{"id":199204,"date":"2018-07-11T13:07:52","date_gmt":"2018-07-11T11:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/advice-considering-emigration\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T17:55:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T15:55:55","slug":"advice-considering-emigration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/en\/advice-considering-emigration\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice if you are considering emigration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Karen and her husband, Kobus Jordaan, currently live in British Columbia, Canada. They moved to Prince George in November\u00a02012 after living in Frobisher, Saskatchewan for five and a half years.<\/p>\n

Karen has some advice if you consider emigration to Canada. She shares their memories of emigration with Worldwide:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A matter of prayer<\/u><\/p>\n

In the first case it must be a matter of prayer. If the Lord did not prepare your heart, it is difficult.<\/p>\n

You must be prepared to be far from your loved ones, no matter how much you love and miss them. Unfortunately, this is the hardest part of the entire decision. But thanks to technology, one can keep in contact worldwide.<\/p>\n

The climate shock<\/u><\/p>\n

This all depends on where you plan to move; the climate can make or break you. We were offered an opportunity in Canada, so we didn\u2019t even look around to decide where we would like to go. Moving from +30 to -27 within a week was a huge shock to the system. We have never seen snow in our lives, and here we got off the plane and everything was WHITE\u2026 And it didn\u2019t stop\u2026 For at least six months of the year the snow is here to stay, sometimes metres deep. Here you usually have two sets of tires for your car: one for the winter and one for the summer. You need two types of liquid to wash your car\u2019s windows: one type for summertime to get rid of the beetles\u2019 gum, and the other for wintertime to prevent it from freezing immediately when it hits the window.<\/p>\n

The culture shock<\/u><\/p>\n

I believe it\u2019s the same everywhere. No matter where you are \u2013 Australia, England, the USA or Canada \u2013 South Africans seek out and contact each other. Nothing can be more satisfying than visiting with true friends. They understand what you\u2019re talking about, so you don\u2019t have to explain who \u201cJan van der Merwe\u201d is! I don\u2019t have experience with other countries around the world, but we soon realised that Canadians\u2019 sense of humour differs from ours. Although they are friendly and helpful, it was (and still is) difficult to make friends here. We were used to getting in the car right away and visit \u201cPiet and San\u201d for coffee; here, you must first make an appointment instead of just showing up.<\/p>\n

Children are adaptable<\/u><\/p>\n

The sooner you move them, the better I think. Although our children have easily adapted and made friends, they still have contact with their peers in South Africa after 11 years. Emigrant children also get teased and bullied a lot here. That happened especially on the school bus shortly after we came here. But our children were lucky; we quickly put the bullies in their place by reporting them to the principal, who treated our children mercifully. As they grew up, they also realised that many of the values found here are not what they learned from us. One can only stay on one\u2019s knees, praying that the values we taught them will build their character.<\/p>\n

Job opportunities<\/u><\/p>\n

Here are many more jobs and a future for everyone. If you don\u2019t have a job here, you don\u2019t want to work. Whatever your heart\u2019s desire, you can do it, and it\u2019s made possible by the availability of abundant sources. There is a great demand for tradespeople, and you will always be assured of work if you are qualified in some trade. The older people retire and there are not enough younger ones to replace them.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest<\/u><\/p>\n

Honestly: every country has its difficulties. You\u2019ll never get a country where everything is 100% prosperous. In the economy and politics something is always brewing that will make people either happy or dissatisfied. It\u2019s your choice: accept what you cannot change, and do something if you can make a difference.<\/p>\n

Bloom where you are planted<\/u><\/p>\n

Spread your fragrance wherever you go. We are blessed with the most wonderful friends here in Prince George. And when we arrived in Canada, we became part of a small community of South African families whom we still regard as our Canadian family. We visit them in Saskatchewan once a year, remember each other\u2019s birthdays and chat as often as possible.<\/p>\n