift (within a year).

Since leaving the UK we landed in Toronto (her original place of birth and the largest city I could find that allowed me to leave London without too much of a culture shock), and have been slowly heading west ever since (now in Victoria, which is pretty much the end of the road).

I completely love it here for numerous reasons, and even if we were to divorce in the future (not likely to happen I hasten to add) I would definitely remain here.

Yes absolutely we would.
Don't get me wrong, we gave up very good jobs and came as PRs with no jobs ahead. Everyone who didn't admire our guts thought we were crazy. At times it has certainly felt that way. As we've never been risk takers in the past it seemed that this was the scariest thing we've ever done in our lives.
We certainly haven't had it easy over the last 18 months. We earn a tiny fraction of what we earned before, but are gradually clawing our way back to financial security. We've dug deep (into our savings and into our emotions) to make it work so far, and we hope that with every passing day things get a little easier.
Even with all that said, we don't regret a thing. When times are hard - and believe me they have been! - I've shed more than a tear or two in worry, but my main thought is always "Please don't make us have to go back". We love this country so much, it's people and the new friends we've made, we love the lifestyle that comes with living in such a beautiful place, and truly feel so lucky to be here.
Will we be here when we're old and grey? Maybe not all year round - might be a little cold for my aching bones in wintertime. If I have a nice trailer/RV that I can drive south in for a few weeks that'll do me fine!