DanSlh said:
When I'm walking in downtown, as Keesio said, it's a bit better.
No one give a ... not even a small looking.
I tought it would be like "multi cultural open minded" just as you guys are saying, but I was wrong.
Maybe if we try in a different city things don't go this way.
I'm trying not to be negative and still trying to help members of this forum not sharing this experience.
But I'm really, really sad about people in real life here.
I wish you were in Toronto, DanSlh! We could totally hang out! I'd like to think that maybe a different city would be better, but I'm not sure where you are in Quebec. I simply know the atmosphere here in Toronto is different than that in Montreal even.
To the Original Poster:
I haven't received my PR, but I've been here off and on for most of this year, and I've been really struggling with it myself—especially not working and having a routine. I left my friends and family, my job, and everything everyone else has sacrificed to move up here. What's more is that I have seasonal affect disorder (SAD) where I get depressed in the winter. I'm from Florida where we have sunshine year-round, so having snow 5-6 months of the year is unbearable for me.
You're not alone, and you're not the first person to feel this way. The silver lining in that is many people have experienced this struggle and come out on top of it.
I know that one thing that helps me is to have something planned every day, even if it's something simple like going for a walk or doing a basic errand. Routine tends to help me regulate my feelings. I can't volunteer on a visitor visa, but I totally would if I could. Once I have PR I'll absolutely be volunteering within my local area to hopefully feel more apart of it and meet people around me.
My hope is that once you do manage to find a job of any kind that it'll help you feel more at home being surrounded by co-workers that will hopefully become friends. (The lack of translating credentials is frustrating. I'd have to go back to school to teach here in Canada despite teaching in the US and Japan.)
Hang in there. We're here if you need to talk.