how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Any regrets about coming to Canada?

Anything you missed strongly and couldn't live without?

Any difficulties finding a job? - Thousands of job interviews and no success?

Has your standard of living improved? Was it all worth it?

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Settling in was fun, and great, really enjoyed the first 3-4 years actually. Hubby had a job to come to, I found a couple of part time retail jobs over time, which turned out to be crap, but they are what they are I suppose. A lot of jobs seem to be looking for specific occupational training, which is the responsibility of the applicant - such as medical office assistants, many bank workers, insurance workers, who need to do a specific course etc. Without doing something like that, being in an area where graduates and postgraduates are churned out by the thousands, I didn't have any luck getting anything good with just a UK degree without taking more courses. Then we had children so I do that now instead anyway.

Improvement in standard of living is very subjective and really dependent on what's important to you. We have a bigger house, and can fill it with more stuff and crap if we want, but we would trade it in for a smaller house in the UK tomorrow if it meant that winter would last less than the 5 months it has seemed to drag on for so far. It's hard to be on foot pregnant with a 5 and 2 year old in sub zero temperatures for that long, but we can't run to a second car at the moment to make that any easier. For some people, that won't be an issue and they'll love winter. We prefer the school system and ethos of the UK (that idiot Gove withstanding...), and would prefer it for our children, although there will be many who feel the opposite too.

What do we miss? Banter. Better radio/TV/music. More worldly people. Some foods, but you can find most if you're willing to hunt and pay. Proximity of Europe and cheaper travel. Accessible history, castles. Family activities/holidays that don't require a second mortgage to go out for the day, more that's free, it won't cost $25 for a family to go swimming in the UK. Better drivers and road manners. Again, this will be completely subjective and probably vary from person to person.

Was it worth it? Completely. Do we regret it? Nope. Are we staying forever? Doubt it, and hope not. We place a high value on experiences, whether they turn out to be for the better or not, and would be completely different people had we not done this, and it has definitely altered our perspectives and values. That's the same for most I would think.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

I don't regret coming to Canada...I regret coming to this 'bit' of Canada...I just can't take the climate.

There's nothing I can't do without, although I wish that Canada would wake up and realise that it has great food and ingredients and is just doing a piss poor job with them; they don't think half enough about what they are eating.

The employment situation varies wildly from province to province.

My standard of living has definitely descended...but I'm hoping that we will ultimately think it was all worth it in the end:fingerscrossed:

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Any regrets about coming to Canada?
No
Anything you missed strongly and couldn't live without?
No
Any difficulties finding a job? - Thousands of job interviews and no success?
No. I was brought to Canada by someone who needed a skill that I had.
Has your standard of living improved? Was it all worth it?
Yes, I believe so. Was it worth it ? Well next week will be 45 years in Canada so it must agree with me. I have never had any wish to return to the UK to live.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

No.

No.

No.

Our kitchen is the size of the place I used to live in the UK. And I was thinking of buying a Porsche last week, but can't imagine driving it in the snow here :). Probably have to settle for a Subaru.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

No.

No.

No.

The two are not inextricably linked IMO but yes and yes.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Really good post, the only thing I would point out is that Britain is not necessarily cheaper for family fun. Swimming is £20 (£16 off peak) for a family ticket and the Zoo (London; family of four) is £75 for a day!

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Depends where you go I guess :)

For the local 'Day out with Thomas' train ride, it would cost $100 for 4 of us to go on a single 20 minute train ride on a plastic covered diesel. Last time we were over, it cost us £30 for 4 of us to ride 4 different proper steam trains as many times as we wanted for the whole day.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

True. The castles are certainly better in Britain! :)

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Mmmm... castles and a decent doner kebab (yes, they do exist...) ;)

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

I hated it 10 months in and had severe depression . . but love it now :)

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Seems to be enormous variation in prices.

$15 for a family swim here.
$5 for Baseball (if so inclined)
FIFA's women's under 20s world cup matches - $10

On the other hand gigs seem very expensive. The sort of acts I was paying £12-£16 for in Bristol are nearer $50 here.

Of course, it often depends if one compares the price to the exchange rate when you arrived or now.

$2.20 to the £ when I moved. Last year when it was around $1.50 things looked a lot more expensive but that was false if you have Canadian income.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Really? Who are you seeing, Elton Johns? Last gig I went to was $16.00 plus fee and tax.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

I saw quite well known bands doing a full set on the same bill at Bristol Academy in 2004 for half the price of a ticket here just to see one of them.

Gigs are probably the one thing that I have found very expensive compared to the UK. That and the price of cheese of course.:lol:

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

No
No

One and success.

No

Yes

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Yours is a bad post. You provide no comparison.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

It was a rollercoaster.

In the end it will be worth it for the children.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Comparison to what? Are you in the dive bar?

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Just left the dive bar.

It talks of the price of family swimming and the price of a trip to the zoo.

These are no use with out a local price for one to compare too.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Dashie gave the local swimming price ($25) I just threw the London Zoo price in because it's outrageous.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

I stand corrected.

There is a zoo somewhere round here. One day I will go.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

The zoo here
http://i61.tinypic.com/2yma893.jpg

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Cheer up Millie, it's almost over ! :D

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

It really really is....things are starting to melt!

The price of theatre and music tickets is a sadness to me here. For some amateurish bit of something at the 'playhouse' here they want $40 a ticket ditto for 'string quartet' things here...so all the tickets seem to be corporate jollies and there are some quite good bands that go to Moncton, but I can't qualify with travel spending 250$ on a night out with my sprog, so he's becoming a cultural heathen!

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Peterborough Zoo is free, run by Peterborough Utilities.

Swimming is around 50 a month for an adult. The river is free.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

It has improved and it could be way better, but I do have more here than I would/had in the UK, and it was totally worth it.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

I think zoos, to the extent that we still have them or need them, ought to be free (or near free). Like museums and galleries.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Yes, paying for State owned museums and galleries is anathema to me. When they are free or at least have free days I can usually drag a philistine friend along with me and more often than not they find something to interest them.

That and college/university fees just leads to national ignorance.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Free if you use Clubcard tokens though. Don't remember the last time we paid for a family day out, we either get freebie tickets (Clubcard etc), or just go to free places e.g. London museums.

Even swimming's free using our 'recycle points'.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Museums and Galleries aren't free here though. Just this afternoon we went to the McMichael in Kleinburg, mainly to see an exhibition of Mary Pratt paintings.

$35 for 2 adults + parking. Admittedly not a huge amount, but not free.

We also have annual memberships at the AGO and the ROM in the city. They aren't free either.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

That is one of the nicest aspects of living in DC. Apart from the Kennedy Center stuff everything connected with the Smithsonian is free. You often have to get tickets for certain exhibitions or events but they were free. :thumbup:

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Excellent, however of little use to me since I have no intention of living in the USA ever again.

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Any regrets about coming to Canada?
No :) We've been here for 10 months, and settled in very quickly. We've not suffered from any of the homesickness issues that I have heard people often speak about.. I would say we feel more at home here than we did back in Scotland.

Anything you missed strongly and couldn't live without?
No, because if I couldn't live without them I would be back in Scotland! Sure there are things I miss... I would like to be able to see my family more. I miss the depth of history that Scotland has. I miss close proximity to impressive museums and art galleries. I miss affordable cheese (yes, I went there!) and various cakes and biscuits (though my aim is to learn how to make them for myself, for example belgian buns, vanilla slices and coffee cake lol) but these are not things I can't live without.

Any difficulties finding a job? - Thousands of job interviews and no success?
Both my partner and I came out with plans of being self-employed. We got his business up and running quickly, which was a lifesaver. For myself, I don't think I've really worked out what I want to do yet, but thankfully we make enough to cover our bills at the moment so I can afford to think a little before making a decision!

Has your standard of living improved? Was it all worth it?
As others have said, it depends how you define standard of living. Back in Scotland we had a reasonable amount of savings. Here we have none, it's all been used up. So it doesn't put us in the best position re. buying a house, but hopefully that will change over the next 6 months or so. In Scotland, even with our savings, we couldn't afford anything that we actually wanted to live in. Here, we're paying less in rent and living in our own house (not a pokey wee poorly-built flat) with a garden where I can grow things (the neighbours kids don't pull up everything I plant) and we can enjoy the quiet (not neighbours having arguments or coming back drunk at 3am). We live in the countryside, and there are actual seasons, not just cold and rain followed by warm and rain. It means a lot to see blue sky, and green fields (or even white fields!), rather than grey and rain. And I don't have to work somewhere that made me stressed and upset - can't fail to see the upside of that one! We can go for walks on the beach, and we've taken up ice skating for the winter.

So financially, we are currently worse off. But morale-wise, we are much better. It's hard to put a value on happiness, but I know I am much happier here than I was living in Glasgow....

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Fair enough. I'm just psyching myself up for when I have to go back. :rofl:

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Is it soon?

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Soonish I guess unless I choose to go a live in somewhere worser and colder than Vancouver. :(

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Buffalo ?

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

Oh dear.

Have you seen Wednesday's forecast?

:thumbdown:

Re: how was your "settling in" experience in Canada?
 

DC?