MAJOR NEWS: this summer I'm putting all my Canadian stuff in storage and flying out to the UK to live there for 2 years!!

Let's back up a bit: in April 2023 my landlord sold the house and gave me until the end of June 2023 to move out. To say looking for a new place to live in Toronto was tough is... an understatement. It's not just that the rental market is so competitive (although that doesn't help). I contacted A LOT of landlords and a few responded and let me see the place. Some answered my emails asking me to call them but then when I responded that I have a hearing impairment and could we either email or text, they never got back to me. *sigh* Someone needs to regulate the whole communication process for accessibility. That person will not be me because I am TIRED of dealing with ableist fools.

Then, one day I was scrolling through TikTok and came across a reel in which a fellow Canadian shared her process for moving to the UK. There's a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa out there for citizens of Commonwealth countries which allows young adults aged 18-30 to live in the UK for up to two years!! I figured, I have to move anyways and also I'm turning 30 later this year so my window for this age range is closing. Also, I was very flattered to be called a Youth which ultimately is the real reason I applied for the visa. You're only considered young once!

I applied in late May, had an appointment Thursday, June 8th and picked up my visa the following Wednesday. The people at the visa centre were very nice despite the many negative reviews I'd read about UKVI. Don't believe everything you read! My only complaint be that they were not equipped to communicate with a person who has a hearing impairment. I had to ask them to repeat themselves MANY times as I have a hearing impairment - someone needs to regulate the whole communication process for accessibility. That person will not be me because I am TIRED of dealing with ableist fools.

As of this writing on June 16, 2023 I don't have a departure date but it will line up with the cheapest flight out of the province. I am moving out of Toronto on June 24th and will be staying at the house of some crack dealer I found on the internet. Just kidding, it's my parent's house and they are allegedly NOT crack dealers at this time. We'll see.

Since I'm moving out of this house I'm hoping to sell as much of my handcrafted inventory as I can by EOD June 22nd. I will continue running A Cute Little Shop from the UK as the visa allows me to remain self-employed overseas, however I am not going to take my entire handcrafted inventory with me. Any items not sold by EOD June 22nd will be taken off the site and either donated or put into long-term storage. All items in the clearance sale are now 50% off - you can find the sale here.