Travel to Canada to backpack, study, intern, volunteer, work, or live as a digital nomad, expat or emigrant?

Motivation and experiences

Who is Maartje?

• Maartje Ruijgt used to be a nomad. She traveled and lived for longer periods of time all over the world (Mexico, Philippines, Malaysia). She worked on a ship for a while and ended up during the covid period in Canada. She feels at home in Canada and just got her permanent residency. She is here to stay.

What do people need to know about you to understand your emigration story?

• I always try to follow my heart and that has allowed me to explore all over the world as a nomad for 17 years. I got stuck in Canada due to Covid and finally got permanent residency after 3 ½ years.

Was there a specific moment or event that inspired you to leave the Netherlands?

• The boyfriend I was living with in the Netherlands wanted to quit everything and travel the world. We were very good travel buddies and had already made several long-distance trips together. Of course I went along, I didn't fancy being left alone in the Netherlands.

How did you prepare?

• From deciding to leaving took eight months. We rented a cottage, so it was mainly selling and/or giving away everything. Stored a few boxes of personal photos and books and we left the Netherlands with a backpack on December 5, 2007 by bus to Spain.

What does your life look like, what kind of work or activities make you feel like you are really ‘at home’ somewhere?

• I believe you are at home in yourself, the rest is a place somewhere in the world where you have a nice community and a cottage where in you feel safe and can unwind.

How does your daily routine differ from that in your home country?

• I don't think I have a daily routine like you might have in the Netherlands. I still live without a home and from day to day. For the last 10 years, I have worked a lot on expedition ships and when I was not on board, I travelled the world to visit friends.

Do you have any ideas about the future yet?

• Now that I finally got my permanent residency here in Canada I might go back one day after a regular life with a daily routine. No idea, I am not someone who has a lot of future plans. I see what comes my way and follow my heart.

Culture and social interactions

What was your first encounter with a local? And how did that go?

• I can remember many first encounters with local admirers and in any continent, country, community or ship, there is nothing more fun than meeting new people. In the end, everyone is a person with a life story shaped by the values and/or living conditions they grew up in. Not every experience is nice or beautiful, but always instructive.

Do you have any tips for meeting people?

• If your smile is met with a smile, step up to that person. Learn some local words and make a nice comment or ask a question. If the chemistry is there, you might get the most fun and informative conversations. You might be invited to their home and they might let you sleep on a bed for weeks. You never know what a connection can bring you, but always be wise and use your wits. Unfortunately, there are also those with wrong intentions.

What is the best or most inspiring thing about your emigration?

• I don't know if I am inspiring, you might have to ask others. I live as I live and that is perhaps different from what many people can imagine. Maybe I am brave or crazy? I hope to get everything out of life. After 17 years, I feel I have seen enough of the world and maybe now is the time to learn, say, knitting, gardening or running my own farm? Maybe I inspire others by always wanting to keep learning, understanding and growing as a person? I don't know, this is difficult question.

What is the funniest or most painful misunderstanding you have experienced because of language or cultural differences?

• I was teaching English in Mexico and a student said, the teacher has a nice butt. I was embarrassed, and asked what? The teacher has a nice butt, but pointed to my new boots. (Boots). Spoken language causes incredible misunderstandings. Hand and foot work is sometimes necessary, but also makes it very funny.
• When we are on expedition in the Arctic or Antarctica we have the most amazing fun, because as a team you carry a great responsibility together. Humour brings people from different cultures together. But I am also still very directly Dutch! In my experience, the Dutch have great direct humour and communication and I haven't come across many other nationalities with whom we share this. Because of this, I also really created or got many misunderstandings in my worldly life and I was not always aware of this.  

Have you adopted local customs?

• I think you always pick up a local custom if you really want to emigrate yourself and get to know another culture. Maybe it's a local recipe or a new levelling experience that gives you a different view of the world. I still fold my plastic bags like they do in the Philippines, but I also think my time in Asia changed me a lot. People live in poverty, and I experienced and saw that with my own eyes. At the same time, there is still so much warmth, love and joy. I think these experiences and perhaps many others have made me very humble.

How do locals react to the fact that you now live and work in Canada?

• Generally always very welcoming, but to get real friendships is sometimes challenging. You come into their world and you start adapting to the environment. That's not always easy. Plus you don't yet have a history together or a shared life and friends. On the other hand, you are embarking on a new adventure together and that can also be very bonding. I have made deep friendships around the world and I know that even if I don't see them for years, you just pick up where you left off. Very beautiful and valuable.

What is your favourite local tradition/festival?

• Oh there are so many. Every culture is so special. Experiencing the Hindu holidays or Chinese New Year is very special. But also the Halloween here in Canada. That's what makes a country or culture so unique and special, its holidays and traditions. Especially when you get to experience them among the locals. On a trip in Buthan, we got to attend a ceremony with the religious leaders in the palace courtyard. That was very impressive.

Are there any customs in social interaction that you found difficult to understand or had to get used to?

• No, not really. I think maybe I always go into a new situation very openly. If I don't understand it, I ask for an explanation. If it's a word or an experience I don't understand. And if it doesn't feel right, then maybe I don't engage in the social interaction.

How does friendship here differ from how it is perceived in your home country?

• For me, a friendship differs by country. I still have some very dear wonderful girlfriends in the Netherlands, but now also all over the world. I believe in the expression, you meet someone for a reason, a period or for life.

Challenges and growth

Have there been moments when you had doubts about your choice/emigration, or what disappointed you?

• I actually only had 1 moment of doubt and that was when we had just arrived in Mexico. We had left the Netherlands and in Barcelona we took a one-way ticket on a cruise ship as guests to start our new life and adventure in Mexico. The two weeks on the ship were just great fun, but ashore in a motel room the realisation dawned on me what I had done. Gave up my entire safe fixed life. I had nothing left except the backpack with some clothes and love. I also realised that going back was not an option for me and I remembered that I had also always wanted to study cultural anthropology. Why not travel the world and see what comes my way. It has certainly not been an easy journey to land here in Canada, but it has all been worth it.

In retrospect, what would you have liked to know about Canada beforehand?

• I knew Canada for several years before I got stuck in Canada. I think each province has its own history and culture. I really like and learn about the lifestyle they have here in New Brunswick or the Atlantic Maritimes, where you live closely with nature and the seasons and are very focused on being self-sufficient. Canadians are very friendly, but it is an incredibly complicated and laborious immigration process to get to permanent residency.

What would you do differently next time and what would you give others with the same idea?

• I wouldn't want to do anything differently. The choice for me was to marry a Canadian man or I had to go through the Atlantic Immigration programme. I chose the latter. It was not only emotionally tough and you have to have some money financially. It takes a lot of patience, but it is a good programme and I am very grateful that it allows me to live in Canada.

What was the biggest culture shock?

• I don't think there is a real big culture shock from the Netherlands. Life is different, but we are both Western. There are a lot of Dutch people living in Canada. There are even Dutch products in the supermarket sometimes.

What skill did you never think you would need but have developed?

• You have to be able to improvise and not be averse to doing a chore in your household. It's life is more basic here, from months of shovelling snow or keeping yourself warm with a wood stove. Chances are that electricity and therefore the use of your water pump will be down in a storm. It really is survival at times, but then again I live in the middle of nowhere in New Brunswick Canada. I believe if you're more into urban areas life maintenance must be easier.

How do you cope with homesickness/loneliness/what do you miss most?

• I myself am unfamiliar with the feelings of homesickness and loneliness. I think if you have these feelings, you can easily find a solution here. You can always go back to the Netherlands or if you feel lonely, try to connect with locals. If you can't find a connection or friendships here, make yourself a member of the Dutch club or an expat association. In Malaysia, for example, I joined the Dutch hockey club and organised Sinterklaas for the Embassy. I miss Dutch food like endive stampot and of course the bitterballen, but that always makes a visit to the Netherlands very tasty and something to look forward to.

Are there things you appreciate more about your homeland now that you are here?

• What I have always appreciated about the Netherlands is how well organised everything is such as public transport and the ability to get on a bike.

Practical rules and issues in Canada

How do you deal with bureaucracy in your new country?

• I don't think Canada has more bureaucracy than the Netherlands. They ask for a lot of data and documents here if you want to immigrate. It is a long and complicated process. I hired an immigration lawyer and she helped me tremendously, but it was not cheap.

What was the hardest rule to understand/follow?

• It's actually quite simple for me. To live and work in Canada, I had to marry a Canadian or follow an immigration programme. These programmes vary by province and it is best to contact an immigration advice centre that are even set up specifically for Dutch people who want to immigrate to Canada. There is also on Facebook groups for Dutch people in Canada where you can ask questions.

How did you find a suitable place to live?

• Just like in the Netherlands, through the internet, social media and through connections I made here.

Was it difficult? What are the biggest cost differences between this country and your home country?

• Right now, living in Canada is very expensive. Living costs are similar to the Netherlands, but prices of groceries and petrol have gone up incredibly here in New Brunswick. To keep costs down, I would like to eventually start my own hobby farm. That way I can grow my own vegetables and fruits and keep some chickens for eggs etc. Most of the friends I have here live as close to nature as possible and try to be self-sufficient as much as possible.

What did you learn about insurance, taxes and other financial obligations abroad?

• I have to figure this out now, as I have just been told that I am therefore allowed to stay here permanently.

Have you used local healthcare (GP, specialist, dentist, etc.) and what strikes you?

• Healthcare is definitely different from the Netherlands and not comparable in quality. Healthcare in the Netherlands is very well organised, reliable and accessible. Make sure you take out good travel insurance when you leave the Netherlands. I myself have been insured with Joho for years and can 100% recommend them. They give you the best advice and I have also always appreciated the fast, helpful and open communication and care from them.