Lost Canadian Found

Posted on Apr 12, 2026

At the end of March 2026, I left the United States for good. It was a long time coming; the culmination of years of planning, but it has finally happened. I have immigrated to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

After 2 weeks as an Ottawan, I’m proud to report that my glutes are poppin’ and my calves are rockin’. I’ve been wearing out the soles of my shoes every day. I’ve been filling my free time with photography, geocaching, eating, galleries, and podcasts.

I haven’t really started socializing yet, but I’ll get there soon.

I’ve been very busy dealing with the transitional stuff; there are many things that couldn’t be done until arriving – opening bank accounts, securing a lease, driver’s license, &c.. Fortunately, I was able to maintain my job (international transfer) so that makes things a lot easier.

Did you know, even though TransUnion and Experian both operate in Canada, United States and Canadian credit histories are completely unlinked? Therefore, I have zero credit history. (For the record: I believe this is overall a good thing. But it has been a slight hurdle for securing a lease.)

At the moment, my home base has been a lovely bedroom in a shared-suite Airbnb townhouse, plus lots of time spent at work in the office and also at the 24-hour diner around the corner. The Airbnb is really well located and the hosts are so generous and friendly. As much as I appreciate this landing spot, I am eager to spread out a bit and unpack some things.

On that front, things are looking up! I found a duplex with a ground floor unit, love the location, price is good, available May 1. I’ll have to jump lodgings one more time before then, and I’ve splurged on an extended stay hotel to fill the gap.

I am alone up here. My partner arrived with me, but headed back last week and won’t be joining me permanently for a few more months. I don’t have any local friends yet. I can be a pretty anxious person, perhaps emotionally needy sometimes, and I was worried about how I’d handle myself alone in a new city. I’m honestly pretty proud of myself so far. True, I haven’t attempted socializing much yet, but I’m getting out there and experiencing my environment rather than staying in my room clinging to touchstones.

Some rapid-fire impressions of Ottawa:

There is a jazz festival coming up in June, and Jeff Goldblum will be headlining! St. Vincent will also be performing.

The geocaching scene is very active! I found multiple caches that had been restocked just a few days prior. Many of them are connected to municipal history, which makes me wonder if a local historical society is running something.

There’s lots of European gothic revival architecture, and some interesting brutalist designs too, and just a tiny bit of Art-Deco.

There’s a games pub nearby that I’d like to check out. They host some Magic: The Gathering events. I’m thinking that could be my first attempt at socializing. (Weak, maybe, but it’s a start.)

I also found an arthouse cinema I’m excited about, called The Mayfair. I think it’ll be a good way to find films I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

The highly-recommended Pizza Nerds is overrated. Coming from Mellow Mushroom and Lilly’s Pizza in the Triangle, I may never be happy with pizza crust again. Poutine is to die for, though. And there are some great burger shops.