What??? America and Canada AREN'T the same country!?
When I first came to Canada, I felt like Canada was pretty much the exact same country as America... just packaged slightly different with a different name. You know, like the company that makes Oreos in the States is Nabisco, but in Canada it's Christie's. Same cookies... different name. That's really what I thought Canada was to America... same country, different name.
The people seem the same... mostly white Christian Europeans. We dress the same, speak the same language with the same accent, have pretty much the same form of government, watch the same TV shows, use dollars (which now have the same value in both countries). We shop at the same stores and eat at the same restaurants; there's even a McDonald's and Starbucks on every corner here too.
When I first got to Canada, the only real difference I could see between the two countries was that in Canada 1) they have a different flag and 2) they put a little maple leaf in the logo of the all American-owned companies; there's a maple leaf in the middle of the golden arches, and as the apostrophe in the Denny's sign. Of course, I did notice right off the bat as well, that there were a few restaurants in Canada that we don't have in the states. But other that... as far as I could tell the two countries were exactly the same.
It wasn't until recently... this week, actually... that I realized there are differences between the two countries. They're subtle differences... ones that you don't really notice until you've been here for a while.
Schools
The Pledge of Allegiance
Okay, so you know how every morning in school, you used to stand up, put your hand on your heard and say the pledge. They don't do that here. There's no Canadian Pledge. Actually, they don't do that in many (most? all?) countries. It seems to be ONLY an American thing. In fact, I mentioned the pledge in front of a Canadian, a Brit and an Australian and they all thought I was nuts for not realizing that other countries don't say the pledge. I mean, it's not like I thought they all did, it was more like I just didn't think about it. It's so automatic and so routine in American schools, that it just never crossed my mind that it would be any other way anywhere else. But it is... it's only in America.
School Lunches
Also, in Canadian schools, they don't have cafeterias. Well, at least not like we do in America. There's no school lunch program, so you can't buy your lunch. Lunches aren't subsidized by the government, so they don't force you to drink milk with every meal. Actually, the whole lunch routine is quite different. In my schools, in the states, we'd all have lunch at different times. Usually in three waves starting from about 11:00 and going till about 1:00. That way, you know, everyone could fit in the cafeteria. And you could bring your lunch or buy it from school. School lunches were cheap. When I was in elementary school an entire meal including entree, milk, 2 sides, dessert and soup was 95 cents. In high school it was raised to $1.35. But still dirt cheap... the catch... you had to eat government subsidized food... aka... "Grade D, but edible" meat, surplus canned veggies and mandatory milk. Of course there was also ice cream, chips and other snacks for extra money. That was pretty standard.
In Canada, it's not so. There's no government lunch program. In fact, there's not much of a lunch program at all here. There's a cafeteria which consists of a few tables and chair in a room, which sometimes doubles a gym. But there's not much food sold there. I saw some french fries at one high school that were made by culinary arts students. But, no meals. You can also buy some junk food from the vending machines. These selections include candy, chips and soda. Most students just bring there lunch or go to a nearby restaurant and eat there. Lunch is taken at the same time by everyone... students, teachers and staff all break from lunch at exactly the same time. It's quite common to see kids standing in the hallways or at their lockers eating a sandwich. Teachers might even stand in the hallways with them or eat in their classrooms.
Grades
Grades are different here too. In the states 65% passing is pretty standard... and 94% is your A. In Canada... 50% is passing and 86% is an A. However, though, it's apparently pretty hard to get an A. You actually have to be pretty perfect to get that A. In America, it's not as difficult to get an A... but you need a higher score to even pass. I think it just comes down to the grading system being stricter, which is why 50% is passing.
Shopping and Restaurants
are different here. They don't have the same stores. Some of my FAVOURITE stores like Express and Victoria's Secret just aren't around. I mean, they might be somewhere, but I haven't seen them... they're not in Vancouver's largest shopping mall... Metrotown... and if they're not there, well... they're not around. And I miss them. But Canada does have other stores that we don't have in America. There are a lot stores geared toward Asians since there are tons of Asians living in BC... lots of small sizes. Pretty much, they sell the same clothes... the fashions are the same, the styles are the same... they're just not the same stores.
But as far as buying goes, it's still the same culture: buy, buy buy. We're encouraged to shop and buy almost as much as we are in the States. Not happy? Buy this product and it will fix all your problems. Or at least for a few minutes until you realize you're still not happy... but may this product will fix all your problems. It's the same here.
However, everything is slightly behind the States. For example the iPhone JUST came out in Canada, but it's been out for over a year in America. And there's no Visa or Mastercard debit cards. They still use the very first debit cards that we had that don't have the Visa or Mastercard logo on it. Which makes it annoying cause they can't be run as credit cards and you HAVE to type your pin in every time. So you can't use your debit card to buy things on-line. That's one thing Canada definitely needs to catch up on... The Visa Check Cards and Debit Mastercards are just amazing. It's the best of both worlds... the convience of having a credit card without the worry of going into massive debt.
Like I mentioned before, Canada has MANY of the same restaurants as America: TGI Friday's, Applebees, Denny's, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Starbucks... places like that. But there's also other restaurants that we don't have (or at least, I've never seen): The Keg, Earl's, Cactus Club - all upscale chain restaurants. Also places like Red Robin, and Boston Pizza. Vancouver too, is packed with small locally-owned restaurants. They're mostly Asian restaurants catering to the extremely large Asian population in Vancouver. Lot's of Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Indian food. I like it... it's nice to have all these different choices in ethnic cuisine... very diverse.
Food does seem to be slightly healthier here. Slightly less greasy and not quite as many transfats. Also Tim Hortons is WAY more popular here than it is in the States. Here they have thier own "Tim Speak." A double double means 2 sugars and 2 creams in your coffee. I guess that's pretty popular.
Drugs and Bums
Maybe it's just that I'm living in a "big city" now... big for Canada anyway... the 2nd largest city with 2 million people living in the area... But I have never in my life seen so many drug-addicts and homeless people. They're everywhere here. You walk down Hastings street in Vancouver and all you see is messed up people... shooting up, smoking crack... literally fucked. I honestly don't know how they're still alive. There must be a soup kitchen and some shelters in that area cause they all flock to it. It's gross. If you ever come to Vancouver, don't go down Hastings. However, it seems almost impossible to avoid. Seems like every time I go somewhere downtown, I have to pass through Hastings. It's on the way to everything. But the strange thing is that it's maybe 4 or 5 blocks and then you're into a nice, posh, touristy area. Walk the wrong way in Gastown (the oldest section of Vancouver and one of the major tourist spots) for a couple of minutes and you'll find yourself amongst the ropiest people imaginable.
But it doesn't stop there... it's not contained to that one section. You drive down street in Surrey, and you have to be careful of the crackheads jumping out in front of you. Needles are on the ground. In my town in New West, there's a buch of druggies running around the main area. And then 2 seconds later, you're in a nice area.
I think in America, they do a better job of hiding them. They contain the drug problem to one section of town and don't put anything remotely nice in those areas or near those areas. The violent, drug-ridden areas are away from everywhere else. Here, they're right smack in the middle of everything. But it's not violent. That's another difference. Violence doesn't come with the drug problem. It's just a bunch of people who look like they should have been dead a long time ago, twiching on the sides of the streets and shooting up and or smoking crack, but there's not as much violence... not so much gang violence or shootings. Just the drugs.
The Cost of Living
is just insane here. Maybe it's Vancouver... but I think it's still higher here than most places in the States. It's definitely the highest cost of living I've ever experienced. Even though the Canadian and American dollars are equal now, we're still getting charged higher prices. A book is like $10 more here... a big bag of chips is like $2 more.
Car insurance is the biggest rip-off I've ever seen in my entire life. ICBC is the ONLY insurance company in BC. In fact, it's name, ICBC stands for Insurance Company of British Columbia. Yes, they have a monopoly here. Which means insurance is through the roof. I was paying about $150 for 6 months of insurance in the states. Now, I'm paying that much per month. Go ICBC with their monopoly. Ha. I think there'd be a riot if that ever happened in the states.
My comparison is Japan, but in Japan, I had an average-paying job... had enough money for rent, food, lots of entertainment, clothes, etc... and still managed to be able to save tons of money. Here, expenses are so high, I can barely afford to pay my rent each month, much less actually go and enjoy myself. Everything is so expensvie. Gas is at $6 a gallon now. Movies are $12 for a ticket. A loaf of bread is $5.
Jobs
The job market is different here too. It's mostly labor-intensive. They're looking for skilled trades like construction workers and that type of thing. Not really looking so much for people with an academic background. There are literally millions of people fighting over the same jobs. Greg's dad said his office posted an ad for a secretary postion and it got over 250 responses. They got to take thier pick. It's like that for EVERYTHING here. You're competing with so many people and so many people are willing to do work for small amounts of money that it drives the prices employers pay right down. And unless you have a government job you can forget about benefts.
And it's no consulation that minumum wage is $8/ hour and that most jobs pay at least $10. Even that doesn't even come close to cutting it here. You need at least $20/ hour with the cost of living being so high... and taxes so high.
Medical Insurance
Yes, we all have health insurance. It's basic, but it's pretty cheap- only $54/ month. So if you're sick you can go see a doctor. Everyone has it... it's even required by law and you pay your monthly bill like you're paying tax or something. That's better here, for sure.
The American Dream
The American Dream is pretty common here too. Just like in America, Canadians are told they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. All it takes is hard work and determination and even you can be the president... or in this case, the prime minister... you can go from rags to riches.
Yeah, it's a nice idea, but it's just not true. We're not all the same and we don't all have the same talents. I will never be an Opera star, no matter how many years of training and hard work I put into it. George Bush will never write a best-selling novel no matter how many grammar lessons he takes. He may however, have someone else write it for him, and then he puts his name on it... that could happen.
It's the same thing here. There's a bit of a Canadian Dream going on here too... with hard work and determination, you an be anything you want to be. You can be a millionaire and do everything you want. It's a nice idea, but it's not possible for EVERYONE. This system wouldn't work if it was. It depends on the work-class and the working poor for it's existence. There has to be a class difference for the economic system to work in both countries. Yeah, it's a nice a idea... gives people hope... keeps everyone grinding away day in and day out... but it's simply not true.
Okay... Well... I'm sure there's more I could tell you about... and I'm sure I've missed a lot... but I'll leave it at that for now... my brain is fried... plus it'll leave more for next time.
The people seem the same... mostly white Christian Europeans. We dress the same, speak the same language with the same accent, have pretty much the same form of government, watch the same TV shows, use dollars (which now have the same value in both countries). We shop at the same stores and eat at the same restaurants; there's even a McDonald's and Starbucks on every corner here too.
When I first got to Canada, the only real difference I could see between the two countries was that in Canada 1) they have a different flag and 2) they put a little maple leaf in the logo of the all American-owned companies; there's a maple leaf in the middle of the golden arches, and as the apostrophe in the Denny's sign. Of course, I did notice right off the bat as well, that there were a few restaurants in Canada that we don't have in the states. But other that... as far as I could tell the two countries were exactly the same.
It wasn't until recently... this week, actually... that I realized there are differences between the two countries. They're subtle differences... ones that you don't really notice until you've been here for a while.
Schools
The Pledge of Allegiance
Okay, so you know how every morning in school, you used to stand up, put your hand on your heard and say the pledge. They don't do that here. There's no Canadian Pledge. Actually, they don't do that in many (most? all?) countries. It seems to be ONLY an American thing. In fact, I mentioned the pledge in front of a Canadian, a Brit and an Australian and they all thought I was nuts for not realizing that other countries don't say the pledge. I mean, it's not like I thought they all did, it was more like I just didn't think about it. It's so automatic and so routine in American schools, that it just never crossed my mind that it would be any other way anywhere else. But it is... it's only in America.
School Lunches
Also, in Canadian schools, they don't have cafeterias. Well, at least not like we do in America. There's no school lunch program, so you can't buy your lunch. Lunches aren't subsidized by the government, so they don't force you to drink milk with every meal. Actually, the whole lunch routine is quite different. In my schools, in the states, we'd all have lunch at different times. Usually in three waves starting from about 11:00 and going till about 1:00. That way, you know, everyone could fit in the cafeteria. And you could bring your lunch or buy it from school. School lunches were cheap. When I was in elementary school an entire meal including entree, milk, 2 sides, dessert and soup was 95 cents. In high school it was raised to $1.35. But still dirt cheap... the catch... you had to eat government subsidized food... aka... "Grade D, but edible" meat, surplus canned veggies and mandatory milk. Of course there was also ice cream, chips and other snacks for extra money. That was pretty standard.
In Canada, it's not so. There's no government lunch program. In fact, there's not much of a lunch program at all here. There's a cafeteria which consists of a few tables and chair in a room, which sometimes doubles a gym. But there's not much food sold there. I saw some french fries at one high school that were made by culinary arts students. But, no meals. You can also buy some junk food from the vending machines. These selections include candy, chips and soda. Most students just bring there lunch or go to a nearby restaurant and eat there. Lunch is taken at the same time by everyone... students, teachers and staff all break from lunch at exactly the same time. It's quite common to see kids standing in the hallways or at their lockers eating a sandwich. Teachers might even stand in the hallways with them or eat in their classrooms.
Grades
Grades are different here too. In the states 65% passing is pretty standard... and 94% is your A. In Canada... 50% is passing and 86% is an A. However, though, it's apparently pretty hard to get an A. You actually have to be pretty perfect to get that A. In America, it's not as difficult to get an A... but you need a higher score to even pass. I think it just comes down to the grading system being stricter, which is why 50% is passing.
Shopping and Restaurants
are different here. They don't have the same stores. Some of my FAVOURITE stores like Express and Victoria's Secret just aren't around. I mean, they might be somewhere, but I haven't seen them... they're not in Vancouver's largest shopping mall... Metrotown... and if they're not there, well... they're not around. And I miss them. But Canada does have other stores that we don't have in America. There are a lot stores geared toward Asians since there are tons of Asians living in BC... lots of small sizes. Pretty much, they sell the same clothes... the fashions are the same, the styles are the same... they're just not the same stores.
But as far as buying goes, it's still the same culture: buy, buy buy. We're encouraged to shop and buy almost as much as we are in the States. Not happy? Buy this product and it will fix all your problems. Or at least for a few minutes until you realize you're still not happy... but may this product will fix all your problems. It's the same here.
However, everything is slightly behind the States. For example the iPhone JUST came out in Canada, but it's been out for over a year in America. And there's no Visa or Mastercard debit cards. They still use the very first debit cards that we had that don't have the Visa or Mastercard logo on it. Which makes it annoying cause they can't be run as credit cards and you HAVE to type your pin in every time. So you can't use your debit card to buy things on-line. That's one thing Canada definitely needs to catch up on... The Visa Check Cards and Debit Mastercards are just amazing. It's the best of both worlds... the convience of having a credit card without the worry of going into massive debt.
Like I mentioned before, Canada has MANY of the same restaurants as America: TGI Friday's, Applebees, Denny's, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Starbucks... places like that. But there's also other restaurants that we don't have (or at least, I've never seen): The Keg, Earl's, Cactus Club - all upscale chain restaurants. Also places like Red Robin, and Boston Pizza. Vancouver too, is packed with small locally-owned restaurants. They're mostly Asian restaurants catering to the extremely large Asian population in Vancouver. Lot's of Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Indian food. I like it... it's nice to have all these different choices in ethnic cuisine... very diverse.
Food does seem to be slightly healthier here. Slightly less greasy and not quite as many transfats. Also Tim Hortons is WAY more popular here than it is in the States. Here they have thier own "Tim Speak." A double double means 2 sugars and 2 creams in your coffee. I guess that's pretty popular.
Drugs and Bums
Maybe it's just that I'm living in a "big city" now... big for Canada anyway... the 2nd largest city with 2 million people living in the area... But I have never in my life seen so many drug-addicts and homeless people. They're everywhere here. You walk down Hastings street in Vancouver and all you see is messed up people... shooting up, smoking crack... literally fucked. I honestly don't know how they're still alive. There must be a soup kitchen and some shelters in that area cause they all flock to it. It's gross. If you ever come to Vancouver, don't go down Hastings. However, it seems almost impossible to avoid. Seems like every time I go somewhere downtown, I have to pass through Hastings. It's on the way to everything. But the strange thing is that it's maybe 4 or 5 blocks and then you're into a nice, posh, touristy area. Walk the wrong way in Gastown (the oldest section of Vancouver and one of the major tourist spots) for a couple of minutes and you'll find yourself amongst the ropiest people imaginable.
But it doesn't stop there... it's not contained to that one section. You drive down street in Surrey, and you have to be careful of the crackheads jumping out in front of you. Needles are on the ground. In my town in New West, there's a buch of druggies running around the main area. And then 2 seconds later, you're in a nice area.
I think in America, they do a better job of hiding them. They contain the drug problem to one section of town and don't put anything remotely nice in those areas or near those areas. The violent, drug-ridden areas are away from everywhere else. Here, they're right smack in the middle of everything. But it's not violent. That's another difference. Violence doesn't come with the drug problem. It's just a bunch of people who look like they should have been dead a long time ago, twiching on the sides of the streets and shooting up and or smoking crack, but there's not as much violence... not so much gang violence or shootings. Just the drugs.
The Cost of Living
is just insane here. Maybe it's Vancouver... but I think it's still higher here than most places in the States. It's definitely the highest cost of living I've ever experienced. Even though the Canadian and American dollars are equal now, we're still getting charged higher prices. A book is like $10 more here... a big bag of chips is like $2 more.
Car insurance is the biggest rip-off I've ever seen in my entire life. ICBC is the ONLY insurance company in BC. In fact, it's name, ICBC stands for Insurance Company of British Columbia. Yes, they have a monopoly here. Which means insurance is through the roof. I was paying about $150 for 6 months of insurance in the states. Now, I'm paying that much per month. Go ICBC with their monopoly. Ha. I think there'd be a riot if that ever happened in the states.
My comparison is Japan, but in Japan, I had an average-paying job... had enough money for rent, food, lots of entertainment, clothes, etc... and still managed to be able to save tons of money. Here, expenses are so high, I can barely afford to pay my rent each month, much less actually go and enjoy myself. Everything is so expensvie. Gas is at $6 a gallon now. Movies are $12 for a ticket. A loaf of bread is $5.
Jobs
The job market is different here too. It's mostly labor-intensive. They're looking for skilled trades like construction workers and that type of thing. Not really looking so much for people with an academic background. There are literally millions of people fighting over the same jobs. Greg's dad said his office posted an ad for a secretary postion and it got over 250 responses. They got to take thier pick. It's like that for EVERYTHING here. You're competing with so many people and so many people are willing to do work for small amounts of money that it drives the prices employers pay right down. And unless you have a government job you can forget about benefts.
And it's no consulation that minumum wage is $8/ hour and that most jobs pay at least $10. Even that doesn't even come close to cutting it here. You need at least $20/ hour with the cost of living being so high... and taxes so high.
Medical Insurance
Yes, we all have health insurance. It's basic, but it's pretty cheap- only $54/ month. So if you're sick you can go see a doctor. Everyone has it... it's even required by law and you pay your monthly bill like you're paying tax or something. That's better here, for sure.
The American Dream
The American Dream is pretty common here too. Just like in America, Canadians are told they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. All it takes is hard work and determination and even you can be the president... or in this case, the prime minister... you can go from rags to riches.
Yeah, it's a nice idea, but it's just not true. We're not all the same and we don't all have the same talents. I will never be an Opera star, no matter how many years of training and hard work I put into it. George Bush will never write a best-selling novel no matter how many grammar lessons he takes. He may however, have someone else write it for him, and then he puts his name on it... that could happen.
It's the same thing here. There's a bit of a Canadian Dream going on here too... with hard work and determination, you an be anything you want to be. You can be a millionaire and do everything you want. It's a nice idea, but it's not possible for EVERYONE. This system wouldn't work if it was. It depends on the work-class and the working poor for it's existence. There has to be a class difference for the economic system to work in both countries. Yeah, it's a nice a idea... gives people hope... keeps everyone grinding away day in and day out... but it's simply not true.
Okay... Well... I'm sure there's more I could tell you about... and I'm sure I've missed a lot... but I'll leave it at that for now... my brain is fried... plus it'll leave more for next time.