Living in a northern town

Making the decision to move abroad is never an easy one, yet more and more people are doing it every year. When we first decided to move abroad in the summer of 1995, it was out of a combination of wanderlust and uncertainty. We wanted to travel the world and we weren't quite sure about what to do after graduating from university. The opportunity to go to Korea presented itself, and not having any other more appealing options at the time, we decided to take the plunge.

The Land of the Morning Sun

South Korea was an eye opening experience, even for relatively seasoned travelers like us. The unfamiliar language, culture and standing out like a sore white thumb made for a challenging adjustment. We started in a small city south of Seoul called Taejon and set about adjusting to life in an Asian culture. Soon after, we realized that life in Taejon wasn't for us and we moved to Seoul. Ironically, during our year in Korea, Taejon became "twinned" with our hometown, Calgary.

Seoul was everything you expect from an Asian capital: noisy, crowded, polluted and full of neon signs. Getting our bearings was made easier in Seoul, as we were able to meet people more easily in a variety of communities. Being in a capital city provided more opportunities both personally and professionally. Our professional experience in Seoul helped to solidify our career plans and future options for the next few years. While our limited taste of Asia didn't greatly appeal to us, it provided us with innumerable opportunities to strengthen our relationship.

All roads lead to Brussels?

From the "Land of the Morning Sun" we then moved to the land of Tintin, beer, frites and chocolate. Belgium was a radical change of lifestyle from Korea. We moved to Bruges, a picturesque town in Flanders that has the distinction of being called the "Venice of the North". Cultural shock was minimal even though the Flemings preferred Dutch to French (a language we both speak). After Damian finished his Master's degree, we moved to Brussels, the political center of the European Union.

Brussels is an often-maligned city that hides its charms from the casual visitor. In 1993, Allisa had passed through with friends and stayed for an afternoon, calling it "the most boring city in Europe". Five years later, her opinion had turned a full 180 degrees. Parts of the city have been the unfortunate victim of property speculators, who buy beautiful old townhouses and leave them to decay while waiting for the EU to expand their office space. An additional obstacle that Brussels has had to overcome is the lack of any sort of urban planning until the early 1990s. However, once you dig beneath the surface there are gorgeous examples of art nouveau and art deco architecture, quaint city squares with chocolate shops and small boutiques, and groomed green parks with broad walking paths
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It was shockingly easy to meet people in Brussels, given the large transient population that was coming in to the city for work with the EU and associated industries. Language was not an obstacle and there always seemed to be a wide variety of cultural activities and social events on offer. Our weekends had never been busier.

Northern exposure

From Brussels, we headed north to Helsinki. Interestingly enough, this has been the most difficult move out of the three. At first glance, there seemed to be many similarities between life in Finland and in Canada. But once the initial settling in period was over, it became evident that it would take more than a liking for salmiakki and sauna to feel comfortable. Even after almost two years in Helsinki, the adjustment is still ongoing. While Helsinki is a safe, clean, an easily navigated city, it has been challenging to develop a network of close friends and to find links with our perception of Western European culture and what happens here.

We have enjoyed getting to appreciate some of Finland's cultural assets, especially in architecture and design. We like to think that we can discuss the merits of Wirkkala, Aalto and Sarpaneva with any Finn! Living in Helsinki, we can also appreciate the close proximity of nature within the city limits. Finland provides us with a gateway to the Baltic and other Nordic countries, areas that we had never before visited.

So, what have our seven years outside of Canada taught us? As a couple, it has been easier to survive challenging circumstances. A partner to share things with has made each and every experience – both good and bad – that much richer. The fact that we were both raised in Canada has provided a common framework with which to evaluate situations and shared values. It helps to maintain our links with home through heated debates on Canadian topics ranging from the Canadian Alliance to the role of government in public education. We wonder if this would be possible to the same degree if we were a mixed nationality household in the first years of marriage.

While Canadians are raised to celebrate diversity and hopefully appreciate the value of different cultures and backgrounds, living abroad has hammered that, sometimes painfully, home. We have a greater appreciation for the unique challenges of moving to a new country and trying to adapt.

At the same time, being abroad has helped to reinforce our sense of being Canadian. Despite Canada's seemingly perpetual identity crisis, it is a little easier for us to articulate what being Canadian means for us. This is never easy to do and continues to evolve slowly with each year of abroad.

Finally, we have found that it is easier to connect with people who have an interest in the world outside their own backyards. Our strongest friendships are with people who can appreciate the global mosaic and who are willing to be adventurous and go outside their comfort zones.

At the end of the day, living abroad has been an amazing experience. Not always easy and not always fun, but ultimately rewarding. It is something that everyone should do, even if only for a few months or a few years. We know that we will return to Canada – eventually – with amazing memories, wonderful experiences and lessons learned about ourselves and each other that we could not have learned any other way.

By Allisa Arnold and Damian Stathonikos