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Our new life in Calgary

Andy Hemmington explains how their life has changed in the months since their emigration to Calgary

So where did we get to? The last time our story appeared in Emigrate Canada, it finished with me dropping Paul, the editor, back into Eastbourne after he'd come over to interview us. We were then still waiting for the Labour Market Opinion (LMO) for my job in Calgary but during the drive back home I got a call from our immigration consultants to say that the LMO had been issued and that me, my wife Libby, sons Billy, 16, Daniel, 11, and daughter Bethany (or Madam), nine could go go go! I think this was on a Thursday and we booked the air tickets for the following Thursday, 19th April. That week was the most dreadful week by far. We didn't have a farewell party but slowly worked our way through the family and friends one by one, visiting each one in turn to say our goodbyes. Some of the goodbyes were difficult and some were just appallling. If people don't cry when they emigrate, check for a pulse. I still get flashbacks. As we finished packing on the Wednesday evening before departure a strange quietness fell over all of us. This was not a moment of doubt but felt like a pendulum swinging between fear and excitement as we set out for a new world and prepared to leave behind everything and everybody we have ever known. I asked my wife Libby "Are you sure we have got this right?" "Yes," she said resolutely.

Thursday the 19th came and we were driven to Gatwick by my sister and Libby's brother. We were constantly aware of the pain we were causing to those we were leaving behind but for us the thrill of it all overtook the fear. After a few more tears at the airport we were through to the departure lounge. Now we knew we hadn't any more painful goodbyes to do, we felt different. We knew there would be few occasions in life more special than this so we treated ourselves to First Class tickets, bought our last copy of the Daily Mail and were off. It felt absolutely wonderful. Fourteen hours later we landed in Calgary to snow, went straight through customs and into immigration to apply for visas. We had been told that this could be difficult and that the officer could refuse if he felt like it. "Be prepared to wait for hours," some people had said but 20 minutes later we had our permits and were free to start our new lives in Canada. If your paperwork work is correct and you're not an axe murderer, immigration will give you your permits there and then, saving us a further six weeks waiting in UK. My advice to anybody else in the same position is to just go for it. The officer said they couldn't care less, that we are not even a blip on their radar.

After we'd loaded 14 suitcases into a rental pickup we were off to our friend's house for the first week of our new life. On Friday morning I popped into work at Artistic Stairs just to say that we had arrived and that could I start work in two weeks time. "No problem, we'll get your van ready," they said. We had planned to buy two new vehicles in Canada and here's my new employer giving me one – so we had just saved the price of a van! After this I went round to get my Social Insurance Number, which took about 15 minutes, and into the bank to activate our new bank account and collect credit cards and debit cards, etcetera. The Monday after we took the kids into the local school we had chosen and registered them to start in two weeks time. Apparently, it's "well cool" and bits of it even "wicked," so that's all right then.

In terms of house hunting we opted for a temporary rental first. After searching on the internet, in small ads and through agents etcetera we found a brand new house in the right place. We were the very first people to live in it. We took a four-month rental so we could take more time to look around for a house to buy. We arrived with nothing but clothes so we had to hit the shops pretty urgently as we needed literally everything. So that was that, a new house, new appliances, new furniture and new mobile phones all sorted within one week of arriving. I know, I know, no one likes a smart arse! So then it was play time! Among the things we enjoyed within the first few weeks were skiing, swimming, cycling, walking, exploring the mountains, exploring the city, going to the zoo, going laser shooting with a gang of friends, shopping and watching eagles, coyotes, elk and moose, but no bears. I don't believe there are any bears in Canada; it's just a lie to attract tourists.

I started work within two weeks of arriving in Canada and I love it. Whilst I'm at work Lib goes shopping and the kids go to school. They also love their new lives. The kids have an English accent and can play football – what else do they need?! In no time at all Daniel and Bethany were going off on sleepovers with their new friends. It was unbelievable! Word gets around that there is a new English family in town and so Billy, who is 16, got a trial for the Calgary Blizzards under 18`s. He was picked straight away and had his debut game the next Saturday. Kick off was at 3pm and he scored his first goal within 15 seconds!

Eventually we found the house we wanted to buy. We viewed it on a Tuesday and made an offer which took it off the market immediately. On Wednesday we got the survey done, Thursday put down deposit and that was it, all done. Now that we had an address we could send off to our removers for our own furniture and other belongings to be delivered. Three weeks after we made the offer we moved out of the rental house and into our new home, the next day all our belongings were delivered in the morning and then we went up to the airport to meet my sister who has come out to stay for three weeks. It's funny how seeing your own stuff arrive affects you. You spend months in UK diassembling you world and your lives, you sell off, throw away, pack away, and say goodbye. You lose your home, your possessions, your habits and haunts, your friends and family until you have nothing left but your suitcases. You go through all the violence off pulling up all your roots and then you get on a plane. At the other end you start to build it all up again. You buy, you collect, you meet and greet, you reunite, but nothing has quite the impact of opening the removal packages and finding all your own treasures again. You should have seen the kids faces all that day.

So here we are, settled into our new six-bedroom home. It's twice the size of our old house and cost about £150,000 less. The house is set over three floors and has three living rooms, three bathrooms, four toilets, a double garage, a large deck with barbeque, an office, a kitchen diner, a laundry room and two rooms downstairs that we haven't a clue what we are going to use for! There is also a trampoline in the garden and we are busy planting trees now. We can also lay in the bath and look out over the city and see the Calgary Tower! Making friends was easy. We had a house-warming party with 29 people and they are the warmest people we have ever known. Every weekend we are at someone else's house for a get-together and barbecues that go on till late. We have been overwhelmed by the kindness, warmth, and friendliness of these Canadians. The only people we haven't met many of are expats. People said "don't just mix with the English when you get there," but we don't even now where they are. Every now and then you will hear an English accent close by but they don't want to talk to you. Nothing new there then!

Since we've been here the weather has been amazing, we've had a long heatwave all summer and the kids had 12 weeks of summer holiday to enjoy it. The temperature has reached 34 degrees centigrade some days and only now has it gone back to the normal 24. The best bit of it all was watching the UK weather on the TV. Speaking of which, we have been asked the question 'do we miss anything from UK?' Oh yeah, we miss the constant rain, Gordon Brown, tiny roads, tiny minds, foul mouthed teenagers in the streets, neighbours who cant be bothered to talk to you, paying more and more tax and getting less and less for it. Shall I go on? So no, we miss absolutely nothing. We did expect that there would days when we would feel pangs of homesickness but not one of us felt it. I was putting Daniel to bed one night and I asked him if he thought it had been worth all the pain. It was an instant reply: "Oh yes!"

Finally. I feel I should apologise for all this boasting and gloating but this place really is just great. We regret not coming years ago, so much time has been wasted when we could have had a better life earlier on. Everybody is different but we found life in England was just getting harder and harder with no prospect of things getting better. One plane journey later and its just amazingly different. Mind you; we have still got the Canadian winter in front of us yet! Maybe that will wipe the smile off our faces.

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13 May 2008

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