It has been a year since the first flea market I helped to organize in my former Belgian neighborhood. I contributed with an web application to streamline the enrolment of exhibitors, making the assignment of spots more efficient. Since then, the application became more mature for this year’s edition, but this time I’m helping remotely, from Toronto, Canada.

Moving to Canada made people ask questions about our motivation to move. This is easy to answer. We moved because we wanted a better education for our kids, stay closer to some family members, find better working opportunities, and get out of our comfort zone. The decision was made, many risks were taken and now we have been living in Toronto for a month, running a settlement that isn’t any easier than leaving Belgium.

I told my boss I had plans to leave the company some time next spring. I had to convince her to give me a nice recommendation letter as well as keeping me around as long as I needed, even though I had no plans to stay longer. I have been in her shoes before. I knew it was hard to keep around a person who’s mind is somewhere else.

That was the first of many steps to move abroad and try a new life in a country desperate to build up a competitive work force.