Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Culture Shock of Moving to a Major Metropolitan City

FireGilbert · 02-05-2017, 12:49 AM

My family moved from small town BC to Calgary when I was young. I thought Calgary was the most amazing place ever with numerous malls, cinemas, hockey rinks and every fast food chain I had ever heard of. I also thought it was awesome to be in a city that had an NHL team and I could listen to every game on the radio and even see them live occasionally. I honestly thought I would spend my entire life in Calgary.

Of course fate intervened and I ended up moving to Brisbane. There was not much culture shock at all as Brisbane, although twice the size, is a very similar city to Calgary. The only issue was everyone at work talking about rugby and cricket instead of hockey, however I quickly became a fan of both sports.

Then I moved to Sydney, which I'm sure meets your definition of major metropolitan, and there was definitely some culture shock with the cost of living, crazy traffic and a generally faster paced lifestyle. Also, the multiculturalism, which I think is great and allows me to eat so much amazing food, was a shock at first. Examples include everyone speaking Macedonian at my doctors and barber shop, the cafe around the corner not serving bacon, getting off the train at my nearest shopping mall and thinking I had arrived in Beijing, and of course my neighbourhood having Himalayan, Halal, and Chinese butchers (but no Italian!). Also, I went from having a token Asian or Indian friend to being the token white friend.

It took me about 6 months to a year to really get used to living here but now love it. The great food is the biggest draw card and there is always something to do with all the sports and entertainment going on. I also still find the harbour to be one of the most beautiful places in the world and love I can get to the beach in under 10 minutes.

That said I do not think I will spend the rest of my life in Sydney due to the cost of living, specifically the ridiculous real estate market which is 2nd most expensive in the world with an average house price of $1.1 Million. I'll definitely consider a move back to Brisbane or even Calgary one day just so I can buy a house for my family and have more savings.

02-05-2017, 12:49 AM	#3
FireGilbert Franchise Player Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Brisbane Exp:	My family moved from small town BC to Calgary when I was young. I thought Calgary was the most amazing place ever with numerous malls, cinemas, hockey rinks and every fast food chain I had ever heard of. I also thought it was awesome to be in a city that had an NHL team and I could listen to every game on the radio and even see them live occasionally. I honestly thought I would spend my entire life in Calgary. Of course fate intervened and I ended up moving to Brisbane. There was not much culture shock at all as Brisbane, although twice the size, is a very similar city to Calgary. The only issue was everyone at work talking about rugby and cricket instead of hockey, however I quickly became a fan of both sports. Then I moved to Sydney, which I'm sure meets your definition of major metropolitan, and there was definitely some culture shock with the cost of living, crazy traffic and a generally faster paced lifestyle. Also, the multiculturalism, which I think is great and allows me to eat so much amazing food, was a shock at first. Examples include everyone speaking Macedonian at my doctors and barber shop, the cafe around the corner not serving bacon, getting off the train at my nearest shopping mall and thinking I had arrived in Beijing, and of course my neighbourhood having Himalayan, Halal, and Chinese butchers (but no Italian!). Also, I went from having a token Asian or Indian friend to being the token white friend. It took me about 6 months to a year to really get used to living here but now love it. The great food is the biggest draw card and there is always something to do with all the sports and entertainment going on. I also still find the harbour to be one of the most beautiful places in the world and love I can get to the beach in under 10 minutes. That said I do not think I will spend the rest of my life in Sydney due to the cost of living, specifically the ridiculous real estate market which is 2nd most expensive in the world with an average house price of $1.1 Million. I'll definitely consider a move back to Brisbane or even Calgary one day just so I can buy a house for my family and have more savings. __________________ The masses of humanity have always had to surf. Last edited by FireGilbert; 02-05-2017 at 01:00 AM.