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Canadian Expat Living in New Zealand - Interview with Jenna
| Published: | 28 Mar at 9 AM |
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Filed: Interviews,New Zealand
Jenna Cock and her boyfriend Jordan are two Canadian expats currently living and working in Wellington, New Zealand. Spending the first 6 weeks exploring the country, taking in many of the Great Walks and adventure activities, they are now settled in Lyall Bay ‘Living a Kiwi Life’. Believing you can do it all they continue to progress their careers full time while taking advantage of any spare moment to explore more of this awesome country. They've been documenting their adventures and even created a web series on YouTube. Check out Jenna and Jordan’s adventures, travel tips and videos on their expat blog “Living a Kiwi Life”. Jenna's expat blog is called Living a Kiwi Life (see listing here)
Playing in the snow along the Milford Track Great Walk
Where are you originally from?
Jordan and I moved from Guelph, Ontario, Canada in September 2013, however I am originally from Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada and Jordan from Creemore, Ontario, Canada
In which country and city are you living now?
We are now living in Lyall Bay in Wellington, New Zealand
How long have you lived in New Zealand and how long are you planning to stay?
We moved to New Zealand in September 2013, and although the timeline for this adventure is still up in the air, we have friends betting we will never come back to Canada
Our friend Ryan, Jordan and I tracing the ridgeline of the Kepler TrackWhy did you move to New Zealand and what do you do?
We've both always had a dream of living abroad and New Zealand has been at the top of the list for some time. Jordan had a poster above his bed of Milford Sound as a kid and has always dreamed of exploring this beautiful country.
The only thing holding us back was the fear of abandoning the jobs we loved in Canada and what leaving might do to our career path. Neither one of us wanted to ‘take a step back’ but we made the decision to take a leap of faith and to go live our dreams. We believe you truly can do it all – have a successful professional career and live a life of adventure abroad and we have been lucky enough to do that here in New Zealand.
We both have a background in engineering but have spent most of our careers in the project management world. I am currently a Project Manager with one of the leading banks in New Zealand managing projects to continuously enhance their mobile banking application. Jordan is consulting for a local company helping them standardize their processes, implement new systems and manage their growth.
Did you bring family with you?
It’s just the two of us right now which is why it felt like the right time to pick-up and move to the other side of the world before life gets more complicated. It did mean we had to sell our house, a condo, 2 cars, all our furniture, and say a hard good-bye to my cat Pixie who is staying with a friend.
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
New Zealand felt very similar to Canada the moment we stepped off the plane. Besides the beautiful landscape, the people are very friendly and have a laid back attitude. We immediately felt at home here and have settled in quite well.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
Since we've been here we've met up with old friends or have gotten connected with other expats through friends and family who know others living here too. There is also a great organization called Meet Up that has events everyday whether you want to go for a hike, scuba diving or even play a game of hacky-sack!
Leaping off the famous Kawarau Bridge BungyWhat are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
We have really been enjoying the beautiful Great Walks around the country. New Zealand has an amazing network of hiking trails and huts in all corners of the country. We've been able to experience the diversity of the New Zealand landscape and get a chance to meet people from all over the world while tramping on these tracks.
What do you enjoy most about living in New Zealand?
I really enjoy the laid back atmosphere and the focus on a work-life balance. There is less pressure to be reachable 24/7 and people really make an effort to get out and enjoy nature. I love living in Lyall Bay in Wellington as we get the best of both worlds – living right on the beach where we can surf, yet are a 15min scooter ride to bustling downtown Wellington.
How does the cost of living in New Zealand compare to home?
Overall the cost of living is a bit higher here compared to Canada. Items like petro, groceries and clothing are more expensive, however we have found some items that surprised us – like a bag of 40 organic kiwis for only $2 or a dozen large NZ mussels for only $2!
Jordan surfing along Raglan's famous surf breakWhat negatives, if any, are there to living in New Zealand?
Besides the slightly higher cost of living, and the earthquake risk, I have yet to find any real negatives about living in New Zealand.
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to New Zealand, what would it be?
If you’re planning to move here and work, you will most likely need to accept the fact that it will be near impossible to have a job lined up in advance. When we were first considering moving here, it was contingent on both of us securing jobs first. As time passed and the rejection letters came through, we transition from “Ok at least one of us has to have a job” to just “Screw it – let’s just do it and hope everything works out”.
A lot of people talk about making a big more like this but few follow through so I think employers want to see you’re committed to moving here by being in the country to meet in person. Also the hiring process seems to be much shorter because whenever we would apply to a job, recruiters would say – “Oh you’re moving in September? Call us when you get here and we can get you something within a few weeks”. Most jobs that get posted are looking to hire and fill within a couple weeks, so trying to secure something months in advance just wasn't going to work out.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
The toughest part about living here is how far away we are from friends and family back home. The cost of travel and the ~24-36hr flight make it difficult for us to get home or visitors to make the long journey. We are lucky to live in such a hyper connected world with Facebook and Skype so that helps close the physical gap but it still makes it difficult to stay as connected with friends and family.
When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
Enjoying the beautiful Emerald Lake along the Tongariro Alpine CrossingWhat are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?
Living a Kiwi life started out as a way for us to share our adventures with friends and family but we soon realized our story may be of interest to others looking to do the same or even just planning a trip to New Zealand. We've documented our process of uprooting our lives, settling in with jobs and our adventures here. We spent the first 6 weeks exploring the country so we had the opportunity to take in many of New Zealand’s wonderful Great Walks and adventure activities. We've even created a webseries and have been continuing to explore this awesome country every chance we get!
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
Feel free to contact us at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @livingakiwilife and Facebook www.facebook.com/livingakiwilife
Jenna is a Canadian expat living in New Zealand. Blog description: Living a Kiwi Life - Two Canadians in New Zealand. A blog about uprooting our lives and moving to the other side of the world & sharing our adventures
Playing in the snow along the Milford Track Great Walk
Here's the interview with Jenna...
Where are you originally from?
Jordan and I moved from Guelph, Ontario, Canada in September 2013, however I am originally from Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada and Jordan from Creemore, Ontario, Canada
In which country and city are you living now?
We are now living in Lyall Bay in Wellington, New Zealand
How long have you lived in New Zealand and how long are you planning to stay?
We moved to New Zealand in September 2013, and although the timeline for this adventure is still up in the air, we have friends betting we will never come back to Canada
Our friend Ryan, Jordan and I tracing the ridgeline of the Kepler Track
We've both always had a dream of living abroad and New Zealand has been at the top of the list for some time. Jordan had a poster above his bed of Milford Sound as a kid and has always dreamed of exploring this beautiful country.
The only thing holding us back was the fear of abandoning the jobs we loved in Canada and what leaving might do to our career path. Neither one of us wanted to ‘take a step back’ but we made the decision to take a leap of faith and to go live our dreams. We believe you truly can do it all – have a successful professional career and live a life of adventure abroad and we have been lucky enough to do that here in New Zealand.
We both have a background in engineering but have spent most of our careers in the project management world. I am currently a Project Manager with one of the leading banks in New Zealand managing projects to continuously enhance their mobile banking application. Jordan is consulting for a local company helping them standardize their processes, implement new systems and manage their growth.
Did you bring family with you?
It’s just the two of us right now which is why it felt like the right time to pick-up and move to the other side of the world before life gets more complicated. It did mean we had to sell our house, a condo, 2 cars, all our furniture, and say a hard good-bye to my cat Pixie who is staying with a friend.
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
New Zealand felt very similar to Canada the moment we stepped off the plane. Besides the beautiful landscape, the people are very friendly and have a laid back attitude. We immediately felt at home here and have settled in quite well.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
Since we've been here we've met up with old friends or have gotten connected with other expats through friends and family who know others living here too. There is also a great organization called Meet Up that has events everyday whether you want to go for a hike, scuba diving or even play a game of hacky-sack!
Leaping off the famous Kawarau Bridge Bungy
We have really been enjoying the beautiful Great Walks around the country. New Zealand has an amazing network of hiking trails and huts in all corners of the country. We've been able to experience the diversity of the New Zealand landscape and get a chance to meet people from all over the world while tramping on these tracks.
What do you enjoy most about living in New Zealand?
I really enjoy the laid back atmosphere and the focus on a work-life balance. There is less pressure to be reachable 24/7 and people really make an effort to get out and enjoy nature. I love living in Lyall Bay in Wellington as we get the best of both worlds – living right on the beach where we can surf, yet are a 15min scooter ride to bustling downtown Wellington.
How does the cost of living in New Zealand compare to home?
Overall the cost of living is a bit higher here compared to Canada. Items like petro, groceries and clothing are more expensive, however we have found some items that surprised us – like a bag of 40 organic kiwis for only $2 or a dozen large NZ mussels for only $2!
Jordan surfing along Raglan's famous surf break
Besides the slightly higher cost of living, and the earthquake risk, I have yet to find any real negatives about living in New Zealand.
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to New Zealand, what would it be?
If you’re planning to move here and work, you will most likely need to accept the fact that it will be near impossible to have a job lined up in advance. When we were first considering moving here, it was contingent on both of us securing jobs first. As time passed and the rejection letters came through, we transition from “Ok at least one of us has to have a job” to just “Screw it – let’s just do it and hope everything works out”.
A lot of people talk about making a big more like this but few follow through so I think employers want to see you’re committed to moving here by being in the country to meet in person. Also the hiring process seems to be much shorter because whenever we would apply to a job, recruiters would say – “Oh you’re moving in September? Call us when you get here and we can get you something within a few weeks”. Most jobs that get posted are looking to hire and fill within a couple weeks, so trying to secure something months in advance just wasn't going to work out.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
The toughest part about living here is how far away we are from friends and family back home. The cost of travel and the ~24-36hr flight make it difficult for us to get home or visitors to make the long journey. We are lucky to live in such a hyper connected world with Facebook and Skype so that helps close the physical gap but it still makes it difficult to stay as connected with friends and family.
When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
Enjoying the beautiful Emerald Lake along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- Follow your dreams and take a leap of faith. You will never be able to get everything to line up perfectly - sometimes you just need to put faith in the thought that everything will work out in the end and go for it.
- Research your Visa options thoroughly and expect the process to take some time.
- Purge as much of your belongings as possible and leave little behind. Don’t hold onto your car or furniture even if you think you’ll only be away for a year. You don’t want to have to worry about finding a place to store it or burdening friends and family.
- Make the effort to stay in touch with friends and family. It can be easy to be distracted by your new exciting life, but be sure to keep those connections back home – you’ll need them when you return.
- Take advantage of every moment you have in this new country. It’s amazing how quickly time will fly by so don’t waste a minute of it! This is an opportunity of a lifetime!
Living a Kiwi life started out as a way for us to share our adventures with friends and family but we soon realized our story may be of interest to others looking to do the same or even just planning a trip to New Zealand. We've documented our process of uprooting our lives, settling in with jobs and our adventures here. We spent the first 6 weeks exploring the country so we had the opportunity to take in many of New Zealand’s wonderful Great Walks and adventure activities. We've even created a webseries and have been continuing to explore this awesome country every chance we get!
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
Feel free to contact us at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @livingakiwilife and Facebook www.facebook.com/livingakiwilife
About the author
Jenna is a Canadian expat living in New Zealand. Blog description: Living a Kiwi Life - Two Canadians in New Zealand. A blog about uprooting our lives and moving to the other side of the world & sharing our adventures
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