2 years and hate it 2
Feb 15th 2013, 5:07 pm
#17
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 732
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
Whilst I have finally settled after a rough patch lasting close to 5 years, I do find your list rather pathetic.
I miss 'home', I miss my friends and my family, I miss culture. Going down the pub on a friday not to get rat-assed but to have a good chin wag with those you work with or just merely catching up with an old friend.
I miss the cold and rainy seasons, the days where you just want to get home and sit in front of the fire and watch the tele. England will always be in my heart and I have now started to embrace Canada, I think that's part of the reason I didn't like it here, I wanted what I lost and couldn't have it and it sent a burning rage toward Canada unjustifiably.
Honestly grab a friend from work go sign up for a bowling league or a pool league and once a week go out enjoy yourself (responsably), and learn to enjoy it.
Once you have a day of the week to look forward to and a nice family, good co-workers and some optimism it is surprising how much you forget about missing 'home'.
I miss 'home', I miss my friends and my family, I miss culture. Going down the pub on a friday not to get rat-assed but to have a good chin wag with those you work with or just merely catching up with an old friend.
I miss the cold and rainy seasons, the days where you just want to get home and sit in front of the fire and watch the tele. England will always be in my heart and I have now started to embrace Canada, I think that's part of the reason I didn't like it here, I wanted what I lost and couldn't have it and it sent a burning rage toward Canada unjustifiably.
Honestly grab a friend from work go sign up for a bowling league or a pool league and once a week go out enjoy yourself (responsably), and learn to enjoy it.
Once you have a day of the week to look forward to and a nice family, good co-workers and some optimism it is surprising how much you forget about missing 'home'.
Feb 15th 2013, 9:03 pm
#18
BE user by choice
Joined: Oct 2010
Location: A Briton, married to a Canadian, now in Fredericton.
Posts: 4,854
Feb 16th 2013, 12:39 am
#19
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 12,830
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
Nearly 20 years on and miss nothing.
Biggest gripe, the total ignorance of Canadian English and diabollockal spelling, we're not Americans! Even in Britain they struggle with the proper English.
Biggest gripe, the total ignorance of Canadian English and diabollockal spelling, we're not Americans! Even in Britain they struggle with the proper English.
Feb 24th 2013, 3:42 am
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 68
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
Almost 2 years and going strong, you are a guest in another country, embrace it, learn to love it and have no regrets. It is nothing more than just "different". Having worked in China, Dubai and then Canada you learn to appreciate it can never be your home country, if it was why would you have left!
Feb 28th 2013, 3:54 am
#21
The ride never ends
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: SW Ontario
Posts: 2,481
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
On the plus side
1) Ice hockey
2) poutine
3) snow
4) no damn speed cameras
5) more snow
Do miss the old BBC and having a quality internet connection that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but I guess you can't win them all
1) Ice hockey
2) poutine
3) snow
4) no damn speed cameras
5) more snow
Do miss the old BBC and having a quality internet connection that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but I guess you can't win them all
Mar 20th 2013, 10:50 pm
#22
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 255
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
hehehehe
boy what a struggle, I read my old posts and though, jeez what a div !
Hey I'm older and wiser...
Since coming I learnt
1> That, "there's no place like home" queue Judy Garland
2> I miss drving my Porsche (sold her) and driving on the correct side of the road
3> I miss decent food
4> I miss not being tailgated at 100kmph's on the 401
5> My daughter has challenges and advantages in any country
6> The UK school system works ! Never done my nuffink wrong
7> I hate having to park facing the right way down the road - if I went to The UK and parked the wrong way, who would be in the right?
8> I hate getting tickets outside my house at 3am in the morning
9> I hate having to shuffle 2 cars around
10> I HATE doctors here, diabetes care in the UK is better than anywhere
11> Its called fish and CHIPS and its a can of coke not a POP - see re 'Gas'.
12> Its called Petrol not GAS - if I went to The UK and called it 'Gas', who would be in the right? 13> I miss my dancing, my social life, my friends
14> I hate to admit it I MISS my old job
15> $250 a month for car insurance , for a crappy Dodge Neon (I was paying £400 a year for my Porsche)
16> I hate starting again , all over again
boy what a struggle, I read my old posts and though, jeez what a div !
Hey I'm older and wiser...
Since coming I learnt
1> That, "there's no place like home" queue Judy Garland
2> I miss drving my Porsche (sold her) and driving on the correct side of the road
3> I miss decent food
4> I miss not being tailgated at 100kmph's on the 401
5> My daughter has challenges and advantages in any country
6> The UK school system works ! Never done my nuffink wrong
7> I hate having to park facing the right way down the road - if I went to The UK and parked the wrong way, who would be in the right?
8> I hate getting tickets outside my house at 3am in the morning
9> I hate having to shuffle 2 cars around
10> I HATE doctors here, diabetes care in the UK is better than anywhere
11> Its called fish and CHIPS and its a can of coke not a POP - see re 'Gas'.
12> Its called Petrol not GAS - if I went to The UK and called it 'Gas', who would be in the right? 13> I miss my dancing, my social life, my friends
14> I hate to admit it I MISS my old job
15> $250 a month for car insurance , for a crappy Dodge Neon (I was paying £400 a year for my Porsche)
16> I hate starting again , all over again
Mar 21st 2013, 1:34 am
#23
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 120
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
I have tried Canada, well Toronto and now I am in Montreal and it's not great. Everything seems so complicated so back to England I go in July
Life is too short to stay somewhere and to be in something when you're not happy
Life is too short to stay somewhere and to be in something when you're not happy
Mar 21st 2013, 1:54 pm
#24
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Almonte, ON
Posts: 1,061
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
Good luck with the move back!
Mar 21st 2013, 4:59 pm
#25
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 255
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
'Complications' of Life in The UK (a short list):
1) Have you translated a HMRC Tax Credit assessment, or Pension calculation recently?
2) Do you enjoy paying Council Tax as a renter?
3) Do you like keeping your Road Tax up to date?
4) How much time do you spend and loose on opportunity cost of comparing your Gas/Electric providers in The UK? Just go with BC Hydro, and all fine.
5) Parking is a joy in The UK is it not, or do you like arguing with your neighbours over inches and walking your shopping down the road in the rain?
6) Ever work in London and cram yourself onto the Tube or train every day?
7) Love that TV Licence fee, do you not?
Just accept the 1990s music on the radio in Canada and get Netflix.
FROTSUK
Mar 21st 2013, 8:23 pm
#26
Every day's a school day
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Was Calgary back in Edmonton again !!
Posts: 2,667
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
Canada is behind The UK in most things which actually makes it a much simplier country to live in, in my opinion. I think you actually mean 'different' which reasonable people accept as normal when they emigrate:
'Complications' of Life in The UK (a short list):
1) Have you translated a HMRC Tax Credit assessment, or Pension calculation recently? at least for most you are PAYE so you dont need to do tax returns at all in the UK
2) Do you enjoy paying Council Tax as a renter? Do you not think the landlord has included that in your total rent??
3) Do you like keeping your Road Tax up to date? Car registration tax is the same must be kept up to date each year
4) How much time do you spend and loose on opportunity cost of comparing your Gas/Electric providers in The UK? Just go with BC Hydro, and all fine. at least you have a choice
5) Parking is a joy in The UK is it not, or do you like arguing with your neighbours over inches and walking your shopping down the road in the rain? Granted i like parking in my garage and not getting wet..but i can park my car any which way round i want in the UK
6) Ever work in London and cram yourself onto the Tube or train every day? Do they even have passengers trains in Canada for commuters???
7) Love that TV Licence fee, do you not? Do you love paying $xxx each month for shit Canadian TV?
Just accept the 1990s music on the radio in Canada and get Netflix.
FROTSUK
'Complications' of Life in The UK (a short list):
1) Have you translated a HMRC Tax Credit assessment, or Pension calculation recently? at least for most you are PAYE so you dont need to do tax returns at all in the UK
2) Do you enjoy paying Council Tax as a renter? Do you not think the landlord has included that in your total rent??
3) Do you like keeping your Road Tax up to date? Car registration tax is the same must be kept up to date each year
4) How much time do you spend and loose on opportunity cost of comparing your Gas/Electric providers in The UK? Just go with BC Hydro, and all fine. at least you have a choice
5) Parking is a joy in The UK is it not, or do you like arguing with your neighbours over inches and walking your shopping down the road in the rain? Granted i like parking in my garage and not getting wet..but i can park my car any which way round i want in the UK
6) Ever work in London and cram yourself onto the Tube or train every day? Do they even have passengers trains in Canada for commuters???
7) Love that TV Licence fee, do you not? Do you love paying $xxx each month for shit Canadian TV?
Just accept the 1990s music on the radio in Canada and get Netflix.
FROTSUK
Mar 21st 2013, 8:44 pm
#27
Moderαtor Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,768
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
No MOT here and license and taxation fees are a lot less expensive, not to mention the CO2 tax tiering in the UK which seems more complex.
Certainly commuter trains in most large cities here, Toronto, MOntreal etc
I dont pay anything for TV, there is no legal requirement for a license here.
If I could be arsed I could get "free over air" service with an antenna, but like you say its mostly dross so we dont bother. I will concede that the broadcast programing that the UK license gives you access to is much better value than cable or satellite here, but Ive been free of the affliction/addiction now for more than 2 years and life is better without it.
Id say that things are not more complicated here, but its different in some respects so there is a period of adjustment getting used to how things are done, thats all. Id certainly feel the same way about the complications if moving back to the UK now and it doesnt make the feeling of frustration any less real for those caught up in it. Given time though it becomes "normal".
Last edited by iaink; Mar 21st 2013 at 9:04 pm.
Mar 21st 2013, 8:59 pm
#28
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Nova Scotia (from Scotland)
Posts: 1,032
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
speaking as someone renting in the UK and who has been for 7 years... my rent never included the council tax, that was always something I paid myself on top of the rent I paid to my landlords. If the tax went up I had to pay it, and when my rent goes up (which it does, way too often) I have to pay that too. 
Mar 21st 2013, 9:33 pm
#29
Up Your Kilt
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Mockingbird Heights
Posts: 1,621
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
Back when I rented in Canada my rent was the same for 4 years. As the building assesment and the tax rate inceased each of those years but my rent did not its safe to say that I was sheltered from the real property tax cost to some extent as it rose....
No MOT here and license and taxation fees are a lot less expensive, not to mention the CO2 tax tiering in the UK which seems more complex.
Certainly commuter trains in most large cities here, Toronto, MOntreal etc
I dont pay anything for TV, there is no legal requirement for a license here.
If I could be arsed I could get "free over air" service with an antenna, but like you say its mostly dross so we dont bother. I will concede that the broadcast programing that the UK license gives you access to is much better value than cable or satellite here, but Ive been free of the affliction/addiction now for more than 2 years and life is better without it.
Id say that things are not more complicated here, but its different in some respects so there is a period of adjustment getting used to how things are done, thats all. Id certainly feel the same way about the complications if moving back to the UK now and it doesnt make the feeling of frustration any less real for those caught up in it. Given time though it becomes "normal".
No MOT here and license and taxation fees are a lot less expensive, not to mention the CO2 tax tiering in the UK which seems more complex.
Certainly commuter trains in most large cities here, Toronto, MOntreal etc
I dont pay anything for TV, there is no legal requirement for a license here.
If I could be arsed I could get "free over air" service with an antenna, but like you say its mostly dross so we dont bother. I will concede that the broadcast programing that the UK license gives you access to is much better value than cable or satellite here, but Ive been free of the affliction/addiction now for more than 2 years and life is better without it.
Id say that things are not more complicated here, but its different in some respects so there is a period of adjustment getting used to how things are done, thats all. Id certainly feel the same way about the complications if moving back to the UK now and it doesnt make the feeling of frustration any less real for those caught up in it. Given time though it becomes "normal".
Mar 22nd 2013, 4:25 pm
#30
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 255
Re: 2 years and hate it 2
In small town BC at least, renters do not pay it, the landlord does.
If one owns, water/sewage/rubbish ('garbage') pick up is included in the Property Tax ('Council Tax') at about $550 per year = no more than £35 per month.
UK, South:
Water = £50 per month
Council Tax = £150 per month.
No comparison.