When one Canadian family decided to uproot their lives to move to Malaysia, they always knew they’d have to return to Canada to finalize their move.
As much as they knew that moving east was the right decision for their family of five, the Salehs now have to deal with the most challenging part of the move: packing up their entire lives.
“We are also having to learn what to keep and what to get rid of as we have an entire home to move,” said Sana Saleh, who, along with her husband, Muhammad William Saleh, run their online store Lala Hijabs. They also create content for their YouTube channel, where they’ve been sharing their experience with their 1.3 million subscribers.
In a previous interview with Daily Hive, they shared why they realized that moving abroad would be a better option for their family.
“The cost of living has become unreal,” Sana said. “Rent, bills, groceries, car payments, insurance — all of it is way too unaffordable, and we could never buy a house there either.”
When war erupted in the Middle East in October 2023, the Salehs stated that they were unhappy with Canada’s stance and no longer felt welcome as Muslims. Having travelled to Malaysia a decade ago for their honeymoon, they realized that the country had plenty to offer: great weather, diversity, and a much more affordable cost of living.
Now they’re back in Canada to spend their final summer with family and friends. Although they haven’t finalized the details, they said they plan to move to the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.
When asked what people should know about relocating and starting over in another country, Sana said, “It takes time! A lot of people think it is as easy as packing a suitcase and going, but for families especially, it takes time, and you need to do it slowly.”
She said it’s much more complicated, with several things to take care of before they can “say goodbye for good.”
To add to the time crunch, the lease on their Ontario home is up, but luckily, they have the option to renew it month to month. At the same time, they’ve had to end their business’s warehouse lease and are now moving to a new warehouse.
Yet the most challenging part of wrapping up their lives in Canada has been finding a reliable moving company.
“It has been a headache finding a moving company that is reliable, with good reviews and a good track record to move our belongings overseas,” Sana shared. “This has by far been the hardest part and it has taken months to decide which company to use and the whole logistics behind it.”
However, as their belongings get shipped to Malaysia, the family must learn how to live with the bare basics while in Canada. They’re also automating their business so they can run it entirely remotely.
The Saleh family in Ontario (Supplied)
Sana admits they’ve made mistakes along the way, stating that they regret “taking too much time deciding on a moving company… as well as not packing sooner — we only just started.”
Although decluttering and keeping sentimental items is important, Sana warns, “It’s not always wise to just toss everything and repurchase them again — it can really add up. So take the time to decide what you want to keep, and it will just make the process that much more seamless.”
The family in Malaysia (Supplied)
Returning to Canada has allowed them to spend time with family, but being home also helped them come to terms with their decision.
“It really solidified our decision to move to Malaysia as many political things have happened in our country since we returned, and we feel that our decision is best for us,” she said.