Temporarily back

I’m back in Canada for a few months, I don’t have to tell my Canadian fans about everything wrong with the country these days (and oddly enough, it jumps out even more when you’re gone), so I’ll keep things a bit more positive. It’s awesome to have a car again and not be dependent on public transit. You can still keep your privacy and your space while going to visit a friend an hour away. Speaking of which, it’s been absolutely great seeing old friends and family again. The dollar hasn’t really fallen much (yet?) and it’s great to be able to read everything on food packages again (although some of our new cashiers are just as difficult to understand, hahah!).

Instead of living out of a suitcase, it’s now a whole CUV + the ability to grab more stuff from storage. This new setup is quite an upgrade as I have access to most of my old equipment and more than a weeks worth of clothes (it kind of sucked wearing the same 7 shirts for 6 months).

All that being said, it’s not currently economically worth it to live in Canada full time. Rent is almost half the price in Japan, Taiwan and Korea, so if you go for an extended period , the flight more than pays for itself. Healthcare is covered in Ontario after only being in the country 4 months out of the year, and for the time I was gone, I only paid around $1,300 for 6 months for health insurance overseas.

During my time away I developed a liking for not staying in the same place for long (I’m sure there’s a word for it, but I can’t be bothered to look it up). I no longer like the idea of staying in one place for too long. Even during my stay here, I’ll be living in different places each month. Makes things a bit more exciting and new areas to explore, even if it’s just a different suburb.

Anyway, looks like South Korea will be the new country to try a couple months out in, God willing.

Next update will have some tips for living in Japan.