The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4
The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
Afternoon everyone, ok first post! I am a mid-30 something guy that always dreamed of moving to Canada, with the beautiful scenery, lakes and vastness. The strange thing is, that I have only been here all of 3 months in Atlantic Canada on the east coast, finding myself having an urge to move back to the UK already. I am from a small town originally, and I wouldn't necessarily move back there specifically as it's far too small for me, but I am certainly missing the English ways of life and interested if anyone else has had the same experiences even after such a short period of time here and how you found the change?
My take on the way of life here (in Atlantic Canada anyway), is that it can be very cliquey and as a relatively young-ish guy on my own there isn't really much opportunity to meet new people especially the way things are right now. People are nice and friendly in their everyday lives in a generic kind of way, but seems most already have their families, settled down and circles of friends here from growing up and most expats I have spoken to made the move with husbands/wives/kids.
I'm working remotely from home every day from my apartment and there is no sign my employer is going 'back-to-the-office' working any time soon so that's quite an issue for me. I do feel like it's a place to move with a partner or with family to settle down, and dating is a whole different thing. I find Canadian women very difficult to banter with and have common ground / similar humour etc. I know provinces vary but I spoke to a distant relative who just moved to Vancouver and they said the same thing, although the bigger cities would be more bustling than here, appears the people are more impersonal and also very expensive.
ONE THING I cannot get my head around is the food. Is it just me or is the supermarket food in Canada total garbage? I find myself struggling to like anything from the stores at all! For me the choice and quality we have in the UK is phenomenal compared with Canada! I won't get started on the paperwork for PRs etc, I've lived in 3 other countries before and the documentation etc here is just menacing.
Not for one minute do I think Canada is a bad place to live, I think it has a lot of pros, but I'm thinking for me its wrong place, wrong age, wrong time.
My mind is pretty much made up to go back to the UK already for more reasons than one, and I know the UK itself does have its own issues and Covid problems are running riot, but I am feeling myself being pulled back for the reasons above. Happy for those that its worked out for here but I guess you can't force something to work if it's not selling itself to you!
Cheers
C
My take on the way of life here (in Atlantic Canada anyway), is that it can be very cliquey and as a relatively young-ish guy on my own there isn't really much opportunity to meet new people especially the way things are right now. People are nice and friendly in their everyday lives in a generic kind of way, but seems most already have their families, settled down and circles of friends here from growing up and most expats I have spoken to made the move with husbands/wives/kids.
I'm working remotely from home every day from my apartment and there is no sign my employer is going 'back-to-the-office' working any time soon so that's quite an issue for me. I do feel like it's a place to move with a partner or with family to settle down, and dating is a whole different thing. I find Canadian women very difficult to banter with and have common ground / similar humour etc. I know provinces vary but I spoke to a distant relative who just moved to Vancouver and they said the same thing, although the bigger cities would be more bustling than here, appears the people are more impersonal and also very expensive.
ONE THING I cannot get my head around is the food. Is it just me or is the supermarket food in Canada total garbage? I find myself struggling to like anything from the stores at all! For me the choice and quality we have in the UK is phenomenal compared with Canada! I won't get started on the paperwork for PRs etc, I've lived in 3 other countries before and the documentation etc here is just menacing.
Not for one minute do I think Canada is a bad place to live, I think it has a lot of pros, but I'm thinking for me its wrong place, wrong age, wrong time.
My mind is pretty much made up to go back to the UK already for more reasons than one, and I know the UK itself does have its own issues and Covid problems are running riot, but I am feeling myself being pulled back for the reasons above. Happy for those that its worked out for here but I guess you can't force something to work if it's not selling itself to you!
Cheers
C
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 9,620
Re: The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
3 months....?? Hardly any time at all...... working remotely must make if more isolating (especially if one is a single person).....
Sounds like you are in Halifax area or thereabouts? Not somewhere I would have thought would be the first choice for a single person....
Sounds like you are in Halifax area or thereabouts? Not somewhere I would have thought would be the first choice for a single person....
#3
Re: The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
+1, what she said. Atlantic Canada wouldn't be my first choice for a young single person. What visa are you there on? Is moving elsewhere within Canada an option maybe, somewhere with a bit more life?
#4
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4
Re: The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
Yep it has been no time at all really but still my observations so far. It's Halifax yes, speaking with colleagues from work that had moved here from other places they seemed pretty content but again, they came with families so I think I've made a fairly egregious mistake not considering the lifestyle here first and foremost. It's on an Atlantic pilot scheme, which means I have to stay in Nova Scotia until I get my PR (currently on a temp work permit). Processing tracking currently says 196 days or something, so unfortunately can't move around!
#5
Re: The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
Yep it has been no time at all really but still my observations so far. It's Halifax yes, speaking with colleagues from work that had moved here from other places they seemed pretty content but again, they came with families so I think I've made a fairly egregious mistake not considering the lifestyle here first and foremost. It's on an Atlantic pilot scheme, which means I have to stay in Nova Scotia until I get my PR (currently on a temp work permit). Processing tracking currently says 196 days or something, so unfortunately can't move around!
But you must have gone through quite a lot of hassle to get the job offer/sponsoring employer/work permit etc, and to gather all the paperwork for your PR app, is it worth maybe hanging on for a bit to see if it's just culture shock and it might get better?
#6
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4
Re: The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
Ah, ok. So you can't move for at least a year or two after getting PR really (if you move before then, there's a risk that it would be revoked if they thought you had no intention of living there).
But you must have gone through quite a lot of hassle to get the job offer/sponsoring employer/work permit etc, and to gather all the paperwork for your PR app, is it worth maybe hanging on for a bit to see if it's just culture shock and it might get better?
But you must have gone through quite a lot of hassle to get the job offer/sponsoring employer/work permit etc, and to gather all the paperwork for your PR app, is it worth maybe hanging on for a bit to see if it's just culture shock and it might get better?
#7
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 513
Re: The Canadian Dream... or a Struggle??
Consider staying long enough to get your PR, then moving to another region if you are still unhappy in Halifax. If you decide Canada isn't for you after trying one or more other locations, it still might be worth staying long enough to get citizenship depending on how far away it is at that point. Even if you plan to leave and not return, you're young and circumstances may change, and there's no harm in having options.