5 Reasons I'm Making The Move To Canada

In February 2022, I am making my move from the UK to Canada — Victoria, British Columbia, to be specific.

I’m not fooled by the idea that the grass is greener over there, that life will be so much better if I move elsewhere, instead, there was an opportunity and I wanted to take it, to make a change in my life and to just do something entirely different for a little while, to have a new adventure and to write a different chapter in my book of life.

In the anticipation of this move, I have compiled a list of 5 things that are on my mind, and ultimately why I made the decision.

Excited To Explore A New Place

Each city across the world is different; with their own independent and local establishments, their own history, their own cultural and social movements.

There’s a nice feeling of visiting a new place and spending time in local bars and restaurants — seeing the behaviour and interaction of the locals.

Having never stepped foot in Canada, I am excited to really see how Canadians socialise and interact with one another and to explore new areas, streets and businesses.

Ready For Change

Covid-19 saw a drastic shift in the direction my life was heading, and at times it felt stagnant — with no larger goal to aim for and restricted on certain activities.

I have been ready for a change for some time, and though I made small adjustments here and there, visiting different places for short periods in order to shake up my life a little, I was always heading back to where I started.

So I decided to apply for the work permit as a catalyst for the change I felt I needed — living elsewhere for a few years.

Looking Forward To Creating A New Rhythm

Routine can be quite a powerful thing if utilised well — it’s in moving to Canada that I wish to utilise this power to take steps forward in my life.

Back in the UK, I had moved back in with my parents during the pandemic — I am very grateful for this but it meant that I lost a little of my independence that I had before — and so moving to Canada, once again living in a shared flat with my own space, feels like I am able to gain that independence back, living my life in by my own routine and schedule.

Can’t Wait To Slow Down

Vitoria, British Columbia, may be a city, but it is a city of around 400,000 people, so not too large but a fair size to ensure there are plenty of things around.

It’s in this place that I want to really slow down, not to be rushed by the city life in places like London and New York, but to just enjoy each day at its own pace, to nurture my relationship with time.

It’s not like I plan on hitting the bars every weekend, instead, I want to use the move, and being in a new location, to put effort into the things I care about and want to develop.

Eager To Be Closer To Nature

Canada, in my mind, has always been somewhere so connected with nature — from the snow and the mountains to the lakes and the forests, I see it as Sweden on Steroids: a place of natural beauty.

Out of the choices of places to move to, the top of my list is Victoria, British Columbia — right on the West Coast. Though not part of the mainland, Victoria sits at the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is surrounded by sea, and close to mountains and forest, whilst also being a decent-sized city.

Over the last few years, I’ve begun to understand the power of nature — how just an hour walk through a forest can calm you down and create clarity.

It’s in nature when I have felt the best — and so I certainly want to be close to nature to ensure that I am able to have that connection and feeling much more often.

There’s an idea that we are always looking for greener pastures, thinking that the grass is greener elsewhere — and perhaps this is what I thought at some point, but I did not go looking for greener pastures, thinking that life in Canada would solve any problems I had or be a far better existence than what I was already living, instead, I just wanted a new and different adventure, to live somewhere else for a while, to see what life was like outside of the UK — even if I head somewhere not too dissimilar.

I am looking forward to seeing what happens and how I approach the change I am stepping into.