Real experience, immigrating to Canada, how big the gap is between life and imagination

The local residents in Hafa are mostly white. The Chinese community (including international students is about 20,000) is smaller than that in Toronto and Vancouver, and the language environment is good;

The locals are very friendly , helpful and well-educated, more than 60% of the local staff are government, navy or university staff, with high quality;

The local educational resources in Hafa are concentrated, with 5 universities in the urban area: St. Mary, Dar House (ranked 7th in the medical and doctorate category), NSCAD (the top three art schools in North America), St. Vincent and NSCC are considered a university town, and the number of international students coming to China continues to grow this year;

Real estate prices It is stable and the cost of home ownership is low. The price of a house is around 300,000 to 500,000 Canadian dollars (depending on the people's wealth and thrift, there are many other options for settling down for less than 300,000 and more than one million);

The city is not large and the transportation is In good condition (compared to Toronto's traffic jam);

The natural environment is pleasant, close to the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by lakes;

Children's facilities are complete and evenly distributed, and basically can be reached on foot , very child-friendly and suitable for raising the next generation;

It has a strong cultural and artistic atmosphere, and the locals love handicrafts and music. There is also a Jazz Festival and the Atlantic Film Festival every summer, and there are also many handicrafts at the weekend farmer's market. Artists sell products;

Compared with other Canadian big cities, the commercial rental price is slightly lower, suitable for starting a business, and the cost of trial and error is low;

In developing cities, the GDP growth rate is the second highest in the world. , there are potentials and opportunities to be tapped.

The following are some parts that I personally think need to be improved:

There are no Chinese supermarkets in the local area, only a few Asian grocery store-type stores (of course, daily necessities such as rice, flour, and oil in the supermarket are Yes) daily life can be satisfied, but it does not have the variety of choices in Toronto and Vancouver and the price is relatively high;

The climate is not as legendary as the second warmest in Canada (there are about more than 5 months of winter a year) There are often extreme winds and snowy weather. Although Hafa does not have an oceanic climate, it does often have strong winds and rainy days. The number of sunny days is about 100 days a year.

The local economic situation is average and relatively conservative. They are not very open-minded to accept new things. Indeed, the population in the Atlantic region is seriously aging and the economy lags behind other provinces;

There is no mature Chinese community and it is difficult not to speak English. It is not like Toronto and Vancouver. There are a full set of Chinese facilities (supermarkets, newspapers, TVs, etc.), and it may be difficult for the elderly at home to adapt;

Limited employment opportunities, small circle society, more introductions and recommendations from acquaintances, low income, local Even if a job that pays $20 an hour is not bad, it is not very promising to make a lot of money;

The public transportation is average. If you don’t have a car, you can walk downtown, but you have to go farther. The local buses are very detoured and slow. There is no Uber. Now there is a local taxi app;

Shopping options are limited. There is a Halifax shopping center in the city and across the bridge there is a so-called Halifax shopping center in Dartmouth. Mic Mac, the largest shopping mall in the Atlantic Ocean, is just like that. Friends who love shopping may be disappointed;

The catering level is average, there are no decent Chinese restaurants, and the level of Western food is just that, eating by the sea The sea is just a legend. Hafa is a lobster producing area close to the Atlantic Ocean and the local marine fishery is developing well. But unfortunately, there is no decent seafood locally and the price is not advantageous. Except for fresh lobsters, there are no other live fish in supermarkets. Live shrimp for sale. I feel like Canadians don’t care much about eating. Most of them just want to eat, so they don’t have any requirements;

Except for housing prices, other consumption is not low. Since NS is located in the easternmost part of Canada, most people live All the required products need to be imported from inland or the United States, Mexico and other places. The transportation cost plus local tax is 15%. The material richness and price advantage are naturally not as good as those in big cities;

The geographical location is far and the accessibility is generally. Currently, you can only transfer in Toronto or Montreal to get to Hafa. It takes a day to get to Montreal by car. Toronto is further away. Not many people know about NS, and the local area does not pay attention to city promotion. A lot of preparation needs to be done when introducing it to people.