Dave n Ailsa

I've been on this forum, on and off for over 4 years. In that time I've seen the good and bad stories of the immigration process.

So I've starting thinking, that a high percentage of expats have moved to Canada for the wrong reasons. Things like "I hate this country now", or "there's no work here", or even "my children have no future here" etc etc.

My pet hate is when I read about folk who move to Canada because it was "too hard to get into the USA", or "Australia was too far away"

These are not reasons to move to Canada, they are excuses to leave your own country. And when you do make the move, how depressed will you be when you realize it's just the same, and maybe even worse than what you left behind.

I think the reason I'm getting so uptight about this, is because of the application delay stories I'm reading about. Is it possible that if more people took the time to assess their situation in this country, and decided that they could have a better life if they just changed a few things and made more of an effort, then CIC wouldn't have such a HUGE pile of applications to sift through, from people, many of whom decided to move to Canada on a whim, or because Oz was full.

So what's my story, and could we have a better life if we stay here?

Well, yes, probably. We could get a bigger house. I could get some daft American rust-bucket, I could go fishing every weekend, Ailsa could get a much higher paid job, I could grow my own small business into something big, and our kids are at an age where they will go with the flow.

But it's not Canada.

We want to move BECAUSE of the differences. We won't be looking for british pubs, or footy, or be upset with not seeing eastenders, or not getting baked beans etc etc. We want Tim Hortons, and Canadian Tire, and rusty old muscle cars sitting on the driveway, knowing I can buy parts and if I do get to drive it, it won't look ridiculous like it would on a narrow wet road in Scotland. We want to know it will be sunny in Summer, and snowy in winter, even if it is extreme. We like the accents, we like the space, we even like the stereotype attitude that Canadians seem to have from other nations.
Some seem to complain of Canada having no culture compared to the UK. What do they mean by that? Going to a museum then back to ye olde pub for a steak pie and a pint of best ale?

Maybe I'm lacking in Culture then. I want to have Barbie's at the weekend, maybe go to a comedy club once a month, teach my kids how to ice skate, maybe get them into Hockey, learn the rules of baseball and football, and drive on the wrong side of the road, lol, I want all of that.

We are not moving across the Atlantic because we feel our country has nothing to offer. We just want to do all things we've wanted to do half our lives, but were unable because Scotland was not the right place for us.

So now we sit, and wait for our application to be processed. My only link to Canada is reading this forum, or some excellent blogs from folk on here, or googling Canada for places to work live and play. Ailsa has work coleagues she can contact for the odd photo update, but it's really tough living here, knowing that your heart is in another country. Every day just watching the clock tick by, waiting for the day you can book flights and get on with the rest of your life.

Now I know I'm going to get the odd flaming, but the truth is, I'd rather be miserable in Canada, than miserable in Scotland

Dave.

izzi81

I don't know what other comments you'll get, but I just wanted to say that's a great post! It was a bit like reading thoughts from my own head! I agree with everything you said
can't wait to start our new life.. you'll feel great when the visas arrive!

I see you say you're the only sober man in Glasgow.. not quite, my partner Iain is the same! Whereabouts in Glasgow are you? We stay in anniesland.

__TJ__

totally agree. my life in the uk is pretty bloody good. i have friends at school ( dropping kids off) i have uni friends ( ou study so anywhere-able) i have family...
and yes the oppertunities for the kid will be better in canada than here, and yes they will do better long term in canada, but thats not why we are leaving.

selfish want to try something new before we are too old is why. its the be all and end all. its about then but also about me. me, me,me, me ....

canada will benefit from my kids and their earning potential, and from mine in 2 years when im done studying.

moving because the govmt is crap/indecisive/grey... no way. too big a risk for something so trivial.

Oink

That's fantastic. Maybe you could dissuade some Indian or Chinese people who might be applying for residence in Canada so your application will speed up.

Dave n Ailsa

We're in Darnley, south side. Happy to meet up for an "AA" type therapy class any time you like lol.

dbd33

Australia did seem a long way away "what if we don't like it, how could we afford to come back?", we reasoned. We thought America had no healthcare and was full of guns, too much Grauniad, we should have gone there. We'd overlooked an advert for Canada but, on seeing it, exclaimed "They speak French there, ideal!" and so, with all of an evening's consideration of the matter we were whisked off to Canada. On reflection, we could have found out about the weather, we could have brought coats.

Dave n Ailsa

And that's exactly the sort of post that made me add you to my ignore list.

I thought I'd give you a chance to redeem yourself, so took you off my list (of which YOU were the only one) so I could read your post, but no, just the usual rude and un-helpfull oink.

Back on the ignore list then.

dbd33

Why? And that's almost an innocent question, Tim Hortons is ok but not much different to Starbucks. They probably have Starbucks in Scotland and you probably don't spend much time there. Canadian Tire, very much like Halfords, how much time do spend buying Chinese tat in Halfords?

Dave n Ailsa

Where there's an Oink, there's a DBD33

Dave n Ailsa

Looks like I've hit a nerve here with a few folk

dbd33

Well, that's the truth and it was sound reasoning. Australia is a long way away. The use of French has been the big benefit in coming here rather than going somewhere else or nowhere at all. I would probably have been better off in the US.

Oink

You don't see a little irony in your original post?

Novocastrian

Agreed. So if you know this already, why do you want to bother? To be able to drive monstrous gas guzzlers without attracting quite so much disdain as in Scotland?

Think again.

Alan2005

Nobody is going to disagree with this.

Dave n Ailsa

That makes no sense.

I was reffering to the folk who have moved over for the wrong reasons, so don't apply to me