20 years
Apr 5th 2023, 4:40 pm
#1
Resident Maple Leaf Lush
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,745
20 years
Well that came round rather quickly! 20 years ago I set foot in Canada for the first time, and I'm still here. It's been an interesting journey so far, but I still like it here and don't have any plans as yet to move back to england, but am still visiting the family back there, was there a couple of weeks ago.
Apr 8th 2023, 2:03 am
#3
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 0
Re: 20 years
Where were you/are you in Canada?. This can make an important difference to one's happiness and well-being, as it surely did to mine when I lived there.
During the brief summer, few places in that country would qualify as not worth being in - I can think of several, but I won't list them here as I value my life.
To give my own example, I was born and grew up in New Brunswick, then moved to Montreal at age 9. (I also spent time in New Mexico where I then had relations living, but that isn't in Canada, and we'll let it go for now.)
So I had family in 'the Maritimes' to visit in June and July when the weather is at its best, but being in Montreal or Toronto during those months almost always meant cloying heat (if one can call mid-20s that) and high humidity. Likewise I had three uncles who were nickel miners in Sudbury, and on the two occasions we were up there to visit I recall mostly flies and mosquitoes in great swarms. One 'oncle' had a cottage at a pleasant enough lake and two motor boats to play with, but at age ten I disgraced myself (and cost my parents a fair bit of repair money) by managing to ram one of their boats on a low bridge and sinking it. As such things happen to children out in the 'bush'...
New Brunswick was a wonderful place to be in summertime. My grandparents lived on a small farm out of Moncton, and as my grandfather stayed active and worked every day until he turned 90, there were many enjoyable things to do in highly congenial company. All the 'rels' visited in July and there were many cousins to play with. As a foodie, I took great delight in the amazing variety of interesting dishes on the table every day from my grandmother's kitchen. June was strawberry month, July for raspberries, August for blackberries. By September and Labor Day it was all over, but oh, gosh, those summers.
For me, winters in Canada meant long, boring periods at home, doing mostly indoor things as I wasn't really a sports type, I didn't even care for hockey which made me a sort of Saturday Night Alien to everyone. I skated and did a bit of skiing until age 12 when I had an accident (I seem to have been prone to mishaps) and fell off a hill and landed on a tree, damaging my back at the spot where the spine connects to the pelvis, fortunately I wasn't crippled for life but it has left me with a legacy of pain. So as I said, the winters were long and boring for me.
I finally left in 1973, again to New Mexico for two years, then to Southeast Asia and eventually to Australia, where I've lived since 1976. Like the OP in Canada, the time (in my case 47 years, almost a half century, woo!) passed quickly. Now in my mid 70s, happily settled with my SO in regional Victoria (Australia, not British Columbia), I hang out for a few months at a time in Indonesia and Malaysia and then go back to Oz for some home comforts. It's a good life.
Part of me still misses Canada. Not so much New Brunswick where I no longer have many relations, most having pulled up stakes and moved across the country to BC, first the young'uns and then their parents when the latter retired. Those who lived in Ontario and one lot in Connecticut (USA) sold up in their 60s and went back to NB. The pull of home can be strong. even I have felt that 'call' at times even if I've never been one to reminisce too much about how good (forgetting all the less than pleasant aspects) it was back then.
By comparison my much younger SO was born in Malaysia and went to uni in Australia but returned home to a Malaysian civil service post. We met by chance in Ipoh in the '90s and have lived together in Oz for almost 30 years. The same old nostalgia is at work here, Ipoh still exerts a pull but neither of us cares for the effort involved in pulling up stakes and start again. So in my case I have three distinct pasts to deal with, Canada (NB, Quebec, Ontario), New Mexico (mostly Santa Fe, one of the best places I've had the privilege of living in, if for too short a time), and Australia.
Like in Australia, there is so much to see and do in Canada. The distances are about the same, but travel there seems to be better organized. The cross-country train journey is a delight, I last did it in 2006 and while it was expensive it was well worth it. Not sure about now. I also did Australia Sydney to Perth in 1976 when the going was better and it was all more affordable. Now I would have to remortgage our house for the two of us to indulge in this journey. Oh, well.
I've been back to Canada a few times with four extended visits to deal with family matters in 1979, 1982, 2006 and 2014. So I've seen the changes, probably more so than those who live there. Being me, each time I've wondered if I could go back to live there. But I've not dared to take the necessary steps to make the final move. Too much on the to do list, and I know it wouldn't be the same anyway.
The thought lingers. I wonder if the OP after two decades in Canada, has ever felt the same.
The here and now are important. But a lifetime is a short period and I can't help but think it's up to us to make the most and the best of it. Is all this a conundrum? I'm not sure, but it could be.
During the brief summer, few places in that country would qualify as not worth being in - I can think of several, but I won't list them here as I value my life.
To give my own example, I was born and grew up in New Brunswick, then moved to Montreal at age 9. (I also spent time in New Mexico where I then had relations living, but that isn't in Canada, and we'll let it go for now.)
So I had family in 'the Maritimes' to visit in June and July when the weather is at its best, but being in Montreal or Toronto during those months almost always meant cloying heat (if one can call mid-20s that) and high humidity. Likewise I had three uncles who were nickel miners in Sudbury, and on the two occasions we were up there to visit I recall mostly flies and mosquitoes in great swarms. One 'oncle' had a cottage at a pleasant enough lake and two motor boats to play with, but at age ten I disgraced myself (and cost my parents a fair bit of repair money) by managing to ram one of their boats on a low bridge and sinking it. As such things happen to children out in the 'bush'...
New Brunswick was a wonderful place to be in summertime. My grandparents lived on a small farm out of Moncton, and as my grandfather stayed active and worked every day until he turned 90, there were many enjoyable things to do in highly congenial company. All the 'rels' visited in July and there were many cousins to play with. As a foodie, I took great delight in the amazing variety of interesting dishes on the table every day from my grandmother's kitchen. June was strawberry month, July for raspberries, August for blackberries. By September and Labor Day it was all over, but oh, gosh, those summers.
For me, winters in Canada meant long, boring periods at home, doing mostly indoor things as I wasn't really a sports type, I didn't even care for hockey which made me a sort of Saturday Night Alien to everyone. I skated and did a bit of skiing until age 12 when I had an accident (I seem to have been prone to mishaps) and fell off a hill and landed on a tree, damaging my back at the spot where the spine connects to the pelvis, fortunately I wasn't crippled for life but it has left me with a legacy of pain. So as I said, the winters were long and boring for me.
I finally left in 1973, again to New Mexico for two years, then to Southeast Asia and eventually to Australia, where I've lived since 1976. Like the OP in Canada, the time (in my case 47 years, almost a half century, woo!) passed quickly. Now in my mid 70s, happily settled with my SO in regional Victoria (Australia, not British Columbia), I hang out for a few months at a time in Indonesia and Malaysia and then go back to Oz for some home comforts. It's a good life.
Part of me still misses Canada. Not so much New Brunswick where I no longer have many relations, most having pulled up stakes and moved across the country to BC, first the young'uns and then their parents when the latter retired. Those who lived in Ontario and one lot in Connecticut (USA) sold up in their 60s and went back to NB. The pull of home can be strong. even I have felt that 'call' at times even if I've never been one to reminisce too much about how good (forgetting all the less than pleasant aspects) it was back then.
By comparison my much younger SO was born in Malaysia and went to uni in Australia but returned home to a Malaysian civil service post. We met by chance in Ipoh in the '90s and have lived together in Oz for almost 30 years. The same old nostalgia is at work here, Ipoh still exerts a pull but neither of us cares for the effort involved in pulling up stakes and start again. So in my case I have three distinct pasts to deal with, Canada (NB, Quebec, Ontario), New Mexico (mostly Santa Fe, one of the best places I've had the privilege of living in, if for too short a time), and Australia.
Like in Australia, there is so much to see and do in Canada. The distances are about the same, but travel there seems to be better organized. The cross-country train journey is a delight, I last did it in 2006 and while it was expensive it was well worth it. Not sure about now. I also did Australia Sydney to Perth in 1976 when the going was better and it was all more affordable. Now I would have to remortgage our house for the two of us to indulge in this journey. Oh, well.
I've been back to Canada a few times with four extended visits to deal with family matters in 1979, 1982, 2006 and 2014. So I've seen the changes, probably more so than those who live there. Being me, each time I've wondered if I could go back to live there. But I've not dared to take the necessary steps to make the final move. Too much on the to do list, and I know it wouldn't be the same anyway.
The thought lingers. I wonder if the OP after two decades in Canada, has ever felt the same.
The here and now are important. But a lifetime is a short period and I can't help but think it's up to us to make the most and the best of it. Is all this a conundrum? I'm not sure, but it could be.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat143; Apr 8th 2023 at 2:05 am.
Apr 17th 2023, 5:12 am
#4
Yo
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 24,490
Re: 20 years
Where were you/are you in Canada?. This can make an important difference to one's happiness and well-being, as it surely did to mine when I lived there.
During the brief summer, few places in that country would qualify as not worth being in - I can think of several, but I won't list them here as I value my life.
To give my own example, I was born and grew up in New Brunswick, then moved to Montreal at age 9. (I also spent time in New Mexico where I then had relations living, but that isn't in Canada, and we'll let it go for now.)
So I had family in 'the Maritimes' to visit in June and July when the weather is at its best, but being in Montreal or Toronto during those months almost always meant cloying heat (if one can call mid-20s that) and high humidity. Likewise I had three uncles who were nickel miners in Sudbury, and on the two occasions we were up there to visit I recall mostly flies and mosquitoes in great swarms. One 'oncle' had a cottage at a pleasant enough lake and two motor boats to play with, but at age ten I disgraced myself (and cost my parents a fair bit of repair money) by managing to ram one of their boats on a low bridge and sinking it. As such things happen to children out in the 'bush'...
New Brunswick was a wonderful place to be in summertime. My grandparents lived on a small farm out of Moncton, and as my grandfather stayed active and worked every day until he turned 90, there were many enjoyable things to do in highly congenial company. All the 'rels' visited in July and there were many cousins to play with. As a foodie, I took great delight in the amazing variety of interesting dishes on the table every day from my grandmother's kitchen. June was strawberry month, July for raspberries, August for blackberries. By September and Labor Day it was all over, but oh, gosh, those summers.
For me, winters in Canada meant long, boring periods at home, doing mostly indoor things as I wasn't really a sports type, I didn't even care for hockey which made me a sort of Saturday Night Alien to everyone. I skated and did a bit of skiing until age 12 when I had an accident (I seem to have been prone to mishaps) and fell off a hill and landed on a tree, damaging my back at the spot where the spine connects to the pelvis, fortunately I wasn't crippled for life but it has left me with a legacy of pain. So as I said, the winters were long and boring for me.
I finally left in 1973, again to New Mexico for two years, then to Southeast Asia and eventually to Australia, where I've lived since 1976. Like the OP in Canada, the time (in my case 47 years, almost a half century, woo!) passed quickly. Now in my mid 70s, happily settled with my SO in regional Victoria (Australia, not British Columbia), I hang out for a few months at a time in Indonesia and Malaysia and then go back to Oz for some home comforts. It's a good life.
Part of me still misses Canada. Not so much New Brunswick where I no longer have many relations, most having pulled up stakes and moved across the country to BC, first the young'uns and then their parents when the latter retired. Those who lived in Ontario and one lot in Connecticut (USA) sold up in their 60s and went back to NB. The pull of home can be strong. even I have felt that 'call' at times even if I've never been one to reminisce too much about how good (forgetting all the less than pleasant aspects) it was back then.
By comparison my much younger SO was born in Malaysia and went to uni in Australia but returned home to a Malaysian civil service post. We met by chance in Ipoh in the '90s and have lived together in Oz for almost 30 years. The same old nostalgia is at work here, Ipoh still exerts a pull but neither of us cares for the effort involved in pulling up stakes and start again. So in my case I have three distinct pasts to deal with, Canada (NB, Quebec, Ontario), New Mexico (mostly Santa Fe, one of the best places I've had the privilege of living in, if for too short a time), and Australia.
Like in Australia, there is so much to see and do in Canada. The distances are about the same, but travel there seems to be better organized. The cross-country train journey is a delight, I last did it in 2006 and while it was expensive it was well worth it. Not sure about now. I also did Australia Sydney to Perth in 1976 when the going was better and it was all more affordable. Now I would have to remortgage our house for the two of us to indulge in this journey. Oh, well.
I've been back to Canada a few times with four extended visits to deal with family matters in 1979, 1982, 2006 and 2014. So I've seen the changes, probably more so than those who live there. Being me, each time I've wondered if I could go back to live there. But I've not dared to take the necessary steps to make the final move. Too much on the to do list, and I know it wouldn't be the same anyway.
The thought lingers. I wonder if the OP after two decades in Canada, has ever felt the same.
The here and now are important. But a lifetime is a short period and I can't help but think it's up to us to make the most and the best of it. Is all this a conundrum? I'm not sure, but it could be.
During the brief summer, few places in that country would qualify as not worth being in - I can think of several, but I won't list them here as I value my life.
To give my own example, I was born and grew up in New Brunswick, then moved to Montreal at age 9. (I also spent time in New Mexico where I then had relations living, but that isn't in Canada, and we'll let it go for now.)
So I had family in 'the Maritimes' to visit in June and July when the weather is at its best, but being in Montreal or Toronto during those months almost always meant cloying heat (if one can call mid-20s that) and high humidity. Likewise I had three uncles who were nickel miners in Sudbury, and on the two occasions we were up there to visit I recall mostly flies and mosquitoes in great swarms. One 'oncle' had a cottage at a pleasant enough lake and two motor boats to play with, but at age ten I disgraced myself (and cost my parents a fair bit of repair money) by managing to ram one of their boats on a low bridge and sinking it. As such things happen to children out in the 'bush'...
New Brunswick was a wonderful place to be in summertime. My grandparents lived on a small farm out of Moncton, and as my grandfather stayed active and worked every day until he turned 90, there were many enjoyable things to do in highly congenial company. All the 'rels' visited in July and there were many cousins to play with. As a foodie, I took great delight in the amazing variety of interesting dishes on the table every day from my grandmother's kitchen. June was strawberry month, July for raspberries, August for blackberries. By September and Labor Day it was all over, but oh, gosh, those summers.
For me, winters in Canada meant long, boring periods at home, doing mostly indoor things as I wasn't really a sports type, I didn't even care for hockey which made me a sort of Saturday Night Alien to everyone. I skated and did a bit of skiing until age 12 when I had an accident (I seem to have been prone to mishaps) and fell off a hill and landed on a tree, damaging my back at the spot where the spine connects to the pelvis, fortunately I wasn't crippled for life but it has left me with a legacy of pain. So as I said, the winters were long and boring for me.
I finally left in 1973, again to New Mexico for two years, then to Southeast Asia and eventually to Australia, where I've lived since 1976. Like the OP in Canada, the time (in my case 47 years, almost a half century, woo!) passed quickly. Now in my mid 70s, happily settled with my SO in regional Victoria (Australia, not British Columbia), I hang out for a few months at a time in Indonesia and Malaysia and then go back to Oz for some home comforts. It's a good life.
Part of me still misses Canada. Not so much New Brunswick where I no longer have many relations, most having pulled up stakes and moved across the country to BC, first the young'uns and then their parents when the latter retired. Those who lived in Ontario and one lot in Connecticut (USA) sold up in their 60s and went back to NB. The pull of home can be strong. even I have felt that 'call' at times even if I've never been one to reminisce too much about how good (forgetting all the less than pleasant aspects) it was back then.
By comparison my much younger SO was born in Malaysia and went to uni in Australia but returned home to a Malaysian civil service post. We met by chance in Ipoh in the '90s and have lived together in Oz for almost 30 years. The same old nostalgia is at work here, Ipoh still exerts a pull but neither of us cares for the effort involved in pulling up stakes and start again. So in my case I have three distinct pasts to deal with, Canada (NB, Quebec, Ontario), New Mexico (mostly Santa Fe, one of the best places I've had the privilege of living in, if for too short a time), and Australia.
Like in Australia, there is so much to see and do in Canada. The distances are about the same, but travel there seems to be better organized. The cross-country train journey is a delight, I last did it in 2006 and while it was expensive it was well worth it. Not sure about now. I also did Australia Sydney to Perth in 1976 when the going was better and it was all more affordable. Now I would have to remortgage our house for the two of us to indulge in this journey. Oh, well.
I've been back to Canada a few times with four extended visits to deal with family matters in 1979, 1982, 2006 and 2014. So I've seen the changes, probably more so than those who live there. Being me, each time I've wondered if I could go back to live there. But I've not dared to take the necessary steps to make the final move. Too much on the to do list, and I know it wouldn't be the same anyway.
The thought lingers. I wonder if the OP after two decades in Canada, has ever felt the same.
The here and now are important. But a lifetime is a short period and I can't help but think it's up to us to make the most and the best of it. Is all this a conundrum? I'm not sure, but it could be.
