The reasons for becoming an expat are as varied as the people who choose this lifestyle. When it comes down to it though, the search for a better quality of life is often what leads people from their native land. Andrew and I were no exception. But with so many different factors affecting quality of life, there are often sacrifices as well as benefits.

Before I left Canada, I was working at a university with a high ratio of international students. Many of the students I worked with came from developing countries and were hoping that a Canadian university education would give them a better quality of life. Seeing the excitement these young people had for my country made me realise how fortunate I was to be born a Canadian.

Since moving to Belgium, I’ve met many Europeans who are surprised that Andrew and I left Canada to come here. “Don’t you find it crowded/polluted/expensive here,” they often ask. “Canada is so spacious/beautiful/clean. Why would you want to leave that?”

It’s true that Canada definitely has some quality of life advantages over Belgium. Halifax was certainly smaller than Brussels. We had more space, less traffic and less pollution. I miss being able to sit by the ocean without another soul around to interrupt my thoughts while I breath in the salty ocean air. Most of all I miss having my friends and family nearby.

So why did we give all of that up? Well, the simple answer is that the job opportunities for Andrew were much better. The ability to advance and grow in your chosen career certainly adds to your quality of life. But for Andrew and I the real answer is much more complex.

Our desire to travel certainly played a large roll in our decision to become expats. Those wide open spaces that seem enticing to over-crowded Europeans can be overwhelming and even a little boring to a Canadian with the travel bug. Inter-city travel is long, commuter-rail is practically nonexistent and flying is very expensive. The ability to hop in the car and be in one of a handful of different countries within a few hours has certainly added to our quality of life.

Another point in favour of life in Brussels is being constantly surrounded by art and culture. As an artist, this is an unending source of inspiration and motivation.
But there was another element of European life that attracted us. During our first visits to Europe, we encountered something that we were missing in Canada - something we still find difficult to define. I can only chalk this up to a different quality of life.

While Canada’s advantages lie in its wide open spaces, here in Brussels we find significance in the details of our European life.

In Belgium, There are still many things done with care and pride. As the box stores and the mega-markets take over Canada, we revel in small producers and crafts people that still thrive here. Small-scale and locally produced items are still encouraged and there is recognition of quality that is over-looked at home for convenience and affordability.

We love being able to sit of hours and linger over a perfectly prepared meal without waiters hovering at our elbows in an attempt to hustle out the door as soon as we’ve swallowed the last bite.

So are our lives better here in Belgium than they were in Canada? There is no easy answer. Being away from friends and family certainly deters from our quality of life. I do miss the privacy and cleanliness of Canada.

However the ability to travel with ease and immerse myself in art, culture and good food are certainly advantages of my Belgian life.

In the end, quality of life can only be rated by the individual, and there is nowhere on earth that life will be perfect.