Nineteen years ago, on a freezing January night, my husband proposed we move to Dallas for a work opportunity.
I jumped at the offer, eager for a new life in a warm climate. After all, we’d been living in Alberta, Canada, for 50 years, and I’ve always hated the cold.
So, we got ready to move south with our 13-year-old daughter and a big dog. At the same time, our oldest child went east to a Canadian university, over 1,700 miles from Dallas.
As we sold, donated, and packed most of our possessions, our family grew eager for new beginnings. We didn’t fully understand what or who we were leaving behind.
We celebrated Canada Day on July 1, and on July 4, 2006, we moved to Texas.
Moving and stepping into a new life has come with many challenges
George Dodd/Getty Images
The summer heat made our move even more challenging, as we had most of our belongings transported from Canada to Texas in a large container.
We chose not to upgrade to a climate-controlled storage unit because it was quite expensive. So, I spent hours worrying about my artwork melting in Dallas’ triple-digit temperatures.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen. However, the heat also meant it was too dangerous to transport our dog in a crate by plane.
We checked temperatures every day in both Calgary and Dallas until conditions were safe enough for her to fly to the US. It took about three months for us to be reunited.
The early days of living in Texas weren’t easy. We’d built up a community and network of go-to places and pros in Canada, but here, we were starting from scratch.
We had so much to figure out, from finding a good dry cleaner and a reliable local bakery to sourcing medical providers who’d take our new insurance.
Navigating US healthcare has been a challenge, especially coming from Canada’s taxpayer-funded universal system. We had to get used to dealing with a privatized system and more out-of-pocket expenses.
Our youngest daughter also had a hard time adjusting after the move. Even though she was able to keep up her grades, she missed her friends and big sister. Plus, being a teenager is tough no matter where you are.
We all eventually made friends — our daughter through orchestra and school, us through local book clubs and our neighborhood wine group — but we still miss our big family of cousins and our community in Canada.
Our relationships with loved ones have changed, and it’s been hard to miss special occasions. When you live far away, births, funerals, and weddings don’t feel the same, even with the best technology.
These days, we mostly use our vacation time and travel budget to go back and visit family.
As expats, there’s a lot of living in-between and not belonging anywhere. We get the best of both worlds by being a curious outsider in a new country, and the worst by missing our original one.
All in all, moving to the US has shifted the course of our lives and my perspective
Kathryn MacDonell
Fortunately, moving to the US has come with advantages. For one, we’ve all had great work opportunities.
My husband expanded his client base, and I started a decade of work in healthcare in Texas. Our daughter developed an interest in US presidential campaigns, which shaped her educational path and helped her build a career in public affairs.
We love the vibrant offerings of Dallas, from the hot weather and many wonderful pool days that come with it to neighborhood gatherings over delicious Tex-Mex cuisine and local educational dance programs.
Our older daughter even fell in love with a Texan boy and married him. We now have two American granddaughters with dual citizenship.
Ultimately, moving has helped me love the world more deeply and expand my concern for humanity.
Living in Texas has awakened and challenged my values about civil rights, education, healthcare, and gun control — things I took for granted and didn’t think much about when we lived in Canada.
It turns out that you can leave a home you love, and create another one wherever you are. It takes time, it won’t be the same, but it’s worth it to discover what really matters.
