Stuck in Canada
Dec 17th 2009, 4:10 pm
#151
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 15
Re: Stuck in Canada
How is this different from any other capitalist country? People trying to get ahead and do better for themselves. Each of us is motivated in a different way, many of the 'greedy' also make substantial charitable donations, which without their wealth would not happen.
Dec 17th 2009, 4:14 pm
#152
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 15
Re: Stuck in Canada
How is this different from any other capitalist country? People trying to get ahead and do better for themselves. Each of us is motivated in a different way, many of the 'greedy' also make substantial charitable donations, which without their wealth would not happen.
This place is not for us.
Dec 17th 2009, 6:06 pm
#154
Lost in Space
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK
Posts: 804
Re: Stuck in Canada
Been living in BC for 9 1/2 years - no friends (and I mean NONE) people just don't seem to as friendly as I was told before I left the UK. BC is a beautiful place, it's just not the place for me. I hope you are able to get back, I'm going next year, actually when I made the decision I felt relieved and a bit happier. Just on the countdown now. When you don't have a good experience in one place, I don't think you have the heart to try elsewhere, I'm done, now I just want to go home. God Bless
Lovely environment but bloody lonely at times. F and F can't be found anywhere in Canada for me so homeward bound! And sorry but Alberta sounds bloody awful. -49, no thank you. A rainy grey day in Blighty with a pint of shandy any day!
Dec 17th 2009, 10:35 pm
#155
Lost in Space
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK
Posts: 804
Dec 18th 2009, 12:51 am
#156
ModerĪ±tor Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,768
Re: Stuck in Canada
Lets not kid ourselves. If the second largest reserve of oil was found under the scottish highlands the UK government would be in there like a pig in shit and no mistake.
Family and Friends I think are the hardest thing to replace and the easiest thing to overlook when deciding to emigrate in the first place. Those friendships we take for granted are often based in common experiences at school or University, and you dont get those years back again. It takes time, and effort to be outgoing, after all, the locals have their friends in place, they arent going to come to you necessarily.
As for employment, its a case of who you know I think, unless you have a specific skill set thats needed here. Too many "skilled" immigrants have the same skills as thousands of others, so it can be tough. You have to network to break in, and that does not seem to come naturally to many Brits. Ive said it before many times, as a generalisation, a happily employed immmigrant is a happy immigrant, and unhappily/ under / un employed immigrant will want to go home more often than not.
As long as you have given it a few years there is no shame in going back to the UK, it takes guts to try it in the first place and its a growth experience however it turns out. I do get a little fed up of people making generalisations about a whole country based on their experiences of a small part of it though, Its OK, it didnt work out for you, but it does work out for others. Thats just life.
Family and Friends I think are the hardest thing to replace and the easiest thing to overlook when deciding to emigrate in the first place. Those friendships we take for granted are often based in common experiences at school or University, and you dont get those years back again. It takes time, and effort to be outgoing, after all, the locals have their friends in place, they arent going to come to you necessarily.
As for employment, its a case of who you know I think, unless you have a specific skill set thats needed here. Too many "skilled" immigrants have the same skills as thousands of others, so it can be tough. You have to network to break in, and that does not seem to come naturally to many Brits. Ive said it before many times, as a generalisation, a happily employed immmigrant is a happy immigrant, and unhappily/ under / un employed immigrant will want to go home more often than not.
As long as you have given it a few years there is no shame in going back to the UK, it takes guts to try it in the first place and its a growth experience however it turns out. I do get a little fed up of people making generalisations about a whole country based on their experiences of a small part of it though, Its OK, it didnt work out for you, but it does work out for others. Thats just life.
Last edited by iaink; Dec 18th 2009 at 12:55 am.
Dec 18th 2009, 3:48 am
#157
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 15
Re: Stuck in Canada
Lets not kid ourselves. If the second largest reserve of oil was found under the scottish highlands the UK government would be in there like a pig in shit and no mistake.
Family and Friends I think are the hardest thing to replace and the easiest thing to overlook when deciding to emigrate in the first place. Those friendships we take for granted are often based in common experiences at school or University, and you dont get those years back again. It takes time, and effort to be outgoing, after all, the locals have their friends in place, they arent going to come to you necessarily.
As for employment, its a case of who you know I think, unless you have a specific skill set thats needed here. Too many "skilled" immigrants have the same skills as thousands of others, so it can be tough. You have to network to break in, and that does not seem to come naturally to many Brits. Ive said it before many times, as a generalisation, a happily employed immmigrant is a happy immigrant, and unhappily/ under / un employed immigrant will want to go home more often than not.
As long as you have given it a few years there is no shame in going back to the UK, it takes guts to try it in the first place and its a growth experience however it turns out. I do get a little fed up of people making generalisations about a whole country based on their experiences of a small part of it though, Its OK, it didnt work out for you, but it does work out for others. Thats just life.
Family and Friends I think are the hardest thing to replace and the easiest thing to overlook when deciding to emigrate in the first place. Those friendships we take for granted are often based in common experiences at school or University, and you dont get those years back again. It takes time, and effort to be outgoing, after all, the locals have their friends in place, they arent going to come to you necessarily.
As for employment, its a case of who you know I think, unless you have a specific skill set thats needed here. Too many "skilled" immigrants have the same skills as thousands of others, so it can be tough. You have to network to break in, and that does not seem to come naturally to many Brits. Ive said it before many times, as a generalisation, a happily employed immmigrant is a happy immigrant, and unhappily/ under / un employed immigrant will want to go home more often than not.
As long as you have given it a few years there is no shame in going back to the UK, it takes guts to try it in the first place and its a growth experience however it turns out. I do get a little fed up of people making generalisations about a whole country based on their experiences of a small part of it though, Its OK, it didnt work out for you, but it does work out for others. Thats just life.
Family and friends. We're actually leaving family behind to go home, which is a wrench. But aside from not liking it in Canada we've assessed getting older here with a frozen UK pension and the lack of Canadian health benefits and a safety net here for seniors. We think we're better off going home. Actually living in the sticks as we do we see more people than we ever did in Britain. Neighbours call round on a regular basis and we do the same when we can. It's kind of like a frontier thing. Yes, we cut down trees, butcher deer and in our local bar it's not uncommon to see someone with a handgun tucked in their belt and we don't think anything of it. However, we seem to spend all of our summer, what there is of it, avoiding mosquitoes and getting ready for winter. People are independent out here but, and we've seen this countless times, one fall on the ice and you can be screwed up enough to have to give up everything. My wife and I both had bad falls last year. If you have to walk on ice most of the time you're going to fall, no matter how careful you are. I brusied my ribs badly last winter when I fell down on the ice helping a neighbour load hay.
Employment doesn't really count for me. I only have to pack up my PC and plug it in somewhere else and working life goes on. But yes, networking is everything to getting a job. Being in the right place at the right time will make a huge difference anywhere and I expect that immigrants in the UK have had just as tough a time as immigrants in Canada landing a job. I have however, noticed a hardening towards immigrants over the last year as the recession has worsened.
We don't feel we've failed. Bottom line is that when all is said and done we don't like it here. I shouldn't have to work in my office in a fur hat until it warms up nor dress in layers for ten minutes before I dare venture out to the truck. The kids are afraid to play outside in the summer because of bears, wolves and cougars. Yes, we've had some close calls. And, it's not normal to take a loaded rifle to our woods to cut a Christmas tree. I'm sure we'll look back and laugh but right now it's not funny. Our farm cats are regular casualties to coyotes, eagles and owls; we have a very big dog.
Yes, I guess we could have picked a city to live in but we don't like cities. We always lived in the sticks in the UK too, our nearest city, Edmonton, is on its 29th murder for 2009, most of them gang related. Unlike the UK there isn't a decent restaurant within 100 miles of where we live. We have two major towns within a half hour drive but it's all franchises. I know that's not true of all of Canada but seems to be standard in Western Alberta.
Anyway, that's enough from me for now. I'm off in to town with my wife to do some Christmas shopping. Hopefully, our last here. Only minus eight today. Tee shirt weather.
Dec 18th 2009, 4:29 am
#158
Lost in Space
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK
Posts: 804
Re: Stuck in Canada
Lets not kid ourselves. If the second largest reserve of oil was found under the scottish highlands the UK government would be in there like a pig in shit and no mistake.
Family and Friends I think are the hardest thing to replace and the easiest thing to overlook when deciding to emigrate in the first place. Those friendships we take for granted are often based in common experiences at school or University, and you dont get those years back again. It takes time, and effort to be outgoing, after all, the locals have their friends in place, they arent going to come to you necessarily.
As for employment, its a case of who you know I think, unless you have a specific skill set thats needed here. Too many "skilled" immigrants have the same skills as thousands of others, so it can be tough. You have to network to break in, and that does not seem to come naturally to many Brits. Ive said it before many times, as a generalisation, a happily employed immmigrant is a happy immigrant, and unhappily/ under / un employed immigrant will want to go home more often than not.
As long as you have given it a few years there is no shame in going back to the UK, it takes guts to try it in the first place and its a growth experience however it turns out. I do get a little fed up of people making generalisations about a whole country based on their experiences of a small part of it though, Its OK, it didnt work out for you, but it does work out for others. Thats just life.
Family and Friends I think are the hardest thing to replace and the easiest thing to overlook when deciding to emigrate in the first place. Those friendships we take for granted are often based in common experiences at school or University, and you dont get those years back again. It takes time, and effort to be outgoing, after all, the locals have their friends in place, they arent going to come to you necessarily.
As for employment, its a case of who you know I think, unless you have a specific skill set thats needed here. Too many "skilled" immigrants have the same skills as thousands of others, so it can be tough. You have to network to break in, and that does not seem to come naturally to many Brits. Ive said it before many times, as a generalisation, a happily employed immmigrant is a happy immigrant, and unhappily/ under / un employed immigrant will want to go home more often than not.
As long as you have given it a few years there is no shame in going back to the UK, it takes guts to try it in the first place and its a growth experience however it turns out. I do get a little fed up of people making generalisations about a whole country based on their experiences of a small part of it though, Its OK, it didnt work out for you, but it does work out for others. Thats just life.
I get fed up of posting on a forum that is about GOING BACK, a place where people should be able to share and vent, and posters often sweep in and judge and criticize. It's so bloody patronizing and insulting sometimes to read the responses....thank goodness that is not in the main but it is all too common.
I'm not here to defend the amazing wonders of this country. It has many aspects that are wonderful. I, like many others just don't want to live here anymore for a variety of reasons that I like to share. I don't like to do it with Canadian as that would be rude to run down their home and I don't do it with Brits who want to stay here so here we are......in a place hoping to talk about our feelings FREELY.
And if you've been here fo five minutes or ten years people, if you want go home then good for you. Some people just know very, very quickly what's right for them. Their experience is as valid as anyone elses in my humble opinion....
Best wishes all.
Dec 18th 2009, 5:05 am
#159
ModerĪ±tor Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,768
Re: Stuck in Canada
Many of those who are sick of it after a week or a month or six months move past that and after a year or two are happy they did not act impulsively, and thats why its important to make a distinction about how long to give it. Ive seen many people be frustrated after 6 months and happy after two years, and I've seen a few return at six months and regret it later, and its as important to point that out sometimes as it is to say, hey, you gave it a go, good luck back on the other side. Its no different to someone posting in the "Canada" area being told to think carefully about the reality of what they are moving for.
Dec 18th 2009, 6:42 am
#160
Thinking the unthinkable.
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Posts: 2,136
Re: Stuck in Canada
Feel free to vent and share, its why this forum is here! No one should be judgemental of anyone who's given it a go, but its important to make the distinction that although some people know right away , its far from all those who don't settle immediately . It well known that peoples judgement is clouded in homesickness or culture shock in the first year away.
Many of those who are sick of it after a week or a month or six months move past that and after a year or two are happy they did not act impulsively, and thats why its important to make a distinction about how long to give it. Ive seen many people be frustrated after 6 months and happy after two years, and I've seen a few return at six months and regret it later, and its as important to point that out sometimes as it is to say, hey, you gave it a go, good luck back on the other side. Its no different to someone posting in the "Canada" area being told to think carefully about the reality of what they are moving for.
Many of those who are sick of it after a week or a month or six months move past that and after a year or two are happy they did not act impulsively, and thats why its important to make a distinction about how long to give it. Ive seen many people be frustrated after 6 months and happy after two years, and I've seen a few return at six months and regret it later, and its as important to point that out sometimes as it is to say, hey, you gave it a go, good luck back on the other side. Its no different to someone posting in the "Canada" area being told to think carefully about the reality of what they are moving for.
