I moved to Canada for love 10 years ago. It helped me realize which friends were worth keeping — and find new ones.

I met my now-husband on a dating app while I was temporarily living in Toronto.

Naima Karp

I found home in a person before I found it in a place. In January 2017, I met my now-husband — a 6-foot-3 Indo-Fijian man with kind eyes and a deep, soothing voice — on Bumble in Canada.At the time, I was a New Yorker living in Toronto temporarily. I had a couple of childhood friends in the city, and I was bouncing between Airbnbs, treating Toronto as a short-term reset to help me heal during a tough time.I wasn't looking for forever on the apps: just casual connections, maybe even a fling.In New York City, I had always felt like an alien, without a true sense of belonging. Between dating emotionally unavailable men, chronic anxiety, and holding onto friendships that I'd outgrown, I never felt like I had fully found my place.With him, though, I felt comfortable and safe immediately. Even though I hadn't necessarily planned to stay, I decided to turn my six-month stint in Toronto into a more permanent move by enrolling in a postgrad program and then getting a work permit.Staying in Canada meant starting over

Making my first real friend in Canada helped me develop the confidence to put myself out there with others.