Hi all,
My apologies if a 'living on" post does not belong on a travel forum... I'm a longtime Thorn Tree user, and I thought I'd get the best advice here...
My husband and I have been considering a move to Crete. Yes, we have been there, yes we speak some (soon to be much more) Greek, yes we know that Greek legalities are bureaucracy can be crazy, and yes we understand that Greece, like everywhere else, is suffering financially. Since those are the 4 most common replies to topics like mine that I have found on the internet so far, I thought I'd get them out of the way right off the bat :)
My question is actually about other Canadians living on Crete. Where are you all? What do you do for work? Are you residents or do you stay for your 3-6 months and return the following year? How did you find the integration into local society? I am, of course, pleased to make the acquaintance of any expats from any country and would love to hear from anyone who has made the big move and how you did it, but I'm mainly asking about Canadians simply because for non-EU residents, living in Greece (mid or long term) can be much more complicated.
A little background - my husband and I are both in our early 30's, self-employed (freelance writer, yoga/dance teacher) and own our own online business. We have the money for simple real estate and are not too concerned about finding local jobs with local companies aside from possibly renting out an extra room if we have one, though if there are any writers and yoga teachers (or bellydancers!) living overseas any advice or thoughts are welcome. As we have spent time on the island before (but only as travelers), we are aware of the different pace of life but have yet to experience living it long-term. We have no children, and no immediate plans for any. After speaking with the Greek Consulate here in Vancouver, we have been advised to simply go and stay for a few months to see if we can integrate and make long term plans, which we will be doing this winter. The purpose of this post is to get a feel for what may be our new community, and to hear the experiences and advice of others who have made similar decisions.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
A & S
Vancouver, BC
