3 months in Nova Scotia
Feb 3rd 2011, 4:50 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 178
3 months in Nova Scotia
Well what a whirlwind it has been for us!
Life threw us a few curve balls, (mainly an offer of purchase on our UK house sooner than expected and discovering that I was pregnant), so we opted to move out to NS before we had our visas... Risky I know, but with the option to live there as seasonal residents for six months and with just enough money in the bank from our house sale to tide us over without work we decided to take the plunge. We moved over at the end of October, before it became too uncomfortable for me to fly, and applied for our seasonal residency at the airport. We brought our cat with us, which I found really stressful worrying about her, but she coped well with the flight and is now settling into Canadian life.
We had put in an offer on a house in Bridgewater prior to moving over - a large run down old house in town that needed work - so the day after we landed we completed the sale and picked up the keys. We had to rent furniture until the container of goods turned up a month later, but renting furniture is really easy out here so we literally had a living room and bedroom suite delivered the next day.
We did find a lot of basic shopping difficult for a few reasons. Even though we had opened bank accounts prior to flying over, we still had no credit history here. We arranged some 'pre-loaded' and secured credit cards, as credit is almost the sole method of payment, but found that a lot of places won't accept these types of cards. We had cheque books made up, but without government or provincial ID, many companies won't accept those either. We also found shopping hard because the products are so similar and yet completely different... things you take for granted just aren't available. I am getting used to it now, but it was not something I was prepared for. My first trip to a supermarket nearly made me cry as I felt like a stupid alien with no concept of basic goods! I spent so long just picking up and putting down products it took hours to get a basic shop done.
We have been lucky to have made a few new friends since being here. Random situations like chatting to someone in a DIY store has led to meeting up for coffee and such. Our neighbours have been very welcoming and have introduced us to a few folks too. I think once the weather improves and we can get out and about (oot and aboot) more, we will have more of a chance to meet folks. We are looking forward to visits from Friends and Family though - our first visitor arrives in a week, and our next visitors are booked in for April.
The house has been keeping us busy - we are literally stripping areas back to studs and renovating it. This way we have a working routine whilst we settle in without jobs, and hopefully we will make money when we sell it. However at 36 weeks pregnant I am now finding it hard to keep up the renovation pace so more and more work is falling to my hubby. It has been a very interesting experience going from bricks and mortar to wood, plaster and lathe.
We have also been lucky that this area is covered by some great community midwives, for this pregnancy could have been a very expensive endeavour as we are without provincial health coverage until our PR Visas arrive. The midwives cover me without charge regardless, and since we have now had our PPR (arrived 1st Feb) and we have lived here for 3 months, we can most likely claim back any hospital costs we may incur if for some reason I get transferred. Since the baby will be born on Canadian soil, they will beat us to citizenship! We want to arrange duel nationality for the baby to make sure they have as many options as possible when they get older.
Right, I had better get on and do some work rather than blithering on. The only reason I am sat still this long is that I have just been shovelling snow for two hours and am now suffering Braxton Hicks contractions! After an hours rest I should really get up and get moving again. We are enjoying our time so far in NS, and are loving having more time together as a couple (something almost unheard of in the UK with both of us working long hours). We are looking forward to the arrival of our little one, and all the new challenges a baby will bring to our lives.
Any questions, just drop us a line. We will try to answer all your queries.
LL x
Life threw us a few curve balls, (mainly an offer of purchase on our UK house sooner than expected and discovering that I was pregnant), so we opted to move out to NS before we had our visas... Risky I know, but with the option to live there as seasonal residents for six months and with just enough money in the bank from our house sale to tide us over without work we decided to take the plunge. We moved over at the end of October, before it became too uncomfortable for me to fly, and applied for our seasonal residency at the airport. We brought our cat with us, which I found really stressful worrying about her, but she coped well with the flight and is now settling into Canadian life.
We had put in an offer on a house in Bridgewater prior to moving over - a large run down old house in town that needed work - so the day after we landed we completed the sale and picked up the keys. We had to rent furniture until the container of goods turned up a month later, but renting furniture is really easy out here so we literally had a living room and bedroom suite delivered the next day.
We did find a lot of basic shopping difficult for a few reasons. Even though we had opened bank accounts prior to flying over, we still had no credit history here. We arranged some 'pre-loaded' and secured credit cards, as credit is almost the sole method of payment, but found that a lot of places won't accept these types of cards. We had cheque books made up, but without government or provincial ID, many companies won't accept those either. We also found shopping hard because the products are so similar and yet completely different... things you take for granted just aren't available. I am getting used to it now, but it was not something I was prepared for. My first trip to a supermarket nearly made me cry as I felt like a stupid alien with no concept of basic goods! I spent so long just picking up and putting down products it took hours to get a basic shop done.
We have been lucky to have made a few new friends since being here. Random situations like chatting to someone in a DIY store has led to meeting up for coffee and such. Our neighbours have been very welcoming and have introduced us to a few folks too. I think once the weather improves and we can get out and about (oot and aboot) more, we will have more of a chance to meet folks. We are looking forward to visits from Friends and Family though - our first visitor arrives in a week, and our next visitors are booked in for April.
The house has been keeping us busy - we are literally stripping areas back to studs and renovating it. This way we have a working routine whilst we settle in without jobs, and hopefully we will make money when we sell it. However at 36 weeks pregnant I am now finding it hard to keep up the renovation pace so more and more work is falling to my hubby. It has been a very interesting experience going from bricks and mortar to wood, plaster and lathe.
We have also been lucky that this area is covered by some great community midwives, for this pregnancy could have been a very expensive endeavour as we are without provincial health coverage until our PR Visas arrive. The midwives cover me without charge regardless, and since we have now had our PPR (arrived 1st Feb) and we have lived here for 3 months, we can most likely claim back any hospital costs we may incur if for some reason I get transferred. Since the baby will be born on Canadian soil, they will beat us to citizenship! We want to arrange duel nationality for the baby to make sure they have as many options as possible when they get older.
Right, I had better get on and do some work rather than blithering on. The only reason I am sat still this long is that I have just been shovelling snow for two hours and am now suffering Braxton Hicks contractions! After an hours rest I should really get up and get moving again. We are enjoying our time so far in NS, and are loving having more time together as a couple (something almost unheard of in the UK with both of us working long hours). We are looking forward to the arrival of our little one, and all the new challenges a baby will bring to our lives.
Any questions, just drop us a line. We will try to answer all your queries.
LL x
Feb 3rd 2011, 5:53 pm
#2
Bon Vivant
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 2,956
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Welcome to Nova Scotia.
I don't understand why you have difficulty paying for basics.
Debit cards are accepted everywhere that I know of and, because they are, in essence, pre-paid you should be able to get one without difficulty.
Credit is not "almost the sole method of payment". Yes, lots of do people use credit cards to pay because they amass rewards such as airmiles, points or cash-back but I and many others use a debit card almost exclusively. Cheques are seldom used anymore except maybe for rent payments.
Best wishes for your imminent big event and your future in Canada. Maybe the renovation project and everything else that is going on in your lives has made that transition more traumatic. Things will likely get much easier when your life is less busy.
Best regards.
I don't understand why you have difficulty paying for basics.
Debit cards are accepted everywhere that I know of and, because they are, in essence, pre-paid you should be able to get one without difficulty.
Credit is not "almost the sole method of payment". Yes, lots of do people use credit cards to pay because they amass rewards such as airmiles, points or cash-back but I and many others use a debit card almost exclusively. Cheques are seldom used anymore except maybe for rent payments.
Best wishes for your imminent big event and your future in Canada. Maybe the renovation project and everything else that is going on in your lives has made that transition more traumatic. Things will likely get much easier when your life is less busy.
Best regards.
Feb 3rd 2011, 7:56 pm
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2009
Location: Somewhere in Hamilton, ON
Posts: 4,307
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Well what a whirlwind it has been for us!
Life threw us a few curve balls, (mainly an offer of purchase on our UK house sooner than expected and discovering that I was pregnant), so we opted to move out to NS before we had our visas... Risky I know, but with the option to live there as seasonal residents for six months and with just enough money in the bank from our house sale to tide us over without work we decided to take the plunge. We moved over at the end of October, before it became too uncomfortable for me to fly, and applied for our seasonal residency at the airport. We brought our cat with us, which I found really stressful worrying about her, but she coped well with the flight and is now settling into Canadian life.
We had put in an offer on a house in Bridgewater prior to moving over - a large run down old house in town that needed work - so the day after we landed we completed the sale and picked up the keys. We had to rent furniture until the container of goods turned up a month later, but renting furniture is really easy out here so we literally had a living room and bedroom suite delivered the next day.
We did find a lot of basic shopping difficult for a few reasons. Even though we had opened bank accounts prior to flying over, we still had no credit history here. We arranged some 'pre-loaded' and secured credit cards, as credit is almost the sole method of payment, but found that a lot of places won't accept these types of cards. We had cheque books made up, but without government or provincial ID, many companies won't accept those either. We also found shopping hard because the products are so similar and yet completely different... things you take for granted just aren't available. I am getting used to it now, but it was not something I was prepared for. My first trip to a supermarket nearly made me cry as I felt like a stupid alien with no concept of basic goods! I spent so long just picking up and putting down products it took hours to get a basic shop done.
We have been lucky to have made a few new friends since being here. Random situations like chatting to someone in a DIY store has led to meeting up for coffee and such. Our neighbours have been very welcoming and have introduced us to a few folks too. I think once the weather improves and we can get out and about (oot and aboot) more, we will have more of a chance to meet folks. We are looking forward to visits from Friends and Family though - our first visitor arrives in a week, and our next visitors are booked in for April.
The house has been keeping us busy - we are literally stripping areas back to studs and renovating it. This way we have a working routine whilst we settle in without jobs, and hopefully we will make money when we sell it. However at 36 weeks pregnant I am now finding it hard to keep up the renovation pace so more and more work is falling to my hubby. It has been a very interesting experience going from bricks and mortar to wood, plaster and lathe.
We have also been lucky that this area is covered by some great community midwives, for this pregnancy could have been a very expensive endeavour as we are without provincial health coverage until our PR Visas arrive. The midwives cover me without charge regardless, and since we have now had our PPR (arrived 1st Feb) and we have lived here for 3 months, we can most likely claim back any hospital costs we may incur if for some reason I get transferred. Since the baby will be born on Canadian soil, they will beat us to citizenship! We want to arrange duel nationality for the baby to make sure they have as many options as possible when they get older.
Right, I had better get on and do some work rather than blithering on. The only reason I am sat still this long is that I have just been shovelling snow for two hours and am now suffering Braxton Hicks contractions! After an hours rest I should really get up and get moving again. We are enjoying our time so far in NS, and are loving having more time together as a couple (something almost unheard of in the UK with both of us working long hours). We are looking forward to the arrival of our little one, and all the new challenges a baby will bring to our lives.
Any questions, just drop us a line. We will try to answer all your queries.
LL x
Life threw us a few curve balls, (mainly an offer of purchase on our UK house sooner than expected and discovering that I was pregnant), so we opted to move out to NS before we had our visas... Risky I know, but with the option to live there as seasonal residents for six months and with just enough money in the bank from our house sale to tide us over without work we decided to take the plunge. We moved over at the end of October, before it became too uncomfortable for me to fly, and applied for our seasonal residency at the airport. We brought our cat with us, which I found really stressful worrying about her, but she coped well with the flight and is now settling into Canadian life.
We had put in an offer on a house in Bridgewater prior to moving over - a large run down old house in town that needed work - so the day after we landed we completed the sale and picked up the keys. We had to rent furniture until the container of goods turned up a month later, but renting furniture is really easy out here so we literally had a living room and bedroom suite delivered the next day.
We did find a lot of basic shopping difficult for a few reasons. Even though we had opened bank accounts prior to flying over, we still had no credit history here. We arranged some 'pre-loaded' and secured credit cards, as credit is almost the sole method of payment, but found that a lot of places won't accept these types of cards. We had cheque books made up, but without government or provincial ID, many companies won't accept those either. We also found shopping hard because the products are so similar and yet completely different... things you take for granted just aren't available. I am getting used to it now, but it was not something I was prepared for. My first trip to a supermarket nearly made me cry as I felt like a stupid alien with no concept of basic goods! I spent so long just picking up and putting down products it took hours to get a basic shop done.
We have been lucky to have made a few new friends since being here. Random situations like chatting to someone in a DIY store has led to meeting up for coffee and such. Our neighbours have been very welcoming and have introduced us to a few folks too. I think once the weather improves and we can get out and about (oot and aboot) more, we will have more of a chance to meet folks. We are looking forward to visits from Friends and Family though - our first visitor arrives in a week, and our next visitors are booked in for April.
The house has been keeping us busy - we are literally stripping areas back to studs and renovating it. This way we have a working routine whilst we settle in without jobs, and hopefully we will make money when we sell it. However at 36 weeks pregnant I am now finding it hard to keep up the renovation pace so more and more work is falling to my hubby. It has been a very interesting experience going from bricks and mortar to wood, plaster and lathe.
We have also been lucky that this area is covered by some great community midwives, for this pregnancy could have been a very expensive endeavour as we are without provincial health coverage until our PR Visas arrive. The midwives cover me without charge regardless, and since we have now had our PPR (arrived 1st Feb) and we have lived here for 3 months, we can most likely claim back any hospital costs we may incur if for some reason I get transferred. Since the baby will be born on Canadian soil, they will beat us to citizenship! We want to arrange duel nationality for the baby to make sure they have as many options as possible when they get older.
Right, I had better get on and do some work rather than blithering on. The only reason I am sat still this long is that I have just been shovelling snow for two hours and am now suffering Braxton Hicks contractions! After an hours rest I should really get up and get moving again. We are enjoying our time so far in NS, and are loving having more time together as a couple (something almost unheard of in the UK with both of us working long hours). We are looking forward to the arrival of our little one, and all the new challenges a baby will bring to our lives.
Any questions, just drop us a line. We will try to answer all your queries.
LL x
Good luck with baby and leave the snow shovelling to hubby for a few weeks otherwise those won't be Braxton Hicks!!!
Feb 3rd 2011, 9:13 pm
#4
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2008
Location: Was: Cullicudden, Scotland. Now: Hammonds Plains, NS
Posts: 352
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Congratulations, what a lovely post. Good luck with the arrival of the baby - it's such an exciting time, enjoy it!
Feb 4th 2011, 2:07 pm
#5
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Lunenburg, NS
Posts: 539
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
LL, Thanks for an inspiring post, your early move over was quite brave! we are currently awaiting a sale on our bungalow then we hope to head over to the Bridgewater area. I dont think we will know where will buy until we arrive.
hope the new arrival is on schedule for you
and best wishes for you both in your new home 
Sharon
hope the new arrival is on schedule for you
and best wishes for you both in your new home Sharon
Feb 5th 2011, 12:17 pm
#6
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 768
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Well what a whirlwind it has been for us!
Life threw us a few curve balls, (mainly an offer of purchase on our UK house sooner than expected and discovering that I was pregnant), so we opted to move out to NS before we had our visas... Risky I know, but with the option to live there as seasonal residents for six months and with just enough money in the bank from our house sale to tide us over without work we decided to take the plunge. We moved over at the end of October, before it became too uncomfortable for me to fly, and applied for our seasonal residency at the airport. We brought our cat with us, which I found really stressful worrying about her, but she coped well with the flight and is now settling into Canadian life.
We had put in an offer on a house in Bridgewater prior to moving over - a large run down old house in town that needed work - so the day after we landed we completed the sale and picked up the keys. We had to rent furniture until the container of goods turned up a month later, but renting furniture is really easy out here so we literally had a living room and bedroom suite delivered the next day.
We did find a lot of basic shopping difficult for a few reasons. Even though we had opened bank accounts prior to flying over, we still had no credit history here. We arranged some 'pre-loaded' and secured credit cards, as credit is almost the sole method of payment, but found that a lot of places won't accept these types of cards. We had cheque books made up, but without government or provincial ID, many companies won't accept those either. We also found shopping hard because the products are so similar and yet completely different... things you take for granted just aren't available. I am getting used to it now, but it was not something I was prepared for. My first trip to a supermarket nearly made me cry as I felt like a stupid alien with no concept of basic goods! I spent so long just picking up and putting down products it took hours to get a basic shop done.
We have been lucky to have made a few new friends since being here. Random situations like chatting to someone in a DIY store has led to meeting up for coffee and such. Our neighbours have been very welcoming and have introduced us to a few folks too. I think once the weather improves and we can get out and about (oot and aboot) more, we will have more of a chance to meet folks. We are looking forward to visits from Friends and Family though - our first visitor arrives in a week, and our next visitors are booked in for April.
The house has been keeping us busy - we are literally stripping areas back to studs and renovating it. This way we have a working routine whilst we settle in without jobs, and hopefully we will make money when we sell it. However at 36 weeks pregnant I am now finding it hard to keep up the renovation pace so more and more work is falling to my hubby. It has been a very interesting experience going from bricks and mortar to wood, plaster and lathe.
We have also been lucky that this area is covered by some great community midwives, for this pregnancy could have been a very expensive endeavour as we are without provincial health coverage until our PR Visas arrive. The midwives cover me without charge regardless, and since we have now had our PPR (arrived 1st Feb) and we have lived here for 3 months, we can most likely claim back any hospital costs we may incur if for some reason I get transferred. Since the baby will be born on Canadian soil, they will beat us to citizenship! We want to arrange duel nationality for the baby to make sure they have as many options as possible when they get older.
Right, I had better get on and do some work rather than blithering on. The only reason I am sat still this long is that I have just been shovelling snow for two hours and am now suffering Braxton Hicks contractions! After an hours rest I should really get up and get moving again. We are enjoying our time so far in NS, and are loving having more time together as a couple (something almost unheard of in the UK with both of us working long hours). We are looking forward to the arrival of our little one, and all the new challenges a baby will bring to our lives.
Any questions, just drop us a line. We will try to answer all your queries.
LL x
Life threw us a few curve balls, (mainly an offer of purchase on our UK house sooner than expected and discovering that I was pregnant), so we opted to move out to NS before we had our visas... Risky I know, but with the option to live there as seasonal residents for six months and with just enough money in the bank from our house sale to tide us over without work we decided to take the plunge. We moved over at the end of October, before it became too uncomfortable for me to fly, and applied for our seasonal residency at the airport. We brought our cat with us, which I found really stressful worrying about her, but she coped well with the flight and is now settling into Canadian life.
We had put in an offer on a house in Bridgewater prior to moving over - a large run down old house in town that needed work - so the day after we landed we completed the sale and picked up the keys. We had to rent furniture until the container of goods turned up a month later, but renting furniture is really easy out here so we literally had a living room and bedroom suite delivered the next day.
We did find a lot of basic shopping difficult for a few reasons. Even though we had opened bank accounts prior to flying over, we still had no credit history here. We arranged some 'pre-loaded' and secured credit cards, as credit is almost the sole method of payment, but found that a lot of places won't accept these types of cards. We had cheque books made up, but without government or provincial ID, many companies won't accept those either. We also found shopping hard because the products are so similar and yet completely different... things you take for granted just aren't available. I am getting used to it now, but it was not something I was prepared for. My first trip to a supermarket nearly made me cry as I felt like a stupid alien with no concept of basic goods! I spent so long just picking up and putting down products it took hours to get a basic shop done.
We have been lucky to have made a few new friends since being here. Random situations like chatting to someone in a DIY store has led to meeting up for coffee and such. Our neighbours have been very welcoming and have introduced us to a few folks too. I think once the weather improves and we can get out and about (oot and aboot) more, we will have more of a chance to meet folks. We are looking forward to visits from Friends and Family though - our first visitor arrives in a week, and our next visitors are booked in for April.
The house has been keeping us busy - we are literally stripping areas back to studs and renovating it. This way we have a working routine whilst we settle in without jobs, and hopefully we will make money when we sell it. However at 36 weeks pregnant I am now finding it hard to keep up the renovation pace so more and more work is falling to my hubby. It has been a very interesting experience going from bricks and mortar to wood, plaster and lathe.
We have also been lucky that this area is covered by some great community midwives, for this pregnancy could have been a very expensive endeavour as we are without provincial health coverage until our PR Visas arrive. The midwives cover me without charge regardless, and since we have now had our PPR (arrived 1st Feb) and we have lived here for 3 months, we can most likely claim back any hospital costs we may incur if for some reason I get transferred. Since the baby will be born on Canadian soil, they will beat us to citizenship! We want to arrange duel nationality for the baby to make sure they have as many options as possible when they get older.
Right, I had better get on and do some work rather than blithering on. The only reason I am sat still this long is that I have just been shovelling snow for two hours and am now suffering Braxton Hicks contractions! After an hours rest I should really get up and get moving again. We are enjoying our time so far in NS, and are loving having more time together as a couple (something almost unheard of in the UK with both of us working long hours). We are looking forward to the arrival of our little one, and all the new challenges a baby will bring to our lives.
Any questions, just drop us a line. We will try to answer all your queries.
LL x
Cheers
Martin
Feb 5th 2011, 9:27 pm
#7
Pissy Mare
Joined: May 2008
Location: Previously Hertfordshire, now in Chester Basin, Nova Scotia :)
Posts: 396
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Good to read another success story from the South Shore, we've been here just over 5 months and love it 
Feb 6th 2011, 12:35 am
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: NS
Posts: 1,212
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Lovely post LL
(can't believe we've been here just over 4 months already!)
(can't believe we've been here just over 4 months already!)
Feb 6th 2011, 3:06 pm
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: By the Ocean, NS
Posts: 270
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Lovely post.
We have found debit cards accepted in the vast majority of places (but also had no problem getting a credit card on a reccie trip).
Isn't it lovely to have time to spend together after years in the UK of long hours meaning you hardly see each other?
Congrats on your PPR, that must be a relief. Hope your house is coming along well and good luck for the arrival of your little Canadian! I thinkthat at 36 weeks you should be able to delegate the snow shovelling though!!
We have found debit cards accepted in the vast majority of places (but also had no problem getting a credit card on a reccie trip).
Isn't it lovely to have time to spend together after years in the UK of long hours meaning you hardly see each other?
Congrats on your PPR, that must be a relief. Hope your house is coming along well and good luck for the arrival of your little Canadian! I thinkthat at 36 weeks you should be able to delegate the snow shovelling though!!
Feb 7th 2011, 10:46 am
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2008
Location: Wellington, Nova Scotia
Posts: 752
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
Lovely post LL. Good luck for the future.
Feb 7th 2011, 10:22 pm
#11
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posts: 63
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
What a fabulous post - thank you for sharing your experiences so far!
My wife and I are due to fly out to NS next month...she will be 32 weeks pregnant and we will be bringing our cat (the welfare of which I know will prey on my wife's mind more heavily than anything else)...nice to know we're not the only ones!
I wish you the best of luck with everything!
My wife and I are due to fly out to NS next month...she will be 32 weeks pregnant and we will be bringing our cat (the welfare of which I know will prey on my wife's mind more heavily than anything else)...nice to know we're not the only ones!
I wish you the best of luck with everything!
Feb 14th 2011, 10:03 pm
#12
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Tillsonburg ON
Posts: 1,001
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
What a very nice post LL. Its good to hear other peoples experiences of moving over here.
I fully understand what you said about the supermarket. I remember being totally confused over products and prices etc. It was a bit overwhelming at the time.
But it soon becomes very comonplace. If I went back to england now I would be overwhelmed by the choice on offer in my local Sainsburys.
I fully understand what you said about the supermarket. I remember being totally confused over products and prices etc. It was a bit overwhelming at the time.
But it soon becomes very comonplace. If I went back to england now I would be overwhelmed by the choice on offer in my local Sainsburys.
Jul 11th 2011, 5:36 pm
#13
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 250
Re: 3 months in Nova Scotia
I can feel your frustration! We are just here for less than two months. We still couldn't find the cereal we like for breakfast after trying a few types and brands. We used to have Crunchy nuts and Wholegrain Fruit & Fibre, but couldn't find alternatives here. There were so many types of Free ranged, woodland eggs and Chickens, but it is so difficult to find one (especially Chicken) here. We are still shocked by over $200 for a weekly shopping while £80 was ours in the UK. 10 orange for 99 pence has long gone! Here is $1 per one. When using my credit card, I was told transaction rejected as no enough credit left in my $500 limit card.
The HSBC didn't want to issue us a credit card even they could see our money in the UK HSBC account. They insisted we had to transfer over in order to get a card. After all the hassle, then the post strike, we still haven't got a credit card from the HSBC. We opened a HSBC Canadian Account one month before we came over, but ridiculously 3 months later we still haven't got a debit card yet.
But we enjoy our living space, less traffic and outdoor activities when the weather is good.
The HSBC didn't want to issue us a credit card even they could see our money in the UK HSBC account. They insisted we had to transfer over in order to get a card. After all the hassle, then the post strike, we still haven't got a credit card from the HSBC. We opened a HSBC Canadian Account one month before we came over, but ridiculously 3 months later we still haven't got a debit card yet.
But we enjoy our living space, less traffic and outdoor activities when the weather is good.
