Hi all! My name is Holly and I am an expat! I originally hail from the UK but for the past year and a little bit, I have been living life in Hamilton, Ontario (known locally as Onterrible, but actually it does not deserve such a title).
When and how did you decide to move to Canada? Is it complicated to settle down there?
I made the decision to move to Canada in December 2011 - around about the time my partner said to me 'I love you' and I replied 'I love you too', to which he said 'so what now?' and I stated, quite simply, 'well, I will have to move to Canada to be with you'. It seemed so obvious, so straight forward! Which, of course it wasn't in reality.
We were then in the dreaded long distance relationship for a year, before I joined him on a tourist visa in January 2013. I gained my International Experience Canada visa in May 2013 and the visa saga continues - my visa is almost expired and so we have recently applied for a sponsorship visa and a new work visa so that I can work whilst waiting for my sponsorship visa. Quite honestly, it has been complicated. But completely worth it!
Have you ever lived abroad before? How many countries have you visited?
I have never lived abroad before. When I was a young girl I moved house 9 times before the age of ten, 18 times before the age of twenty and now 24 times before the age of thirty. Perhaps you could call that wanderlust? Sometimes when there is a sweet voice on the wind I want to follow it, wherever it takes me, and I think that is how I ended up here. I have visited a fair few countries - I travel as much as I can - but never has that wind led me to permanently settle outside of the UK before.
What do you like the most about Canada?
Tim Horton's!!! Lovely creamy coffee on every street corner! Or the waterfalls? Oh or the summers that make you feel like you are living in a holiday. Oooh and I love Thanksgiving as a holiday. Yeah, I love travelling too - standing at the top of the CN Tower and seeing Canada stretch out into the distance and wondering 'where next?'
Most of all, though, I love the way Canada has changed me. I know myself better now than I ever have before.
How is/was the cultural shock? What are the main differences with the UK, your home country?
I do not like culture shock. It hits you within the first few months as novelty. You soak in the differences and relish them. Then the differences merge together with your own homesickness and you hate them. Every day can feel like a struggle as your brain has to constantly forge new neuropaths to adapt to all of the new information it is receiving. At some point I know that this will get easier, but I am unsure when as yet!
The main differences between here and the UK are subtle really, but numerous. The language seems the same, but it isn't. I am questioned daily about my strange words. The shops are different, taxes are different, TV and celebrities are different, people have a different sense of humour, food is different (thank goodness for English food stores). Even religion is different here. It is louder, more apparent, less taught about.
Do you miss anything from your homeland?
My Mommy and Daddy, sister and brothers, nephews, select friends. Unbearably so. The expat life is one of division. I will always now be divided between here and home.
Any 'memories of an expat' you would like to share with us? Your best souvenir? Or maybe your worst experience?
An amusing story that pops to mind comes from my workplace in a school. A little girl approached me and asked if she could paint. 'Of course, just go and get yourself an apron!' I said. I knew this little girl and I knew that self-help skills were at the top of the priority list for her. Five minutes later the same girl came back and repeated the question. 'Just go and grab an apron!' I told her. A couple of minutes went by and then the same child returned to ask once more. 'The aprons are right there on the cart! Just see if you can get one, try once yourself and then I will help you!' The same child returned to me once more, holding a piece of paper, 'is this an apron?' she asked. Feeling rather abashed, I told her she needed a smock, which she understood first time.
What does a typical day as an expat in Ontario look like?
Well...I can't speak for everyone, but for me it is one of hardship! In the UK I was a teacher with my own house and a car. Here I have lost this status for a time. I wake up at 5:10 am and prepare to leave the house at 5:55am. Any earlier then I will be standing in the subzero cold with frost nipped toes for much longer than I can bear. Any later I will miss my first bus and have to wait for the second, which is more misery than I can bear! I then get off the first bus at Tim Hortons, where I sit for a coffee with a group of old guys I have befriended. After fifteen minutes it is time for my second bus to work. I work in a before and after school care programme. I work until 9:30am and have to get the 9:39am bus home, so I have to run for the bus stop! Then I get another transfer bus (I get eight buses in total per day) and arrive home at 10:20am. I do the house work and walk the dog and FaceTime people in England until 1:30pm, when I get two buses back to work. I finish work at 6pm, get two buses home and finish my day at about 7:30pm, just in time for bed ready to start again the next day! The weekends are all mine though and I use them to explore!
When did you start your blog? For what reasons?
I started my blog in January 2013, just days before I was due to move here. I needed it as an outlet for my feelings on immigration. I find writing helps me to clarify my feelings and my blog has helped do just that. Its main function, however, was to communicate to friends and family back home what I was doing on a daily basis. Over time it has evolved into a place where other expats can seek friendship, support and advice and where I can document some of my crafting, cooking and life successes and failures!
Did you make new friends with your blog?
I have not yet met anyone face-to-face through my blog, though there are soooo many people on there that I would love to meet for a coffee! But there are people I have met through my blog with whom I correspond daily. People with their own blogs who inspire me and support me and who I would consider friends.
Why did you register on https://www.expat.com and what do you think of the website?
I registered with https://www.expat.com a long time ago because I wanted to find blogs that might help me with my move to Canada, both in terms of logistics and support. I managed to find just that! There is a wealth of knowledge contained in the blogs advertised with https://www.expat.com and it is much easier to find blogs that are relevant to your needs with this website! It is a well laid out website that is easy to navigate and is aesthetically pleasing.
Which advice would you give to the other Expat blog members who would like to settle in Ontario (or Canada)?
My advice would be to lay your plans well, put in the necessary groundwork, even if it means that you will take longer to actually make the move abroad. Create a long term plan. Make the effort to save up enough pennies in case things don't work out, transfer qualifications ahead of time. I didn't do any of this and it has been a far more difficult transition period for this reason.
