# Homesickness



## snjm (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi all, 
I will arrive to Markham soon with my wife and two daughters who I expect to be very home sick and my wife have never left her parents since birth and also my kids are so attached to grand parents.

Can you plan with me what should I do to overwhelm them with activities and whatever to let them start to be attached to their new home and repel their home sickness. I plan firstly for site seeing like Niagra falls, casa loma, Royal Science Museum, Zoo. etc .. my main concern is for after this stage , I mean while regular life what are activities to let them forget that home sickness and enjoy Canada home. I think this is a requirement for all expats here so let us brainstorm about how to fight homesickness for newcomers....


Thanks .....


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Besides just overwhelming them with sightseeing, I'd allow them a bit of time to just work through their homesickness however they have to. Of course, make sure they take full advantage of all the technological marvels available to expats in the 21st century: e-mail, VOIP phone (Skype or similar), social networking, newspapers and magazines from home online, etc.

It's also important to be able to plan visits back home - even just a week or two - when they can see the family and bring them back presents from their new home. Or plan a trip from the grandparents to Canada where the kids can show them around.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

It's important to meet people and make new friends. If your daughters are interested in sports, find a sport for them to participate in (e.g. soccer, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, etc). Since you're in Canada, ice skating lessons are a good idea if you can't already ice skate well. See if there is a support group - e.g. for immigrants in Canada - or for Egyptians in particaular. If you are religious, find and join the nearest religious institution. Become involved in your children's school as a parent volunteer. Anything else that you can do to meet people and make new friends is going to be a big help. Have your family come visit you if at all possible. 

Also Skype is a great tool. You and your friends/relatives just need a computer and an internet connection to keep in touch for free. Being able to see each other (assuming each computer has a web cam) makes the experience much better.


----------



## snjm (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback.. yes my daughters are interested in Tennis and Swimming, 

Is it easy to find indoor courts for Winter for Tennis, Swimming, Soccer to practice in Winter?


Is there social and sports clubs to register with as a member which can serve for socialization and sports practice ? if any let me know websites in Markham.


----------



## Guest (Jul 8, 2010)

snjm said:


> Hi all,
> I will arrive to Markham soon with my wife and two daughters who I expect to be very home sick and my wife have never left her parents since birth and also my kids are so attached to grand parents.
> 
> Can you plan with me what should I do to overwhelm them with activities and whatever to let them start to be attached to their new home and repel their home sickness. I plan firstly for site seeing like Niagra falls, casa loma, Royal Science Museum, Zoo. etc .. my main concern is for after this stage , I mean while regular life what are activities to let them forget that home sickness and enjoy Canada home. I think this is a requirement for all expats here so let us brainstorm about how to fight homesickness for newcomers....
> ...


I would really look into why you're emigrating if the rest of your family are very close to each other.
We left my mother in 2005. She wanted the best for us, Bless her, so she never stood in our way, but my husband and I and our 2 teenagers are so homesick and decided in Nov 2009 that we were going to return. Mum was absolutely over the moon and it was only then that she told us that it felt like a bereavement when we left. Our intention was to sponsor her and Dad here, but he became very ill and so cannot be sponsored.
You cannot make homesickness go away, you can only paper over the cracks.
I wish we had looked more into why we came here, and after waiting 2 years for the process, I wish we had backed out and lost a couple of thousand pounds. We now look to lose more like £30,000.
Also, we have pets and the home-quarantine process takes 6 1/2 months (so they don't have to go into quarantine kennels in the UK) see the defra website if you have pets. It was so much easier coming out.
No amount of space or activities can replace a family.
My opinion. Take care.


----------



## Guest (Jul 12, 2010)

I mean $30,000 not £30,000 oops quite a difference.


----------



## Speedwing1 (Sep 19, 2010)

Hi SNJM,


Your kids will make new friends in no time and will have a blast with weather (4 seasons). In winter you can try sledding, skiing, hockey, skating etc. I know that it's scary to come such a long way to a strange new place but Canada is such a vast multicultural place that you'll fit right in. I guarantee you the homesickness will get better as time passes.


----------



## paulhamilton1 (Sep 23, 2010)

*hey mate*

im paul im only 21 and emmigrated to canada on my own last year , when i first arrived in canada i was very excited but also scared i had no where to stay or anything i just had money in my back pocket , within the first 2 months i became very homesick & wanted to go home i had no friends and was very lonely , i decided to go out in to hes village in hamilton & met a great group of friends EVERONE IS VER NICE TO THE ENGLISH VERY WELCOMING , i am now married & live with my canadian wife in hamilton & ive never been happier , as regards to sight seeing niagra falls is a good one its HUGEEE & the casinos are great aswell niagra is only around an hours drive from me so its ok WHERE ARE YOU HEADING? also the us border is right next to niagra there soo much to do all the time i now play football for hamilton and occasionally play softball sorry for banting on but the main thing is you will ajust not staright away but you will find you bearings paul


----------



## Ravi Shanghavi (Sep 23, 2010)

You will find Niagara a nice place to take the kids and sight see, in the summer they have amazing tours in the region for wine. Niagara itself has a reptile zoo, a wax museum and of course the maid of the mist! Which is the boat that takes you underneath the falls. 

With regards to being homesick and your family adjusting, I think the biggest issue you'll likely face is the food. But indian and south east asian markets are likely your best bet for finding spices and foods similar to egypt. All the best! Don't worry about the kids, they will get on fine. 

Cheers, 
Ravi Shanghavi, Ottawa


----------



## lesbutler (Sep 27, 2010)

If I have to visit Niagara falls one more time.....!!!

That's one thing about emigrating lots of family come over and you become a tour guide  Anyways as for home sickness just a thing you have to work through never really goes away if you left loved ones at home but it's a thing after a while you learn to live with,I'm lucky as I go back once a year but when I first moved here I could not afford it, on many occasions I felt like going back but after a couple of years it was fine,emigrating not easy for the first few years.


----------

