My partner and I split our lives between the US and Canada — and have no plans to pick just one place

For a week each month, I return a two-and-a-half-hour formation from Chicago to Winnipeg, Canada.

That mightiness sound surprising: It's a batch of clip to walk successful the air, and Chicago has truthful overmuch to offer. However, I've been successful a long-distance narration pinch my Canadian partner, Andrew, for complete 2 years, and neither of america is fresh to move conscionable yet.

Andrew and I met astatine a convention for financial bloggers a decade ago, and we were awesome friends and colleagues for galore years earlier we became a couple.

Today, we run an online business together, which allows america to activity remotely and recreation regularly betwixt our countries. Because we some person children from erstwhile marriages, neither of america plans to move countries anytime soon.

There are challenges, but I consciousness for illustration I get the champion of some worlds

As an American, I've gotten utilized to definite apps, tools, and conveniences that I can't entree successful Canada.

For example, Canada doesn't person Venmo aliases Cash App, truthful Andrew and I divided costs aliases salary each different backmost utilizing Wise. If we commencement a movie connected Hulu, we tin only watch it erstwhile we're successful the States, since the streaming work isn't disposable successful Canada.

As inconvenient arsenic that tin be, I often consciousness for illustration I get the champion of some worlds. Take food, for instance: Andrew looks guardant to getting Chick-fil-A erstwhile he visits me, because location isn't a location successful Winnipeg. (Although the concatenation does beryllium successful immoderate bigger Canadian cities, for illustration Toronto.)

And, though we person A&W present successful the US, it doesn't person poutine connected the menu, which is the unofficial Canadian nationalist dish. So, I ever make judge to bid that erstwhile I sojourn him.

I've recovered that the gait and civilization consciousness very different successful some places, too. As personification who's been self-employed for almost 15 years, I admit being capable to situation myself pinch different motivated entrepreneurs whenever I'm here.

In Winnipeg and different Canadian cities I've visited, though, I've been capable to slow down more. The gait feels much relaxed, and I often deliberation of Canada arsenic my safe haven.

In the future, we mightiness take both

There are besides structural differences betwixt the 2 places. Canadians money their cosmopolitan healthcare strategy done taxes, whereas a mostly of Americans person private insurance.

What's bully astir Canada's strategy is that residents don't person to accent astir an unexpected measure aliases an costly ER visit.

That said, location tin beryllium trade-offs, for illustration longer hold times for emergency attraction and surgeries. In the US, I admit that I tin usually make aesculapian appointments quickly, moreover though they travel astatine a cost.

There are parts of American civilization that will ever consciousness difficult to leave, but spending truthful overmuch clip successful Canada has besides shown maine that stepping distant from hustle civilization tin beryllium soothing for my soul.

There are parts of American life that Andrew appreciates, excessively — but I cognize that if we unrecorded elsewhere, he'll miss galore aspects of his home, for illustration his close-knit family and the beautiful, wide-open prairies successful Winnipeg.

I'm not judge what the early holds erstwhile each our kids spell to college, but we will apt walk half the twelvemonth successful Canada and past activity remotely successful a warmer area during the winter.

Whatever we choose, I cognize what will matter astir is making judge we create a manner that feels unsocial to us, a cleanable blend of our cultures together.