Expats

Pinpoint Location:

Okotoks is a town about 20 minutes drive south of the city of Calgary.
Calgary is in the Province of Alberta which is Western Canada.

How long have you lived there?

We have lived in the town of Okotoks for 7 years. I have been in the area for 15 years and in Canada for 27 years.

What did you do in Lincolnshire?

I grew up in Great Gonerby and went to school in Grantham. I went to Lincoln College for two years to train to be a Nursery Nurse and then went to Lincoln County Hospital on their Special Care Baby Course for a year.

Why did you move?

I came to Canada on a one year work Visa which I extended to two and never went back to live!!! Too many adventures to tempt me to stay.

What do you do now?

I recently worked for the local school division for 13 years as an educational assistant. But at the moment I am working as volunteer for the local Hospice society. I am on the fund raising committee and we work year round on different projects.

The most recent project I have been involved in is being one of the organisers of a radio pledge day. We raised $87,000 in that project alone. We are a grass roots group that have raised funds to build the first rural Hospice in Canada.

In my spare time, I swim, go to the gym to work out and go to a Nia dance class once a week. I also walk our dog "Stringo" miles in a day.
I have the opportunity to travel with Ray. In the past year we have been to New Orleans, Vegas, The Carolinas, Wisconsin, England, Costa Rica.

In the summer I ride or am a passenger on motorbikes. This was my transportation from Grantham to Lincoln when I was at college. A passion that has spanned the years.

What is your favourite thing about where you live now?

My favourite thing about where I live is that it is a very close community. Very friendly and safe. I have the most amazing group of friends here we call ourselves "The Pink Ladies". We do all sorts of crazy things together and live life to the fullest.

I also love the wide open spaces and with living in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains we have the luxury of being in one of the most beautiful areas in the world. In under half on hour of driving we can be in the mountains by lakes and waterfalls and in the most breathtaking scenery in the world.