Reflecting On 600 Days In Canada

Today it is 600 days since we left the UK and moved to beautiful British Columbia.

Due to 2020 being a very weird year for everyone, we haven't actually left the country this year. This is very unusual for us, as we love a trip abroad, but it has given us a chance to dig deeper into the country that we currently call home.

After 598 days in Canada (we went to Las Vegas for two days last year), here are some of our thoughts and feelings.

Things That Are Different

Obviously, when you move to a new country, you expect some things to be different to your life back home. Here are a few things that we found to be true of our life in British Columbia that are different to the UK.

• Letting agencies aren't really a big thing here - most housing rentals are advertised on Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace etc. There are property management companies that look after properties on behalf of landlords, but a lot of owners rent out their property themselves. Dress codes during viewings are also fairly slack, very few fancy smarmy suit people.

• Liquor stores only - virtually no supermarket can sell alcohol and even those that can have very strict rules. Our new supermarket in Kelowna only sells cider and wine, for example, and our big shop in Vancouver didn't sell any alcohol at all.

• There are strict rules on the serving of alcohol and in the vast majority of places, it is table service only. Alcohol is very expensive here. There is no such thing as a "cheap drink". Tax is added on at the end too, so even when you think you're getting a good deal at the liquor store or bar, you're probably not!

Things We Wish We Knew Before We Moved Here

Tips for the uninitiated...

• Internet and mobile data plans are crazily overpriced and you really don't get much bang for your buck. Our mobile phones currently cost us $35 per month (plus tax) and give us just 1GB of data at 3G speed. And this is incredibly cheap. According to research conducted in 2019, the average Canadian is spending $101 per month on a cell phone plan!

• Tipping is virtually mandatory for most service professions. Frustratingly, companies like Uber Eats and Door Dash require you to add a tip amount when you place your order, before you even know if the food is going to show up!

• Dentistry is wildly expensive. We hadn't been to the dentist for about a year when we decided we should probably get check ups. Over the course of five weeks and maybe three appointments each, we spent over $500. That was a bargain given that the majority of the cost of the treatment was being covered by Richard's work healthcare plan. I promise to never take the NHS for granted ever again.

Things That We Miss About Home

Obviously, it should go without saying, we miss our friends and family. Fortunately, due to the wonders of FaceTime and WhatsApp, we probably speak to them more now than ever before!

In all honesty, we're very happy with our life in Canada and we don't miss much from home. But there are a few things...

• A proper Sunday Roast. I wrote in my most recent roundup of life on the ranch about how much we were craving a decent roast and that we attempted to make our own this week. I swear this craving very rarely goes away. Brits do the best Sunday dinners, it's just a fact of life.

• Real pub atmosphere. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love table service and knowing I'm not going to have to wait half an hour for a drink! But there is something quite nice about standing four deep at a bar, trying not to get trampled and occasionally having a nice chat with a perfect stranger. (I'm probably romanticising this one).

• Castles! Post-colonialism Canada is too squeaky clean and new to have old ruins and buildings. As a history grad, I severely miss these things. I've heard that we can get a taste for them in Victoria, Montreal and Ottawa so those places are definitely on the to-do list for next year.

Things That I Will Stock Up On From The UK

Every country has items that are cheaper, more expensive or simply don't exist. Here is what is coming back in my suitcase the next time we visit home.

• Juice/squash/cordial - whatever you want to refer to it as, Canadian's don't have it! It's just not a thing here. In January, our English friends brought us some back with them after a Christmas visit home and occasionally it is on offer in the British aisle at Save-On-Foods (for $4+ a bottle), but we have basically been squash free since 2019.

• Tights/underwear - BC doesn't seem to have an equivalent to Primark. Joe Fresh clothes can be found at the Real Canadian Superstore, but even then I wouldn't say it's comparative to clothes shopping at Tesco or Asda. The cheapest pair of tights I have bought was $6 for one pair and the "bargain" underwear was 3 for $12. I hope customs don't pull me over on my next return, because 500 pairs of knickers might be falling out of my suitcase!

• Greetings cards - this one I can only put down to a supply and demand problem. As of 2019, there were 39.57 million people living in Canada which incidentally is the second largest country in the world by land mass. So I guess, there just aren't as many people buying cards. I struggle to find anything for less than $3 and earlier this year I misread the price on a card and ended up spending $7 on a birthday card! Tesco's 50p cards here I come!!

And Finally...The Things That We Love

So I've had a little moan up there about the weirdness that is living in Canada, but honestly, we wouldn't change it for the world. Every single day we wake up knowing how exceptionally lucky we are to live in this part of the world.

These are some of the reasons why:

• Scenery and nature. Canada is truly one of the most exceptionally beautiful countries in the world. Living on the ranch, we wake up to the most picturesque scenes, but even when we lived in Vancouver we could see endless mountain views from the city. Almost everywhere we have been has made our jaws hit the floor, I have actually run out of words to describe this country.

• Open immigration policy and diversity. Please allow me to get political for just one moment. Canada welcomes immigration and Canadian people, on the whole, understand the importance of skilled migration. It is by no means easy to emigrate to Canada, however in October 2020 - in the midst of a pandemic - the Canadian government set targets to welcome 400,000 immigrants per year, for the next three years. The openness to accept people from other countries, and the multi-culturalism (and great food!) that this brings to Canada, is absolutely one of the reasons we want to continue to live here.

• POUTINE! And ending on a very non-political note... Poutine is one of my favourite foods in the whole world. When it is described - fries, cheese curds and gravy - you get a mixed response, but I think I'll just end this post with this photo which shows just how happy it makes me!

Port Moody Food Truck Festival, April 2019