Canadians Away!

Kelsey Wilson allowed a stranger into her house in Sylvan Lake. That same stranger also got to drive her car. But it’s totally normal, because Kelsey is doing the same thing to this stranger, on the other side of the world.

Kelsey’s on exchange in Old Bar. She talks to us about the challenges of driving a manual transmission car from the right side, how most people think she’s American at first, and how she actually finds surfing pretty exhausting.

Lauren Gillespie had a goal: visit 30 different countries before she turned 30 years old. She managed to achieve that goal thanks in part to living in Europe.

But before Europe, she lived in Wellington, New Zealand, and even spent some time in Oman — hard time.

Now, she’s enjoying teaching in Farnham, Surrey. The big question for her: will she come back to Canada or continue her travels? Find out in this fun conversation!

Carolyn Dickson always knew she’d live abroad one day. And after a trip to the UK with her husband in 2013, she knew she wanted to live in the UK.

But it took her and her husband about 5 years to realize their plans.

They managed to make the leap in 2018 when the stars aligned (that is, one of them had gainful employment there) and they moved to Newcastle in Northern UK. And though they love where they live, this is a tale of not-so-soft landings, and every Canadian’s greatest fear: being mistaken for an American.

Check out HeyExplorer.com for some of the attractions that make Newcastle Upon Tyne famous.

Rihanna Flaherty got into travelling after university. Though her degree wasn’t something she used to travel.

She actually fell in love twice. Once with the country of New Zealand itself—she eventually convinced a friend to move there with her where they became canoe guides on the Whanganui River on the North Island—and a second time with a man she met. She and her husband live in New Zealand now, along with their baby. And it’s looking like New Zealand is home for now.

Hear about Rihanna’s NZ adventures. And check out these links to learn more about the history of the Whanganui River:

• New Zealand river granted same legal rights as human being—The Guardian.
• A Voice for Nature—National Geographic.
• Whanganui—NewZealand.com

The first time I spoke to Emily Mattinglsey was almost exactly four years ago (you can listen to our chat on Episode 26). She’d basically just arrived in Morocco looking for a little bit of life experience and a lot of surfing.

Her experience was, to me, remarkable. But I’m certain it’s similar to the experiences of many other Canadians who’ve lived abroad for a spell, and then come back home. Home isn’t the same after that length of time. And it’s likely many of those returning Canadians experienced reverse culture shock.

Find out more about Emily’s journey of self-discovery that ultimately brought her back where she started.

Check out “Reverse culture shock: what, when, and how to cope,” which is referenced and quoted in the intro to this episode.

Cora Lea and her family had the opportunity to leave Canada just about four years ago. Their destination: Doha, Qatar.

Cora Lea shares her point of view on the folks she’s met over the past four years, the other countries they’ve visited using Qatar as a homebase, and some of the things they miss about Canada. But they’re not looking to return anytime soon!

Hope you enjoy the episode.

Robyn Larsen talks to host Adam Rozenhart about her experience living in Singapore, from how she gets around, to the differences from other cities and towns she’s lived in.

This episode was recorded during the wintertime, so there’s also talk of something Robyn misses from Canada: the cold!

Matthew Rix wasn’t finding what he wanted out of his job in Canada. Fortunately, there were opportunities just south of the border. So he made his way to Denver, Colorado.

Matthew talks to us about the subtle differences between Americans and Canadians, what it’s meant for Colorado to be the first state to legalize Cannabis, and some of the challenges of long-distance relationships when you’re separated by an international border.

Andrew Taylor lived on the Canadian prairies, at least for part of his life. But he was no stranger to travel. After he graduated from university he did his post-graduate studies in marine biology in Australia.

His chosen career meant islands and coast called his name. So, after checking the place out with some friends, he settled in Bali. There, he operates a dive company called Blue Corner Dive.

And according to Andrew, you’ll probably feel more safe spending time with him in the water than in a car.

Lauren Spicer and her husband are seasoned travellers. Nine years ago, they decided after teaching English for a year in South Korea that travelling the world for work, at least for a while, was the way to go.

They made their way to Panama City. They had their first son there. But they weren’t content to stay still for very long.

Now they live in Bali. But the pandemic struck, and they decided to move at least temporarily back to Toronto to be near family and a solid healthcare system.

Thanks to Lauren for taking the time to chat with us and share her perspective and experiences.