By Marie-Claude Arnott

There are two reasons why some people never move. One, they don't have to, and two, they are happy where they are. However, there are others who seem to have a habit of hopping over continents and making new homes. Vive la difference!

A friend of mine complained that I occupy two pages in her address book, half of which criss-crossed as the new address replaced the old one. You know exactly what I mean. We are the kind of people who give old acquaintances a tough time when they try to keep track of where we live. Fortunately, e-mail has become the favorite "keep in touch" tool for the uprooted, otherwise known as an expatriate, an immigrant, or a foreign-born resident.

How do we cope? Depending on the location, some totally integrate while others live in the diaspora of the international community. Realistically, meeting other expats helps because there is an immediate understanding.

A significant number of us live in West Vancouver. I happen to be one of more than 100 members of the West Vancouver Newcomers' Club (WVNC). Not unlike similar clubs, its purpose is "to welcome women (to West Vancouver), to introduce them to others in the same situation, to meet in friendship, and to provide non-profit social events for both member and partner."

I joined a similar group in California, and I once belonged to the rather international American Women's Club in Geneva, Switzerland.

These groups are a valuable support for women whose husbands get transferred corporately, or for people who choose to relocate. In the case of WVNC, anyone is eligible having moved within two years from an area outside of West Van. As a result, not only do we have expats from overseas, we even have some from other Canadian provinces, not to mention that a move from any neighborhood outside of West Van is the only prerequisite to join. This is really stretching the meaning of the term but, at least you know what it means to put your home in a box, eh?

For those of us at the top of the relocation-chain, settling in a new country means establishing a new social life. Husbands (usually the spouse transferred) are so absorbed by their new job that a whole year could go by before they realize you haven't had anyone over for dinner. Besides, they usually already knew the people they are now working with. But for the wife, it is a whole new social game. Until she makes new friends, the cashier at the grocery store is often the only person she gets to talk to.

For some, it is a temporary move while for others, it is permanent. Well, kind of, since most expats have an urge to pack a suitcase on a regular basis. And, with family abroad, travel is part of life; besides, some have grown up in this lifestyle.

In my family, I was the first one to emigrate. Not that one fact has anything to do with the other, but my ancestors have been traced to the same little town in France since the year Christopher Columbus came to America. If a fairy welcomed my birth, she held flags instead of a magic strand!

"So, how are you adjusting?" my American friends asked shortly after we moved. They were shocked by the news we were leaving sunny California for the North West. Well, downsizing due to an empty nest, moving to a rain forest climate, and thinking of a new social life did keep my eyes open at night. Yet, I already knew that there was a life after "wherever-it- was-we-had-moved from."

The climate was not too much of an adjustment. I discovered that a rainy day is for cocooning and tackling projects. Besides, summers are glorious in Vancouver and the gardens always lush.

On our first Canada Day, a few years ago, we went to Ambleside Park. A bright sun shone over the sailing boats and ships passing by. Canoes manned by mounties and First Nations came to shore greeted by bagpipes and drums. What a unique experience in an exceptional setting! It was also the occasion for swearing in new Canadian citizens. "Canada is a land of many cultures, a land proud to celebrate the differences among its people," the officer said.

Over the years, I left pieces of my heart in San Francisco and elsewhere, yet I embraced my new life in my husband's homeland. There was a maple leaf on the fairy's flags!

Contact: westvannewcomers@hotmail.com
To create a group in your area: www.newcomersclubcanada.com
General information: www.expatriates.com

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