Britain vs. Canada

The question I asked myself the most throughout my first year in Canada was, ” Which is better then, Britain or Canada?” or “So, which do I like best, Britain or Canada?” or a thousand other variations on the same theme, to the extent that I even made a list of “Things I miss about Britain and things I would miss about Canada if I left”. I was going to make it “Things I hate about Canada”, but thought it best not to alienate myself from too much of the population so early on. Some things were obvious. Personally, I love the weather here. Even when it’s bad, it’s REALLY bad, which makes it more exciting – between the hot summers, snowy winters and spectacular thunderstorms there’s never a dull moment. Those boring grey skies from Britain are a thing of the past. But, the answer to the question was a long time coming, definitely not the instant Love it or Hate it sort, however much I wished it was.

I like to be able to plan a future, it doesn’t matter how many times those plans are forced to be re-made, it just gives me a sense of some control over the direction my life is taking. Almost as soon as I arrived, my subconscious was demanding to know if I could see myself living here, could this be permanent or is it just for now? It was very hard to make a direct comparison as our situation here is completely different to what it was back in Britain. Rather than sell up and burn all our bridges, we kept our home in England as a safety net/investment. This means we have two homes to keep afloat so we have scaled back our outgoings massively. We have no car, phone or cable TV as we did back home and in the first few months I felt the loss acutely. I’m sure K did too but I vocalised enough for both of us.

Before we came out we read the guidebooks about living and working in Canada and so were prepared for the crazy amounts the communications packages cost, (some people pay  over $150 per month for phone, cable and internet connection) but other things came as a surprise… formula, nappies and anything vaguely “Baby” cost up to three times as much as it’s British equivalent and bread and dairy is expensive by British standards too. Three litres (equal to 5.2 UK pints) of milk costs $5 here, compared to six pints in Sainsburys costing £1.99. A UK loaf costs between 70p and a pound compared to the $2-3 we pay for one loaf here. Overall, fruit and vegetables seem to be better quality but there is not the same range as back home. Seasonal differences in the supermarket are more obvious here, berries, watermelon and corn on the cob are dirt cheap in summer but not available in winter. The one thing I have to watch is sugar…. it’s in EVERYTHING!!!  I bought table salt the other day and when I got it home K annoyingly pointed out sugar was it’s second greatest ingredient!! Who puts sugar in salt? I ask you????

Going without a car was tough. Public transport here, unless you are in a major city, is utterly crap. Systems don’t interlink and the routes are not particularly useful…unless you are out for a ride around the block. Add to that the lack of planning for pedestrians (some places are only accessible by car, footpaths being non-existent) and it is obvious that the car rules here! The kids’ footwear is of the sturdy variety and the pushchair has a fair few miles on the clock (11km trek to Walmart in one instance) and has transported all three kids in some instances. We are lucky with what we have within walking distance (K’s office, J’s school, shops and the lake). Even so, in winter, if the pavements weren’t cleared it was impossible to cover any distance in deep snow with the pushchair so we were stuck at home. Thankfully we have wonderful friends and neighbours who put themselves and their cars at our disposal on a number of occasions for which we are eternally grateful. Plus, the snowplows are pretty good around here.We explored the possibility of getting a car but insurance is expensive as insurers won’t take into account foreign driving experience – the cheapest we were quoted was $350 per month, add to that the cost of finance on a car and fuel and you’re close to $1000 a month just to have a set of wheels. After a lot of research through various expat forums we found a lead and got a quote from a company willing to acknowledge up to three years of foreign experience. Companies like these are a dying breed thanks to the rising number of fraudulent claims/applications.

So, things weren’t as cheap as we had been led to believe, but, on the upside, the economy is a lot stronger than it is in Britain right now, the pace of life is slower and the people are friendlier and less guarded than we are used to. It’s true, people do leave their houses/cars/bikes unlocked. K notices bikes worth a lot more than his standing unsecured when he goes to lock up. People give out their mobile cell numbers readily. Children and families are made to feel welcome not a nuisance, everywhere from the hairdressers to the bank give out lollipops and temporary tattoos with gay abandon. Teenagers are polite (I know!!!!!!!!!) and people have all sorts of decorative items and furniture on their porches and it never gets nicked! There is still more of a sense of community here that is definitely on the wane back home.

When all is said and done, Canada has surreptitiously grown on me over the past year, nudging out the homesickness with it’s bonhomie and big blue skies. Although there will always be things I miss from back home, they are easily balanced out by the wealth of new experiences I am encountering here. No one place will have all the qualities you like from the various locations you have experienced but if you’re open-minded and willing to have a go, you learn a lot about yourself and that kind of experience is priceless. Whoever said “travel broadens the mind” was onto something…