Reality Check...
 

Finally I have hit the stage of my life in Canada (Vancouver) where reality really has set in. The feelings equate to what a person would feel like if one year they took a holiday in Butlin's and returned as a Redcoat the year after.

I think life here is so totally different from my old life. The people, the smells, the sights and all the other stuff that a big city brings are just not thrilling anymore. I'm not sure I'm homesick, I was ready to leave England or so I thought. I was tired of feeling unsafe and the crowded places made me pine for big open spaces, I'm still sure that space is a cure for many social problems. I'm just beginning to question things here now.

I've still not met many amazing and new and exciting people, I obviously left behind my whole friends network and support network and my family. We have a three month old son who is missing out on his UK grandparents...

I jumped with both feet into this opportunity and really hoped that I would stand a better chance here. I passed my paramedic exams only to be caught up in the strike and a whole other bunch of issues which make it very unrealistic to have a career as a paramedic in BC. I am looking to find another direction or maybe to find another province - any opinions on Calgary??

I'm sorry to post a negative thread, feel free to bash me for being miserable ;) I miss the banter of my old collegues and friends. I have read a bunch of other people's threads who are re-re-locating back to the UK and their issues with Canada resonate with me a little too much.

Did we all really have such a bad opinion of the UK when we left? I know it has some REALLY awful places (try Hull) but the mountains and scenery and beauty and restaurants and big cars and fridges and TV's can only be appreciated with the people you love right? hmmm....

Take care all!

I'm working at Lynn Valley Delany's if anyone ever pops in, I seem to see lots of Brits there! :D

Re: Reality Check...
 

I will NOT jump on you or bash you, I like the way your thread is written and genuinely feel for you. I can understand why Van may not be for you and would seriously recommend that you look towards AB, SK or the Maritimes (just maybe smaller communities thats all).

Re: Reality Check...
 

Thanks so much for the reply! I have been looking into the smaller communites and asking so many people their opinions... It seems that Vancouverites love their home too much to say positive things about the other provinces. I will probably drag my poor family across Canada this year looking for that 'home'. It's all a bit tiring to think about!

Anyway, I really appreciate the repy and once again this website has proved to be more useful than all my other information resources! :D

Enjoy your day!

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Seriously, I never thought I would be saying this BUT there is a lot to recommend places like Red Deer, Lethbridge, Drumheller, Stettler each has its own hospital and (obviously) EMS/Paramedic. What we dont have is a DECENT body of water. Come visit I'm sure many would tell you the pros (and cons) of the towns.

Re: Reality Check...
 

I rarely sympathise with a Cod Head but you have mine.

Try other areas of BC (Kelowna or the Kootenays for example) as well and Butch's recommendations.

Maybe you didn't realise what you had until you left if behind in England.

Good luck.

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It sounds like you would be happier in a smaller place, with more of a community feel. Did you look at Nova Scotia? People are always commenting on how friendly it is.

If it makes you feel better - apparently Hull will be gone in a few years - submerged by water.

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We can only hope

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I kepp saying the same about Swindon, but no joy so far. Maybe they could just build a wall around it like Manhattan in 'Escape from New York'.:fingerscrossed:

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This from the man that previously bashed Red Deer, I'm shocked:p:rofl:

egomassuer, your post sounds like something my hubby could have written. He is relatively happy with his location but the snow this year has hit him hard. The thing he really struggles with is the people and the day to day stupidity he is (not) coping with at work. He is 100% sure he doesn't want to move (I'm not sure he is being honest). He is fed up with the radio stations, the tv (I know it's been said before, I read so I'm not too bothered) and the lack of worldwide news. I'm just not sure we have found our Utopia yet, but living in Canada has given us the opportunity so far to have a fantastic future.

One guy I know who is here on a 2 TWP (goes home this summer) said to me the other day, I'm looking forward to getting back to my life, it's been a nice break but it's time to get back into the real world and get on with it. I know what he means.

I hope you find what your looking for, just don't make a hasty decision, it could just be a phase your going through.

Re: Reality Check...
 

I agree wh Butch and the others, the post is a well written "maybe if I tried X" type thread and I too sympahise.

Small town AB is fabulous, and will certainly give you that sense of belonging (hell his lordship BC is moving away from the big city lights of Calgary to Big Valley - you can't get much more small town than that - well you could but YKWIM)

He'll find what you've been looking for too.

I know a paramedic in Hanna (SMALL town in AB where Nikleback hail from) who moved from Birmingham a couple of years ago.

Pm me if you want his contact details - i'm sure he'll be able to help :wub:

Re: Reality Check...
 

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Can't say I miss the place. When Canadians say to me 'why did you want to leave the UK?' I just whip out a few photos of the place I used to call 'home'....they understand remarkably quickly! :rofl:

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Nnoooo, not now it's twinned with Disneyland!!!! :rofl:

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Normally i hate these posts as well, but this was well written ;)

I saw something awhile ago about calgary needing paramedics, also i know lethbridge has been requesting them as well ;)

I know i left the uk in hate, but after returning this year i kind of fell in love with the place again, but i was in a different area to my home town, so that could of helped.
If you can afford it take a trip back, seems to work for some.
I love the uk now, but wouldnt want to live there

Canada is a big place, if you cant find work in the area that you are in, try another :) the road trip sounds fun though

LB

Re: Reality Check...
 

First of all you took the opportunity to move to Canada, moving to another country isn't as easy as it sounds.

We've lived in Edmonton for well over a year now and created some very good friends from BE and work. It took a hell of a time to gain some "Canadian" friends but we have some. To be honest I'm not sure I have the "home" feeling I like it here very much and I don't want to go back to Blighty.

Don't under estimate what you have achieved, maybe Vancouver is not for you like the others have said. There is no reason to stay if you don't have to and forget Calgary try Edmonton ;)

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We've been to Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax and although we loved Vancouver as a place to visit didn't think we could settle there. Too big for us.

Calgary is a lovely city and having the mountains nearby is a big plus but being inland and far from an ocean, again not an option for us.

Halifax seemed to tick all our boxes, small city, NS almost entirely surrounded by water,(big plus), and nice communities within a short commute to the city.

We have found the people in all the provinces we have visited to be very freindly, even the young homeless men we encountered in downtown Vancouver when we turned the wrong way out of our hotel!

I think the other posters are right when they say you just need to find the province that best suits you as a family and the best way to do that is visit if you can and lots of research.

Try this site they have lots of info and are very helpful www.uk2novascotia.com

Good luck with whatever you decide

Tracy

Re: Reality Check...
 

Hello

After such a big upheaval, I'm not surprised if it hasn't all felt fantastic & I'm not even there yet.

A couple of other sites for if you are browsing around:

http://www.okanaganforum.com/

http://www.relocate2bc.com/thompson-okanagan.htm

Bali:)

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This probably isn't helping. Nothing against people that work in coffee shops, but when you've spent time training for something else doing casual work without a visible end can be dispiriting.

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Why it unrealistic to be a paramedic?

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Awww, to me it sounds like the place isn't the issue, it's the

a) lack of career
b) lack of circle of friends

This is normal after a year after moving anywhere new, especially if you (or your OH) were pregnant for most of that time and you now have a 3 month old baby! Social circles take YEARS to develop - they don't happen overnight. Getting a feel for a city takes years before you truly start to understand it.

My OH moved to Vancouver in 2002 from Montreal and didn't fully experience the city until after 2 years of being here. Until then the only people he knew were the people he worked with. He had no social circle outside of work. Vancouver was a lonely place for him. And that's moving from one part of Canada to another!

But after several more years, you get out more, you meet new people, you're bound to expand your social network.

Part of the problem is that people compare their lives to what they had back in the UK. You cannot replicate a lifetime of friendships to one year as an expat anywhere. It takes time to build quality friendships, and even more to build multiple quality friendships and true social circles.

Of course, it helps if you're involved in a particular activity or "scene". I'm heavily involved in photography and music and have volunteered as a photographer and have met many people in the local media/music industry. I have expat friends who join clubs like the UBC Surf & snowboard club to meet like-minded individuals and they have grown their social circle dramatically.

Even websites like Meetup can introduce you to new experiences and like-minded people, which should hopefully help you grow your social circle: http://www.meetup.com/cities/ca/bc/vancouver/

Of course, where you live does play a part, but so many times we take a look at the microcosm and apply it to the macrocosm, when sometimes just moving to a different community within the same city can help immensely.

I don't know if this helps, but I just gather from what you said that your feelings have little to do with whether you're in Vancouver or Timbuktu - you'd be feeling that way regardless.

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They can't even have a proper strike. They drive around doing their normal job's with 'on strike' written on their vans - what's the point of that?

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...that's very Canadian.

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Hey - will Pm you =- you sound like me a few months ago - actually I was a LOT worse!!

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Hahaha! It's true. Don't forget the fact they make an effort to look grumpy as they do their jobs ;)

In regards to the original post, how I've felt lately is that I've "forgotten" what it was like before when I was in the UK and what it felt like to be constantly wanting to leave the country. When I think back on the UK now it's a lot more objective and I'm more comfortable talking about the plus sides of the place than I was 6 months ago.

The advantage in my case was I didn't have a lot of friends in the UK and my main family had already moved to europe so coming here wasn't a big deal for me, and a lot of the stuff you mention I can't really relate to, so I'll just end my post here.