The author shares her personal experiences living in three English-speaking Commonwealth countries: Australia, Canada, and the UK, exploring the nuances of each location's weather, culture, and overall lifestyle.
It was never my intention to live exclusively in English-speaking Commonwealth countries, but life has a way of unfolding in ways you don’t expect. Born and raised in London, I was determined to live Down Under by whatever means necessary following a holiday when I fell hopelessly in love with the country. I eventually succeeded, with a stint of studying in Melbourne.
I later lived in Toronto for more than two years with my now-husband, who I met while we were both in Australia, as a resolution to the two-year, long-distance relationship we endured after we each returned back to our home countries (me to the UK, him to the US). We now live together in London. It has been a mini-game of geographical musical chairs. I’m often asked by friends which of the three, based on my experiences, is the best place to live. The unsexy answer is that it’s totally subjective and everyone will have different viewpoints according to their priorities. But that’s no fun, is it? So let’s try to break it down and pinpoint a winner…Australia’s weather is simply stunning, and I won’t hear a word against it. Even when I was in Melbourne, the cloudiest of Australia’s major cities and referred to as sometimes having “four seasons in one day”, there was enough sunshine and warmth to put a smile on the grouchiest of faces. There’s a reason that the friend you know who moved to Australia always looks happier than you. Canada’s weather fluctuates wildly; the grid format of Toronto creates winter wind tunnels that send painful, razor sharp gusts that chill your bones, while summers could be uncomfortably humid. I have since learned not to complain about the cold in the UK. Britain’s lack of weather variation, therefore, can sometimes feel like a blessing in disguise. I just wish there was a touch less grey – a cold day with sun is, to me, preferable over a cloudy, mild one, and I like my summers to last for more than two weeks of the year.We’re simple beings; weather and temperament often goes hand-in-hand, and I haven’t met a nationality so warm and welcoming as Australians (and that’s not just because I love the accents). The Aussie zest for life, adventure and humour is a joy to be around, and they make excellent drinking buddies. Canadians are also – mostly – a friendly bunch, although in a much more reserved and polite way. They are a little frostier in Toronto, however. I recall a time crossing a road on a “walk” sign when a car barged its way through the pedestrians (not all that uncommon) and another person on the crossing threw not only expletives but also their hot coffee all over the offending vehicle. Britons (myself included) need so much coaxing out of their shells that, while we are many wonderful things, and possessing of a wonderfully dry, sarcastic and dark sense of humour, “friendly” probably isn’t top of the list. Especially in London.Visiting Uluru and Kata Tjuta remains one of the best experiences of my life, alongside tackling the Great Ocean Road. The fact of the matter is, if you love nature and dramatic landscapes, Australia is the real deal. But Canada is no small fry on this front. Canada’s Rockies are jaw-dropping, its islands are bursting with wildlife, and Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula is reminiscent of the Caribbean. I still regret not going toThe UK has exceptional experiences too: beautiful national parks like Dartmoor and the Lake District, and 12,429 kilometres of rugged coastline. But nothing quite rivals the heart-thumping experiences of Australia and Canada, which tie for first place in this category.We can define “culture” many different ways, but however you cut it, Britain is hard to beat. For such a small island, there are huge differences in accent, dialect and way of life. It’s tirelessly fascinating to get a bunch of people together from around the UK debating what they call the last meal of the day or what accompanies their chips.On top of that, you’ve got an unfathomable amount of history you can still step into, which I never quite appreciated until leaving Europe and seeing how “new” some other places were. We also have sports, shows and wonderful dining throughout British cities – it’s almost overwhelming how much you can sink your teeth into. That’s not to say there’s no history in Australia and Canada. Seeking out the experiences of indigenous communities in both destinations comes with a lot of beauty and heartache. There is alsoand world-best restaurants, and when in Toronto, I loved the pride in their sports teams – go Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and Raptors (basketball)! Both also have excellent art galleries.Rents and house prices are exorbitantly high across all of these countries. In Canada, however, wages also tend to be high as well, taking away some of the strain
AUSTRALIA CANADA UK WEATHER CULTURE LIFESTYLE TRAVEL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
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