Who are we?
We are the Traslers, a family of five plus dog and hamster, who live in Coquitlam just outside Vancouver in British Columbia. The five humans are: Jools (too old for rollerblading), Damian (too young to know he is too old for rollerblading), Laurel (12, rollerblader and ice skater extraordinaire), Katie (9, Jedi padawan) and Lily (6, too old to be called “The Baby”).
Why make a website?
When we emigrated from the UK in March 2009 we were greatly assisted by some lovely people and at the same time astonished by the lack of information available to us. Much of what we did before and after we arrived was based on guesswork and pure luck. By starting this website we hope to share some of the things we have learned about emigrating with a young family, offer some links to our favourite “helpers” and perhaps even open some discussions with some real, live people.
Of course, our views are based on our experience, which so far is somewhat limited. Where possible, we will verify our facts but mostly this website is made up of our opinions gathered from our time in Vancouver.
Moose, a dog of dubious parentage but lovable all the same
I’ve just found your blog, and we’re (hopefully) on our way to Canada from South Africa. Vancouver is our first choice of destination, but who knows where we’ll land up?! just for good measure, and to learn as much as I can, I’ll be following your blog.
Hi – I just found your blog, too – link from Frank and Sue Gerryts of Relocation2BC – http://www.brits2bc.com/ – and will read it with interest!
Marcus
Welcome, Marcus! Great to see you here.
We’re here to answer any questions, Felicity – good luck with the move!
Hi, we are a family of 6, and became BC Residents last November, at the moment we are still in Ireland…are we crazy not to make the move? My husband works for HP and I am an Art Tutor working with people who have disabilities. Our three younger kids would travel with us…13, 9 and 8. Need some advise on jobs
Hi Helen, welcome to the blog! Not moving at the beginning of the winter may have been a wise choice – Vancouver is not at its most welcoming in the rain, but spring is nearly here. There are lots of IT companies centred around Burnaby, and downtown – can your husband get a transfer? All the municipalities offer programs for people with disabilities and there are many organizations and charities – networking is key in job hunting here, so any contact you can make with them will be helpful. Most jobs are posted on internet sites like Monster, Craigslist, Workopolis and BCJobs, and there are lots of recruiting agencies who helped me when I arrived. The agencies will help “Canadianize” your resumes. Keep in touch and let us know what progress you make – I’ll see if I can come up with anything else at this end!