I’ve been in Canada since July on a Working Holiday Visa.

In our media, Canada is always portrayed as a dream country. Yes of course, it’s beautiful here (Rockies, nature) but it also has a lot of downsides.

The quality of food is incomparable to my home country and the food prices are even higher here.

I thought rent prices back home were high, but here (except for small towns on the prairie), you have to share an apartment with 3 people and still pay the same amount as getting a 2-bedroom apartment alone back home.

Then 5 weeks of paid vacation + 11 paid holidays (weekends are generally free, there is no business open at Sundays), when you’re sick, you’re sick, but you still get paid.

Canadians are polite that is true, but what I’ve noticed is that people often make false promises just to be nice.

Making friends here as a foreigner is challenging and perhaps I’m homesick being on the other side of the world.

I’m considering abandoning everything and flying back home. While at first it was really nice here (especially the traveling in the summer), the drawbacks are becoming apparent.

Additionally, my education isn’t recognized here and honestly I don’t want to work at Tim Hortons or Walmart just to „survive“ and with much lower QOL than in Europe.

But on the other hand, I’m afraid of missing out if I fly back home now.

Idk what i should do :(

Any suggestions?

  • zephyrrss@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I know how you feel about missing out if you fly back home. I’m having that internal dilemma now… I moved from a smaller city in Aus to Calgary in March on a Working Holiday Visa. I moved for a few reasons, but mostly because I was commuting 140km round trip a day to work to a job in Sydney, but couldn’t afford to live there with the COL so I was still with my parents. I was burnt out that I couldn’t get ahead and fed up with Australia when I left, so I finally took the leap. Calgary is a great city and I can appreciate that. I love the mountains and nature, but I feel so isolated and homesick. I have a great roommate, a decent job, but I’m sad. I miss my family and my dog, it makes me feel guilty. I’m visiting home for a few weeks over Christmas, I think that will be the deciding factor in whether I stay or leave. Maybe consider doing the same thing? Visit home for a while? I guess sometimes it takes leaving to realise the good in where you’re from. Although, congratulations for trying, I know how hard it is to take that initial leap!