Qldgal

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 August 2013 - 22:38

Angel Joy, having moved from Dubai to Calgary last November, I would like to enlighten you on some Calgary 'quirks', which may assist your location decision making. Firstly, they don't call Calgary 'cow town' for nothing, unless you live in the inner city (down town area) there is little to do and next to no culture. It's also extremely expensive, to the point that certain baby items are cheaper in Dubai. This is an oil and gas town, the cost of living here is high for that reason. A Toronto friend of mine said a loaf of bread costs twice as much here than Toronto. So unless your husband or you are in oil and gas, then your salary's will be much lower and hence it's far more difficult to live. If you both work then child care is almost impossible, all the registered well run professional child care centres are booked out years in advance. So from a budget perspective you would have to consider a full time nanny ( children attending school is not quite as bad ... I am told) and for that you need to look at 2k to 2.5k gross a month or one of these unlicensed/ unregulated day homes. Leasing a car is not simple, nor do they cater to expats like us, no Diamond Lease etc. Unless you have a residents visa, getting a car loan is almost impossible, so if you will be on a 2 year visa initially, keep this in mind. This may may apply to all of Canada.... Rents have gone up 40% in Calgary this year ( according to a real estate document I read on the weekend), every one here owns, rentals... Well quality rentals are hard to find, especially on a budget. In a nutshell it's expensive. Vancouver I am told is expensive re rent, but from what I understand you can 'live' cheaper. Most people enjoy their time in Vancouver. I have met 2 British ladies so far who have been here over 25 years (in Calgary) and they still hate it. Winters here are loooong...pretty much 9 months. Though at least it's sunny in winter. Summer has been a complete bomb here, with flooding and swarms of insects in biblical proportions. Though I am reliably informed this is not the norm... Just bad luck on our part. If you ski, then great, Canmore and Banff are just up the road...as long as the road doesn't get washed away again! Oh and don't expect the driving to be any better... The Deerfoot trail ( otherwise known as the 'other SZR' in our house) is just like driving in Dubai. Cowboys in giant trucks, tailgating and bullying, road rage ... And this even happens in the snow. 20 car pile ups and multiple deaths are common ... Frankly it's safer to drive to Al Ain! It does have some perks, most people speak English, and if you have children the medical system is not bad and free... Though don't expect to get a family doctor with ease, the doctors office near my house hasn't take on patients in 8 years! Though they do have fairly good walk in clinics, so it's not the end of the world. Needless to say, come with your eyes wide open. Don't expect a better life immediately, it takes ages and people in Calgary aren't your typical 'friendly Canadians'. We thought we were doing the right thing, and frankly, the sooner I am in the departure lounge at Calgary airport heading for The Middle East the better.

RATE IT

Qldgal

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 23 August 2012 - 20:10

I so hear you! That was us 6 weeks ago.... Including the cat! We have found that with the swaddle and gro bag, the temp needs to be lower than you think. We set our rooms to 21degrees but when she was waking up she was always a little sticky. The temp we have settled at is about 19.5 degrees ( as per the temp gauge on the monitor not the ac temp as its useless). We also found that the gro bag gave her too much freedom, she was sleeping shorter periods, she goes for at least an hour longer when swaddled. Our little girl suffers badly with trapped wind, so I use the gro bag during the day, as it gives her the room to move about and release what gas she can but she is swaddled at night. From memory it took us 4 or 5 nights at home before she would sleep on her own and not on my chest, so in the mean time I can suggest gathering every pillow you can and make a support nest for yourself, as it will help you get some rest whilst she sleeps. If you do try to put her down in her own bed, try warming the area with a hot water bottle first. This was a helpful hint from our doula, it worked a treat, to the point we still do it (I also warm up the swaddle), just makes that temp change from skin to bed easier. Good luck, it's tough but she will eventually sleep on her own and your cat will eventually adapt!

RATE IT