Hello everyone,
When you move to Canada, you may find that the pace of life is different from what you're used to. Shop opening times, working hours, sleep cycles and variations in sunlight can all have an effect on your life in Canada as an expat and require time to adapt. This transition can be a source of surprises, adjustments and sometimes even frustration for those trying to find their balance in this new environment.
Here are a few questions to help you better understand how you manage your days in Canada :
How have you managed to harmonise your own pace of life with the pace of life in Canada?
Have you felt a change in your biological rhythm (diet, sleep, energy, etc.)? How can you minimise the effects on your well-being and adapt to changes in your circadian rhythm?
How have you adjusted your sleeping habits to optimise your energy and concentration in a different environment?
Shopping, meal and activity times can differ from one culture to another. How do you manage to reconcile your personal habits with those of life in Canada? What are the benefits and challenges of these adjustments?
How do different working hours affect your productivity and quality of life? What have you done to maintain a work-life balance despite these changes?
Please feel free to share your experiences and advice on this topic.
Thank you for your contribution.
Cheryl
Expat.com Team
Adapting to the pace of life in Canada
It takes time to adjust and of course it depends of individual taste and desire to change into a new life. However after the so called pandemic, inexplicably the rent prices have gone up, I live in vancouver , in a suburb area, new westminster, about 20 km from downtown vancouver. Now my rent is 1000 dollars for on bedroom. If I want to move , anywhere else the rent is 1800 dollars for the same apartment. Rumours are that in quebec, from here I lived for 16 years , same happened with the rent , and buying real estate also. So before leaving your country , leave aside your new life here and start with finding a rent that is accommodating. On second thought, two bedrooms if you are a afamily , it gets to 2400$. If your rent is convenient , then everything else is a matter of accommodating in time
I live in Calgary Alberta. Cheryl posted some interesting points re lifestyle. Adapting to life in Canada takes time for sure. Speaking/writing English is a huge bonus.
Work in Canada differs a lot from that in Croatia, in some cases. Being a nurse, I always worked hard, in Croatia and Canada. With more responsibilities, work/life balance becomes more challenging. Healthcare is tough right now and as a nurse from Croatia, I had to do differential/courses and write final nursing exam to get nursing diploma in Canada. This is an important consideration when it comes to job search in Canada.
Work hours can be challenging and one may need to stay longer at work to ger the job done, which affects family life.
Cold winter temperatures, snow, ice etc. is another challenge for some. Your body adjusts with time to cold winter temperatures and we all function just fine (no igloos lol). In Calgary we dipped down to -37C couple weeks ago but...houses are heated, cars, stores, etc are heated so once you get adjusted, you're golden.
There is more and I'll post more another day. D
In any case . Life is excellent in Canada. You are very lucky
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