\u201cThe way people (friends or perfect strangers) help each other and show kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen and LGBTQ+ rights. We still have a long way to go in Europe and I find it awesome to see equal rights in action in all aspects of daily life in Canada.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can leave home dressed like shit\u2014no one cares!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople really trust each other. Still blows my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally speaking, Canada is pretty laid back. People are on a first-name basis, nobody seems to be having a hard time, really easygoing folks. Like, your blood pressure isn\u2019t gonna spike in Canada. Everything is al-right!\u201d<\/p>\n
2. The land<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe landscapes, the northern lights.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven in cities, nature is never far away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlenty of room, nature, and lakes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that the country is big, very big, like, huge. Seemingly endless land.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. The seasons<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cCold, dry and sunny winter days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFall colours with pink, yellow and green leaves. It\u2019s quite an impressive sight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSports and outdoor activities in the summer\u2014lake fishing, forest hiking, mountain biking, BBQ, gatherings with friends, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHarsh winters that make you appreciate summertime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFour distinct seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpring, when people seem to come out of their \u2018cave\u2019 and everybody is rediscovering patios.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWinter sports and activities\u2014hockey on frozen lakes, ice fishing, Skidoo, ATV riding, etc..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent seasons with breathtaking landscapes!\u201d<\/p>\n 4. The wildlife<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAccidental face-to-face encounters with animals I would have seen in a cage or on video back home (\u2018hi, groundhog!\u2019). And this is in urban environments. Out in the country, you\u2019ll spot animals you assumed were extinct\u2014\u2018Wait, did we just see a whale from the coast? What the hell are we going to meet if we take a boat tour??\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cWildlife everywhere when you go for a hike.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWildlife. I get to see deer and wapitis every day. Okay, sure, I live in a natural reserve but still.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. The work environment\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cA work schedule that gives enough time for family, a social life and various activities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHiring managers don\u2019t just look at degrees and credentials\u2014work experience and motivation are defining factors as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe tipping culture! Yeah, many hate it, but I\u2019m a waitress!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA laid-back work environment. Everybody is on a first-name basis, structures are less hierarchical and a more flexible definition of \u2018performance.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBiweekly pay.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Multiculturalism<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMulticultural pluralism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaving friends who speak other languages, being able to ask them something in French and having them reply in English. Hearing so many different languages and people who are truly bilingual.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe cosmopolitan side of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMeeting people from all over the world\u2014Australians, Germans, Italians\u2026 people are pretty outgoing too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChinese food on the table yesterday, Afghan feast today, Japanese food tomorrow maybe, and Ethiopian delicacies the day after.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 7. The safe environment<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe overall quiet atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStreets that feel completely safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClean, peaceful streets, and quiet, well-behaved people. Okay, sometimes it\u2019s a bit too much but it\u2019s nice, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCanadian women seem to be okay with showing skin and they don\u2019t get harassed when wearing micro-shorts.\u201d<\/p>\n 8. The overall efficiency<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHow easy it is to sign a lease. Like, landlords don\u2019t ask for millions of things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow straightforward it is to open a bank account, get a phone, sign a lease, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmooth administrative processes. Okay, finding an apartment is as difficult as everywhere else and 40 potential tenants show up to check out the place you love but if you do sign a lease, no deposit, guarantor or references are required.\u201d<\/p>\n 9. The business hours<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c24\/7 Tim Hortons and convenience stores.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c24\/7 supermarkets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShopping centres that close at 9\u00a0p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBusinesses open on Sundays.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to eat something anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n 10. The food<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOne word\u2014poutine!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe number of coffee shops\u2014I can\u2019t live without my $3 morning coffee and cookie now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBagels, maple syrup, pancakes, maple toffee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAmazing brunches, blueberries, bacon, split pea soup, and cr\u00eapes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeanut butter, REESE\u2019S candies, Oh Henry! Bars and anything with peanut butter.\u201d<\/p>\n Other reasons to love Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSupersize cereal boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDebit cards with purchases deducted immediately from your bank account.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to watch American series as soon as they are released on the US market.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerfect queuing etiquette.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHockey, the Superbowl, chicken wings and my Habs jerseys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to go to the US easily.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrid street plans, super easy to find your way around.\u201d<\/p>\n 1. \u201cHow are you today?\u201d as a greeting<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe ubiquitous \u2018How are you today?\u2019 in customer service. Like, are you actually asking a question or saying, \u2018hi!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOverfamiliar check-out assistants.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI find it super annoying when I\u2019m greeted by \u2018How are you today?\u201d It\u2019s pointless and hypocritical because no one is going to say \u2018not great.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Political correctness<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNobody shall be offended, like ever. And activism must remain an \u2018enjoyable activity\u2019 (sic.). Welcome to North America where people mostly care about their own little world and where people can just let you down anytime, or worst, just ghost you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRelationships are often superficial.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople not showing any collective spirit or social conscience both at work and outside. Comparing what Canadians call a \u2018union\u2019 with what we have in Europe is pretty funny. There are no associations, no groups organizing anything, and forget about social protests (even though there are things to protest about\u2026).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrevalent \u2018right-thinking.\u2019 I must admit I found it relaxing at first but after a while, I felt like starting a riot and a fire in the middle of the street.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVirtue signalling and the way Canadians always ostensibly comply with laws and rules without questioning anything.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. The food<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cUnhealthy and tasteless food.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaving to go to a million shops to pick up acceptable foods\u2014sour cream in one place, salami in another, going somewhere else for lardons and pie dough, super pricey duck breast fillets\u2026 like, we wouldn\u2019t be able to survive without a car because we spend our time going from shop to shop to find affordable ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI freaked out at the grocery store last week. Where the hell can I buy lardon, puff pastry, cheese, heavy cream??\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFood quality is so so and imported products are super expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery few deli meat options, plus it\u2019s expensive. The same issue with cheese. The bread sucks.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. The American lifestyle<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMoney rules.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTheir damn cars\u2026 Make them big and noisy and they\u2019re happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole financial system based on credit, buying and credit scores. Unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDaily life seems to revolve around working and making as much money as possible, driving back to your big house in your big pickup truck and spending weekends at the cottage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOverusing energy. Like the lights are always on, everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to enjoy the backcountry without a big vehicle. The land as a giant outdoor playground? Yeah, good luck getting around without a 4WD.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. The healthcare system<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHaving to show up at the ER at 8 a.m.\u00a0 just because you need to see a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWaking up with strep throat, seeing a doctor for one minute top, being billed $100 for the consultation plus $45 for prescriptions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe emergency department. You can just die ten times before triage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHealthcare access and cost\u201420 phone calls to end up paying $275 for a consultation in the private system, $50 drugs that cost \u20ac2 back home and $0 covered. I\u2019m lucky my job offers great benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Local driving skills<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cCanadian drivers are almost as stupid as French drivers. It looks like they\u2019ve never seen a red light before and OMG so much honking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoads are in terrible condition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn Quebec, drivers passing on the right. It\u2019s illegal in the province but they do it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n 7. Endless winters<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWinters never bloody end. It\u2019s okay until March but it\u2019s infuriating when it\u2019s still snowing in May.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBlack ice on sidewalks. Yes, it\u2019s slippery and yes, you\u2019ll fall.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow dirty streets are after winter. It doesn\u2019t last long but still.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLong, long, loooong winters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so hot in the subway last winter that I fainted twice. Yeah, kind of hard to take off your coat and sweater when subways are completely packed.\u201d<\/p>\n 8. Telco prices<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSo-called high-speed Internet which is like the speed of a regular Internet connection deep in the country back home. Oh, and paying $120\/month for a landline, Internet access and cable. I used to pay $45 for that back home with added perks like free calls on international landlines and Internet fast enough to download a movie while I was making microwave popcorn. I miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInternet access, overpriced cellphone plans. Like, you\u2019re billed for incoming text messages.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShitty and overpriced Internet, cellphone plans and cable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy on earth are we charged for incoming calls? I asked customer service and no one could justify it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaying for outgoing calls, incoming calls, outgoing text messages, incoming text messages, voicemail, balance information\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n 9. The cost of living<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPrices without tax and the fact you have to tip everyone all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCheese is more expensive than foie gras with truffles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe goddam taxes! I keep on reading the price displayed as the price I\u2019ll pay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTaxes and tips. It took me five days to figure out how to calculate tips and it\u2019s annoying to do the math all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n 10. Bugs and pests<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMosquitoes, black flies and other bugs. I have yet to meet them but I have the feeling I won\u2019t be a fan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSkunks!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBears ramming into your vehicle. Not a pretty sight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSquirrels digging into the garbage and crossing the street right in front of you when you\u2019re on your bike.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBed bugs and other pests that require major extermination services.\u201d<\/p>\n Miscellaneous\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNot being able to enjoy a cigarette on patios.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo proper wood shutters anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSki resorts with 30-second slopes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow hard it is to make Canadian friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClouds of weed everywhere, even more so since it\u2019s legal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBasement apartments.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe obvious gaps between the rich and the poor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaper-thin walls.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJob interviews where the HR manager is overfriendly then ghosts you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuses that are always late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeeding a car to go places on your own terms.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t hesitate to add to this list, leave a comment below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Working Holiday in Canada is an amazing chance to live and work like a local for a year or two. Over the months, there are aspects of Canadian life you\u2019re bound to adopt immediately and others that will remain puzzling, annoying or just too weird\u2014either way, enjoy the cultural shock, it\u2019s part of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":371984,"featured_media":407754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[899],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-411434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultureactivities","pays-canada-en"],"acf":[],"comments_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/371984"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411434"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":449562,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411434\/revisions\/449562"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Tops](\"https:\/\/pvtistes.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/tops-flops-canada-3-300x200.jpg\")
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<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s not so great in Canada<\/h4>\n
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