It's public (and has been official for a while) - we're leaving the green green grass of my husband's home to the mossy rocks of my Canadian one.
Firstly, the decision wasn't easy. Not even remotely. We've done this transatlantic dance before (and a trans-Irish-Sea jig as well), and it's difficult, not least of which from a logistical standpoint. Our marriage was always going to be about compromise (whose isn't?); I'm from Canada, he's from Wales. I'm crazy, and my husband is less so. Those obstacles aside, we're firmly planted in the desire to seek out what's best for our daughter, and give her the kind of childhood we experienced - family, outdoors and ridiculous amounts of fun with both parents.
So why not Wales? My husband is an actuary, and the center for actuarial work is obviously London, with smaller outposts in Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. We've tried unsuccessfully to make a move to Cardiff, looking for jobs as far away as Bristol (from Cardiff) to make the Welsh dream a reality. Sadly, it wasn't to be.
Still, we have family in the UK. Our daughter not only has grandparents, an aunt and uncle and
various assorted other relatives (including a few on my side) but a brand new baby cousin only 4.5 months younger than her. It's tough, knowing that their relationship might not have the chance to flourish as much as it could given they're growing up in two different countries. Her grandparents, who are absolutely smitten with her, also won't get the chance to see her as frequently as we'd like. It's remarkably tough. It's also deeply personal, this emotional decision, so we'll leave it at that.
The pros of moving (back) to Toronto are easy. Shorter commute time. Lower cost of living. Proximity to my gargantuan family, who all live within an hour or so of the GTA. Better work/life balance. Better access to the outdoors and seasonal sports (as much as it snows in Hertfordshire...). Most importantly - it's a place we can see our daughter grow up in, and we feel like we'd be better set up to afford her the opportunities we'd like for her.
Our time in Toronto has really confirmed that it is where we want to be, and we've officially taken the plunge - putting our house on the market (we've got it listed on RightMove) and putting some of our unmoveable (read: my husband's toys) stuff on eBay, including a spectacular Bowers and Wilkins subwoofer. We'll be listing more and more things as the move date gets nearer, but will also put up a list of items here on the blog to see if there's any additional interest.
There are a lot of things on our to-do list, the most important now being the process of getting Citizenship and Immigration Canada to grant my husband permanent residency. Our daughter, having been born to a Canadian citizen in the UK, was granted her Canadian citizenship (with a hilarious citizenship photo) in May. So, we've already started the roller coaster ride, and are currently plodding through a to-do list as long as the distance between London and Toronto.
We've made our decision, and we're fully convinced that it's the right one for our family.
