beckiwoo

On the 1st September 2014, I left the UK and flew to Canada to activate my first IEC. I remember arriving at YVR, having a smooth immigration process, leaving the airport and heading to downtown Vancouver in a cab across the Granville Bridge. I remember thinking to myself ‘it is just a holiday, I’ll be going home again’ until I realized I didn’t have a return flight and I was there to try and make a go of it – that reality hit me hard – that I was doing this on my own!

Fast forward to 4 years later…I know that I have updated my canniversary every year so far with updates but it hasn’t been until now that it has dawned on me just how far I have come from 2 IEC to PR and now to applying for citizenship.

It has not been easy, I have had ups and downs with work, relationships, friendships, accommodation and just generally my emotional wellbeing but I feel I have come out the other side.

I am enjoying my job being just a 5-minute walk from where I currently live, earning slightly better money then before but also enjoying the environment and the work that I am undertaking. It is also a very small team (only 3 of us) so we know what everyone is doing and communication is excellent.

I would still love to go back to school but money would be the issue. I feel I have gone as far as I can career wise with my work experience. Nursing would be an options but again its money for schooling and trying to get into a program.

I moved in with my partner of 2.5 years in May time this year into his downtown apartment. It was a transition for me having to pay for monthly parking (as his building doesn’t have any) as well as sharing a 500 square foot 1 bedroom when I had never lived with a partner before, however there have been no major issues yet (fingers crossed) and for the most part I am enjoying downtown life despite having my reservations about it last year. What I do love is having an ‘extended family’ considering my mother is so far away. I really get on well with my partner’s mother, sister, grandmother and his aunt and uncle. I am also in love with the family dog so much so that she has her own iCloud album on my phone.

I lost my step-father at Easter time this year – he had pneumonia in January and then two strokes within a month of each other and finally a heart attack finished him (he had only just turned 70). I went back to the UK in June to visit my mother and make sure everything was ok. Unfortunately, my step-siblings have caused issues trying to get their hands on things that are not theirs and not giving my mother time to grieve. I always worry about my mum as I have no siblings but I know she has friends looking out for her. One thing that I am excited about is that she has booked her flights and is finally coming to visit Vancouver next May time!

One thing that is still difficult is seeing friends and then leaving again. It is so funny because when I meet up with any of my friendships groups it is as if I never left. I get very upset and tearful when I know that I have only seen them for 8 hours and I may not see them again for another few years. It definitely doesn’t feel the same out here with friends I have here and I still have very few. I have kind of come to accept it now and I know that unlike the UK when I went to my fitness classes, I am not going to have those kind of friendships to build upon. It does make me sad as I am still friends with a great group of young women who all attended weight classes with back in Northampton.

Vancouver is still not somewhere I want to indefinitely, we have both agreed we want to move to a house and have a dog, start a family etc. but the ever increasing property prices even outside of Vancouver is making this more and more of a pipe dream. I think at some point we are going to have to give in and look at further and further out.

I have also just started my citizenship application, due to the change in amount of time required. I am not eligible right now but I am within a month of applying. It has felt weird having to go through immigration processes again but I am hoping it should be a smooth process. Now that the application time is 12 months processing the sooner I get it in the quicker (hopefully).

Here is to another year and hopefully this time next year I’m closer to oath ceremony date

BristolUK

Excellent read Bex

beckiwoo

scilly

Excellent progress report!

I'm so glad things are working out for you.

Siouxie

I remember when you first joined.. first posted.... you've come a long way 'Bex babe'!

Congrats on your Canniversary.. looking forwards to the updates in years to come..

Best of luck for your future plans.

beckiwoo

beckiwoo

ScotinCanada

beckiwoo

Thank you

moshodi

Excellent, well written article. Very enjoyable to read.
I am glad it is working out for you.

Vespa club

Nice to read your story.

I've been here in Vancouver a long time and I still miss my friends back in England, I was there in the summer for 1st time in 10 years, down the pub having a pint and having a laugh like I'd never left there.

That kind of belly laughing and the good feeling you get after, I don't get that very often here.

I have some people I'd consider good friends here, but having a laugh isn't really something they do. Not really any back and forth banter.

I see a lot of posts online about Vancouver being a difficult place to make deep friendships and I do find it to be that way.

Also to be fair to Vancouverites, I suppose me and them not having grown up together then they aren't going to know you as well as the people you grew up with.

I do find that a problem though, as I've been here ages and yet I don't think there's anyone here that really knows me that well or about my life previous to moving here.

Anyway, good luck to you!