3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
Jan 23rd 2009, 4:09 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: The pretty Cheshire countryside
Posts: 40
3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
We've been back in the UK for 6 months now, after our 3 yr adventure in Alberta, CANADA.
For those of you who don't know our story, its a pretty straight forward one really.............we decided to take the plunge and emigrate to Alberta in 2005, (not because we hated the UK, just to have an adventure) Everything went well with our BIG move, great job, lovely home, kids happy and settled, lots of new experiences and fun.
Throughout our adventure though, there was this niggling doubt about being there forever, and the pangs of missing all that was cosy and familiar began to get to us more and more, especially my husband actually.
So, after 3 yrs we decided to up sticks back again and return.
DID WE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION...........??????
At first, talk about feeling alien ! We thought we'd be able to slot straight back into UK life.......not so.! Things didn't feel 'normal'. We felt like we didn't belong anymore, and people seemed very different to us now.
Everyone in our part of England sounded dead "northern" to us, not something we ever picked up on before!
Our 8 yr old, the one who had settled into Canadian life like a duck to water, was struggling here. He was unhappy at school. He looked like a little lost sheep, and it broke my heart to drop him off every morning knowing that he'd be crying when I picked him up again later.
Husband went back to his old company, and I was suddenly left alone, in a rental house I wasn't overly keen on, trying to find a job now that both my kids were at school. I spent my time job hunting and worrying over my kids. Missing my comfortable home in Canada and the new friends I'd made there!
But even with all those initial worries and unsettledness, we just knew we'd done the right thing. Over the coming weeks we grew to the realisation that YES, this was where we belonged.
Now, 6 months on we just LOVE being "home".
Its January and the grass is green. The bird noise is unreal to me and I wake up hearing every little "cheep, cheep" and it brings a smile to my face.
The other Sunday morning, it felt so good. Steve Wrights Sunday love songs was on the radio, proper bacon was sizzling in the pan, the sun was shining, birds were chirping and the church bells were ringing. Hubby and I just looked at each other with a BIG grin on our faces and we both knew we'd be just fine.
Now, we are just looking forward, with renewed excitement and appreciation of all the wonderful things our little green island has to offer. Our 8 yr old seems to have suddenly developed a deep contentment and we no longer worry about him. I juggle 2 jobs (not my initial intention, but works out well)
We see family and friends regularly, and have plenty of opportunity to go out as we suddenly have babysitters again !
Our Canadian adventure seems like a holiday memory now and neither of us miss it.
We have no regrets. So glad we did it, BUT, oh so glad to have come home again.
The end x
For those of you who don't know our story, its a pretty straight forward one really.............we decided to take the plunge and emigrate to Alberta in 2005, (not because we hated the UK, just to have an adventure) Everything went well with our BIG move, great job, lovely home, kids happy and settled, lots of new experiences and fun.
Throughout our adventure though, there was this niggling doubt about being there forever, and the pangs of missing all that was cosy and familiar began to get to us more and more, especially my husband actually.
So, after 3 yrs we decided to up sticks back again and return.
DID WE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION...........??????
At first, talk about feeling alien ! We thought we'd be able to slot straight back into UK life.......not so.! Things didn't feel 'normal'. We felt like we didn't belong anymore, and people seemed very different to us now.
Everyone in our part of England sounded dead "northern" to us, not something we ever picked up on before!
Our 8 yr old, the one who had settled into Canadian life like a duck to water, was struggling here. He was unhappy at school. He looked like a little lost sheep, and it broke my heart to drop him off every morning knowing that he'd be crying when I picked him up again later.
Husband went back to his old company, and I was suddenly left alone, in a rental house I wasn't overly keen on, trying to find a job now that both my kids were at school. I spent my time job hunting and worrying over my kids. Missing my comfortable home in Canada and the new friends I'd made there!
But even with all those initial worries and unsettledness, we just knew we'd done the right thing. Over the coming weeks we grew to the realisation that YES, this was where we belonged.
Now, 6 months on we just LOVE being "home".
Its January and the grass is green. The bird noise is unreal to me and I wake up hearing every little "cheep, cheep" and it brings a smile to my face.
The other Sunday morning, it felt so good. Steve Wrights Sunday love songs was on the radio, proper bacon was sizzling in the pan, the sun was shining, birds were chirping and the church bells were ringing. Hubby and I just looked at each other with a BIG grin on our faces and we both knew we'd be just fine.
Now, we are just looking forward, with renewed excitement and appreciation of all the wonderful things our little green island has to offer. Our 8 yr old seems to have suddenly developed a deep contentment and we no longer worry about him. I juggle 2 jobs (not my initial intention, but works out well)
We see family and friends regularly, and have plenty of opportunity to go out as we suddenly have babysitters again !
Our Canadian adventure seems like a holiday memory now and neither of us miss it.
We have no regrets. So glad we did it, BUT, oh so glad to have come home again.
The end x
Last edited by R2D2 returns; Jan 23rd 2009 at 4:29 pm.
Jan 23rd 2009, 4:26 pm
#2
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: NI (back from Toronto)
Posts: 3,409
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
Great to read your update and hear how happy you are to be home, we feel the same way
Jan 23rd 2009, 4:48 pm
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2006
Location: M'cr-Red Deer-M'cr-??
Posts: 1,309
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
R2D2!! You're back!! Well, not literally here....but back posting 
I've been 'dying' to know what happened to you since going back home and I was utterly chuffed to bits to read your post....the perfect happy ending I was hoping for 
although you did have me a bit worried in the middle bit when you & son were having your wobbles.
Please, please, please do not disappear again.....there are lots of people on here (people like me ) who find a calming "putting one's mind at ease" influence when reading posts like these. Glad you dropped by and may you continue to enjoy England's Green & Pleasant Land 
All the best,
R.M.xx
Well, not literally here....but back posting I've been 'dying' to know what happened to you since going back home and I was utterly chuffed to bits to read your post....the perfect happy ending I was hoping for although you did have me a bit worried in the middle bit when you & son were having your wobbles.Please, please, please do not disappear again.....there are lots of people on here (people like me
) who find a calming "putting one's mind at ease" influence when reading posts like these. Glad you dropped by and may you continue to enjoy England's Green & Pleasant Land All the best,
R.M.xx
Jan 23rd 2009, 4:50 pm
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: US
Posts: 151
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
Heartwarming. Thanks
Jan 23rd 2009, 5:03 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: The pretty Cheshire countryside
Posts: 40
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
Ruby.....HI. Good to hear from you too. I haven't been on here for 6 months, so have no idea where you are up to, although I take it you are still in Red Deer and still unhappily
Fill me in ! Are you still working on coming back ?
We ARE glad we made the jump back home. Especially now we hear house prices are beginning to drop in Sherwood Park.
We haven't bought over here yet. Gonna sit tight and wait to see how low the house prices go. Happy enough in our little rental now actually.
D xx
Fill me in ! Are you still working on coming back ?We ARE glad we made the jump back home. Especially now we hear house prices are beginning to drop in Sherwood Park.
We haven't bought over here yet. Gonna sit tight and wait to see how low the house prices go. Happy enough in our little rental now actually.
D xx
Jan 23rd 2009, 6:49 pm
#6
Part Time Poster
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Worcestershire
Posts: 4,219
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
I envy you a bit
my wife (the canadian) still talks about moving back home
just the thought of green grass and birds in january........
my wife (the canadian) still talks about moving back home
just the thought of green grass and birds in january........
Jan 23rd 2009, 7:49 pm
#7
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Just outside Calgary
Posts: 513
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
Glad to see you're happy back in the UK.
Your Husband was luck to get his old job back.
Your Husband was luck to get his old job back.
Jan 23rd 2009, 7:57 pm
#8
has got PPR yay baby !!!!
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: cambridge ON , but originally ...otley, west yorks
Posts: 518
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
its nice to hear you are settled again , xxxxx
Jan 23rd 2009, 8:29 pm
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 134
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
I'm so happy that you have settled well. If you can appreciate the UK in cold January (when most Brits are really fed up of the weather!) then it shows just how happy you are. We are well overdue a good summer this year so hopefully things will get better and better! I'm glad your son has now settled. I think sometimes it takes moving abroad to a different country to really appreciate what we have here.
Jan 23rd 2009, 8:50 pm
#10
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Canberra
Posts: 8,378
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
So glad that things have finally worked out for you!
With cockatoos screeching outside my window I am dead envious of your cheep cheep and church bells!
Hope the happiness continues!
With cockatoos screeching outside my window I am dead envious of your cheep cheep and church bells!
Hope the happiness continues!
Jan 23rd 2009, 9:39 pm
#11
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Cochrane, Alberta
Posts: 7,861
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
D - I was thinking about you recently! In fact, I sent you a PM a couple of weeks ago - but to your old user name if you have been able to log on to it?
Good post. Glad to hear things have panned out well for you. Very best wishes to you all.
Good post. Glad to hear things have panned out well for you. Very best wishes to you all.
Jan 24th 2009, 1:39 am
#12
Sloopy Frickenbutt
Joined: May 2006
Location: Its good ere Honest........
Posts: 5,225
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
We've been back in the UK for 6 months now, after our 3 yr adventure in Alberta, CANADA.
For those of you who don't know our story, its a pretty straight forward one really.............we decided to take the plunge and emigrate to Alberta in 2005, (not because we hated the UK, just to have an adventure) Everything went well with our BIG move, great job, lovely home, kids happy and settled, lots of new experiences and fun.
Throughout our adventure though, there was this niggling doubt about being there forever, and the pangs of missing all that was cosy and familiar began to get to us more and more, especially my husband actually.
So, after 3 yrs we decided to up sticks back again and return.
DID WE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION...........??????
At first, talk about feeling alien ! We thought we'd be able to slot straight back into UK life.......not so.! Things didn't feel 'normal'. We felt like we didn't belong anymore, and people seemed very different to us now.
Everyone in our part of England sounded dead "northern" to us, not something we ever picked up on before!
Our 8 yr old, the one who had settled into Canadian life like a duck to water, was struggling here. He was unhappy at school. He looked like a little lost sheep, and it broke my heart to drop him off every morning knowing that he'd be crying when I picked him up again later.
Husband went back to his old company, and I was suddenly left alone, in a rental house I wasn't overly keen on, trying to find a job now that both my kids were at school. I spent my time job hunting and worrying over my kids. Missing my comfortable home in Canada and the new friends I'd made there!
But even with all those initial worries and unsettledness, we just knew we'd done the right thing. Over the coming weeks we grew to the realisation that YES, this was where we belonged.
Now, 6 months on we just LOVE being "home".
Its January and the grass is green. The bird noise is unreal to me and I wake up hearing every little "cheep, cheep" and it brings a smile to my face.
The other Sunday morning, it felt so good. Steve Wrights Sunday love songs was on the radio, proper bacon was sizzling in the pan, the sun was shining, birds were chirping and the church bells were ringing. Hubby and I just looked at each other with a BIG grin on our faces and we both knew we'd be just fine.
Now, we are just looking forward, with renewed excitement and appreciation of all the wonderful things our little green island has to offer. Our 8 yr old seems to have suddenly developed a deep contentment and we no longer worry about him. I juggle 2 jobs (not my initial intention, but works out well)
We see family and friends regularly, and have plenty of opportunity to go out as we suddenly have babysitters again !
Our Canadian adventure seems like a holiday memory now and neither of us miss it.
We have no regrets. So glad we did it, BUT, oh so glad to have come home again.
The end x
For those of you who don't know our story, its a pretty straight forward one really.............we decided to take the plunge and emigrate to Alberta in 2005, (not because we hated the UK, just to have an adventure) Everything went well with our BIG move, great job, lovely home, kids happy and settled, lots of new experiences and fun.
Throughout our adventure though, there was this niggling doubt about being there forever, and the pangs of missing all that was cosy and familiar began to get to us more and more, especially my husband actually.
So, after 3 yrs we decided to up sticks back again and return.
DID WE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION...........??????
At first, talk about feeling alien ! We thought we'd be able to slot straight back into UK life.......not so.! Things didn't feel 'normal'. We felt like we didn't belong anymore, and people seemed very different to us now.
Everyone in our part of England sounded dead "northern" to us, not something we ever picked up on before!
Our 8 yr old, the one who had settled into Canadian life like a duck to water, was struggling here. He was unhappy at school. He looked like a little lost sheep, and it broke my heart to drop him off every morning knowing that he'd be crying when I picked him up again later.
Husband went back to his old company, and I was suddenly left alone, in a rental house I wasn't overly keen on, trying to find a job now that both my kids were at school. I spent my time job hunting and worrying over my kids. Missing my comfortable home in Canada and the new friends I'd made there!
But even with all those initial worries and unsettledness, we just knew we'd done the right thing. Over the coming weeks we grew to the realisation that YES, this was where we belonged.
Now, 6 months on we just LOVE being "home".
Its January and the grass is green. The bird noise is unreal to me and I wake up hearing every little "cheep, cheep" and it brings a smile to my face.
The other Sunday morning, it felt so good. Steve Wrights Sunday love songs was on the radio, proper bacon was sizzling in the pan, the sun was shining, birds were chirping and the church bells were ringing. Hubby and I just looked at each other with a BIG grin on our faces and we both knew we'd be just fine.
Now, we are just looking forward, with renewed excitement and appreciation of all the wonderful things our little green island has to offer. Our 8 yr old seems to have suddenly developed a deep contentment and we no longer worry about him. I juggle 2 jobs (not my initial intention, but works out well)
We see family and friends regularly, and have plenty of opportunity to go out as we suddenly have babysitters again !
Our Canadian adventure seems like a holiday memory now and neither of us miss it.
We have no regrets. So glad we did it, BUT, oh so glad to have come home again.
The end x
Hey really pleased you have posted and very relieved i was.... when i got to the last paragraph PHEW!!! 
We came back around the same time as you did and apart from not liking being back in a rental its been wonderful to be home. We have now bought a place and recently moved in and yes we also have a big daft grin on our faces, probably to the point of being very annoying
....and dont we talk funny in the north 
I'd never realised till we came back and heard other people talking 
Jan 24th 2009, 2:08 am
#13
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2006
Location: M'cr-Red Deer-M'cr-??
Posts: 1,309
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
Hey really pleased you have posted and very relieved i was.... when i got to the last paragraph PHEW!!! We came back around the same time as you did and apart from not liking being back in a rental its been wonderful to be home. We have now bought a place and recently moved in and yes we also have a big daft grin on our faces, probably to the point of being very annoying
....and dont we talk funny in the north I'd never realised till we came back and heard other people talking 
Sent you a couple 'o' messages on F'buk and was wondering if you're not visiting those parts no more??? Let me know and I'll send you a PM via Expats.Take care, catch up soon,
R.M. xx
Jan 24th 2009, 5:42 am
#14
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2006
Location: Lethbridge AB
Posts: 4,250
Re: 3 yrs in Canada, now 6 months back home
So glad that you guys have settled back into life - and eating proper bacon 
I really do miss that
Good luck for the future - Gaynor
I really do miss that Good luck for the future - Gaynor
Jan 24th 2009, 6:09 am
#15
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2006
Location: M'cr-Red Deer-M'cr-??
Posts: 1,309