I've had a lot of messages come through my instagram and Facebook asking about how to move to Canada and what it's been like to move my life abroad. So, I thought why not write one whole blog post about it! So, here we go! Grab your coffee, get comfy and have a read...
Moving to Canada has been the most exciting and anxiety ridden move of my life. I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy here but it has come with its tough days. I highly recommend everyone in life should move away at least once in their life to experience it - it's such a rich and rewarding experience that I wouldn't trade for the world.
In saying that what I'm about to write is purely from my experience and what I've discovered about moving abroad and if you ask anyone they will have similar or different experiences. I'm just here to keep it real and post about my experiences to hopefully inspire some of you who are thinking of making a move abroad!
Firstly, I moved to Vancouver to fully pursue my acting career and as long as I can remember I never saw myself having a career and living in Sydney I always saw myself abroad so it's been a dream of mine and I did everything to make it happen! So, here I am living in Vancouver and here are some things I realised while settling into a new country.
1. Moving to a new country to start a long term lifestyle is not the same as travelling and visiting as a tourist.
The weirdest thing I struggled with is being in Vancouver and setting up a home for the long run. Lots of friends I knew were on the same visa but were holidaying and working
essentially being a tourist but making some $$ and then moving back home after the visa runs out. Not me! At first, it was great I wanted to see all the sites, take all the pictures and show my family back home but then it hits you you're here to live a life and you find yourself doing more work than sightseeing... then once you get into your work routine it's the strangest feeling that you realise you're living and working in Vancouver like you would back home.
2. You will get home sick
This one is inevitable. The first few months were the hardest for me especially because I'm very close and loyal to my family. No matter how amazing your new home may be there will always be times where you miss the life you had back home. You will miss your family and friends. This is normal and the best thing you can do is accept the feeling, remember why you moved and take advantage of FaceTime when you can!! (care packages help too)
3. Some days will be tougher than others
Moving abroad brought up my anxiety in full swing. The first few months there were days of tears and being so overwhelmed I didn't want to leave the house and often questioned what I was doing here?? The good news is that this is all part of the process and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going!
4. Simple errands like grocery shopping or getting your haircut can be super overwhelming
Shopping in general always overwhelms me here, everything is so different to what I spent the last 22 years doing! True story - I cried in the middle of the grocery store within the first few weeks I got here because I was so overwhelmed by how different the brands were and I just wanted some milk. This is a step that takes time and trial and error. Still to this day grocery shopping overwhelms me and not having my cotton on to buy my clothes at always makes my heart hurt. Also, finding a new hairdresser and brow lady is SCARY, I spent years going to the same lady back home and now I had to find someone new to trust with my hair and brows!? (Thankful for my hairdresser and brow gal here - you know who you are)
5. You will always be exotic and "The Australian"
First few months I got here people always picked up on how different my "accent" was and that I wasn't from here. In my workplace I'm the Aussie and to my friends I am their Aussie friend. I love it but it's weird at first I will admit..
6. You learn how to budget and make money last longer real quick
This was a lesson I needed to learn. Vancouver is not a cheap city it's quite the opposite. Pay rate also sucks, that's the reality. You learn to limit your social outings, be savvy when you grocery shop and find cheap coffee (I'm looking at you Tim Horton's). All I can say about this one is be prepared, come with savings and don't spend it all at once!
7. Some days you will want to stay home all day but getting out is the best thing you can do!
The biggest lesson I learnt moving here is to push myself to say yes and get involved in it all! You are moving to a place where communities are already formed, people already have their squads. It is up to you to change that and make those connections. I'm lucky that I knew a few close friends here that helped me settle in and find my people but I would say push yourself to attend events, get involved, say yes and meet new people! (even when you are home sick and want to stay in and watch netflix, GET OUT!)
8. You will lose touch with people and find out who really is there for you
Early on I was talking to a close friend of mine here and we discussed how moving abroad really tests friendships. It's like anything in life, sometimes you lose touch with people but moving abroad and losing touch with friends you thought you were going to know your whole life is tough. Keep in touch with those you want to keep even if it's a small message to say I appreciate you! Keep those friendships flourishing!
9. You grow and learn so much about yourself
I have learnt so much about myself in the 3-4 months I moved overseas than I did in a whole year. Also moving overseas by myself I became very dependant on myself and learnt a lot of how I deal with new situations and stress. Experiencing anything new is a great learning curve. You are always growing and learning!
These are just a few discoveries I've made but I know I have so much more learning and growing! I will say moving abroad isn't for the faint of heart. You have to be bold, strong and fearless! If you are thinking about doing it - do it, follow your heart! Create the life of your dreams and always be open. :)
I hope to be continuing a thread of blog posts on moving abroad! So, feel free to post any questions or topics! I love reading them. Xxx
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