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Moving to Canada!

fooflyfoofly
edited October 2008 in Suggestions
I'm thinking about moving from the UK to Canada after my degree finishes in June, possibly to Toronto. I fancy getting out of Europe for a bit and expanding my world experience. Have any of you been there or live there and do you have any advice or problems encountered there?
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Comments

  • SailSail
    Well, you have to deal with their stupid accents. But you're from the UK so I'd say you already have a lot of experience with stupid accents.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    Canada sucks.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    Having traveled in Canada (particularly Toronto and Quebec) and spent time in England, Scotland, and Whales, I can say that from a foreign, outsider's prospective, there are a lot of similarities. Toronto is like a smaller, cleaner London. Montreal is a smaller, cleaner NYC. Quebec is a much smaller, somewhat friendlier Paris. It is lovely, but if you like the larger city, it may not be for you. Culturally, Canada has its own thing going on, but it is fair to say that the cultural climate is somewhere between a UK and a US. One thing that concerns me about Canada (for any long term plan to live there) is that they are experiencing a conservative resurgence. If this continues, then (in political terms) it may as well be the US.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Toronto is like a smaller, cleaner London.
    Not possible.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    Toronto is like a smaller,cleanerLondon.
    Not possible.
    It most certainly is. Having spent over a month in London and spent weeks on and of in Toronto, I can say it with certainty. The air alone is cleaner and fresher (no black boogies).
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited October 2008
    I meant that, if it is clean, it can't be like London.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    edited October 2008
    Is that London, Ontario? ^^

    Good luck with the move. Can't really say anything about living in Canada but I don't think it's much different, but perhaps cheaper than the UK.
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
  • ErwinErwin
    My family went to Toronto, they told me the food sucks :(
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    My family went to Toronto, they told me the food sucks :(
    Well, so does traditional UK food.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited October 2008
    My family went to Toronto, they told me the food sucks :(
    Well, so does traditional UK food.
    image
    What kind of traditional food are we talking about here?
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • ErwinErwin
    My family went to Toronto, they told me the food sucks :(
    Well, so does traditional UK food.
    Hey, I love English muffins, fish and chips.
  • C-o-r-EC-o-r-E
    Ask any Canadian, Toronto is the least awesome big city in the country
  • fooflyfoofly
    My family went to Toronto, they told me the food sucks :(
    Well, so does traditional UK food.
    Hey, I love English muffins, fish and chips.
    Yea, might miss them. Haha.

    Cheers for your advice, by the sounds of thing I don't think it's going to be too much of a culture shock.
    Toronto is like a smaller,cleanerLondon.
    Not possible.
    It most certainly is. Having spent over a month in London and spent weeks on and of in Toronto, I can say it with certainty. The air alone is cleaner and fresher (no black boogies).
    I don't live in, or anywhere near London, and would rather never live there to be honest. Toronto sounds loads nicer, haha.
    Well, you have to deal with their stupid accents. But you're from the UK so I'd say you already have a lot of experience with stupid accents.
    To me, you all have stupid accents. :-P
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited October 2008
    Well, you have to deal with their stupid accents. But you're from the UK so I'd say you already have a lot of experience with stupid accents.
    It's kinda sad that people from outside the UK only ever hear the major accents as there are some really strange ones around. Have you ever head what people from Somerset sound like?
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • ErwinErwin
    My family also told me that people in Toronto are super fit and very slim.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    Well, you have to deal with their stupid accents. But you're from the UK so I'd say you already have a lot of experience with stupid accents.
    It's kinda sad that people from outside the UK only ever hear the major accents as there are somereallystrange ones around. Have you ever head what people from Somerset sound like?
    This ties into a gripe I have with many of my fellow Americans. They have no ear for accents, at all. Someone with even a mild accent might as well be speaking crazy-moon-language to many of them. This is one of the major reasons why BBC shows are being made into "American" versions that are usually word for word, scene for scene rip offs. It disgusts me that someone who is not deaf and is a native English speaker cannot watch a BBC program without closed captioning. I could possibly understand with characters that have very thick accents or speak in an odd dialect, but anything beyond the posh-est and weakest of accents is too much for them. It is ridiculous and I think could be better if we actually exposing our children to a wider range of cultural experiences and media.
  • NorvuNorvu
    My girlfriend (from Miami, FL) met my family (from London, UK) and they had trouble with the accents a lot. They could understand certain people fine but a lot of the time they just smiled and nodded. I've noticed quite a few people I know who are useless at accents, it's not so bad for non-Americans as we see American TV all the time and know what certain slang words mean, but it doesn't work the other way. It's like saying "Safe blood" (I do not say things like that, I'm not a chav) to someone who has just done you a favour, anyone outside the UK wouldn't know what that meant (probably).

    Canada seems like a nice place to live though.
  • fooflyfoofly
    My girlfriend (from Miami, FL) met my family (from London, UK) and they had trouble with the accents a lot. They could understand certain people fine but a lot of the time they just smiled and nodded. I've noticed quite a few people I know who are useless at accents, it's not so bad for non-Americans as we see American TV all the time and know what certain slang words mean, but it doesn't work the other way. It's like saying "Safe blood" (I do not say things like that, I'm not a chav) to someone who has just done you a favour, anyone outside the UK wouldn't know what that meant (probably).

    Canada seems like a nice place to live though.
    Sound as, mate.

    I'm no chav either. I'm from Leicester but currently in South Wales. In Newport actually. If you want to hear an odd accent, listen to that one, very strange.
  • ΣπεκωσποκΣπεκωσποκ
    I've been to Vancouver, and let me tell you: that is one awesome city to be in. There's a huge Asian community, so there's awesome food (I ate at a Malaysian restaurant that was just fantastic), and I enjoyed myself immensely while I was there. I dunno what it would be like to live there, but I definitely love it, and will likely be going back.
  • gomidoggomidog
    Canada sucks.
    Joe, you think everywhere sucks, therefore your opinion on the matter is discounted.

    I have spent a lot of time in Toronto, and I must say I really like it as a city. Very international, very clean, and the people have always been pretty friendly when I would go there.
  • VentureJVentureJ
    Canada sucks.
    Joe, you think everywhere sucks, therefore your opinion on the matter is discounted.

    I have spent a lot of time in Toronto, and I must say I really like it as a city. Very international, very clean, and the people have always been pretty friendly when I would go there.
    I used to live there, it was quite beautiful and excellent, though I personally like Vancouver better.
  • CHOIS CHOIS CHOISCHOIS CHOIS CHOIS
    Canada sucks.
    You damn Canadians and your bacon.
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    Canada sucks.
    Joe, you think everywhere sucks, therefore your opinion on the matter is discounted.

    I have spent a lot of time in Toronto, and I must say I really like it as a city. Very international, very clean, and the people have always been pretty friendly when I would go there.
    I used to live there, it was quite beautiful and excellent, though I personally like Vancouver better.
    I went up to see the Canadian side of the Niagra falls once and stayed there for a week. It was so nice and clean and the air smelled like sandwiches!
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    I went up to see the Canadian side of the Niagra falls once and stayed there for a week. It was so nice and clean and the air smelled like sandwiches!
    Sammiches, you say? Were the streets paved with cheese?
  • phurballdjphurballdj
    Ask any Canadian, Toronto is the least awesome big city in the country
    Toronto is nicer than what most Canadians outside Ontario think.

    Toronto is nowhere near as awesome as what most Torontonians think.

    Vancouver, on the other hand, is every bit as awesome as everyone says it is. :D
    (Except for the drivers. They suck. Oh, how they suck.)
  • AprecheApreche
    (Except for the drivers. They suck. Oh, how they suck.)
    People are constantly complaining that the drivers in X place suck. Where, pray tell, are the good drivers? There must be good drivers somewhere for the Vancouver drivers to be worse than.
  • RochelleRochelle
    Vancouver, on the other hand, is every bit as awesome as everyone says it is. :D
    As well as Victoria. I was there earlier this year in May. I took a bus tour of the city, and it is beautiful up there. Overall it looks pretty expensive to live there, but it would be fun to have a vacation home there.
  • AlanAlan
    edited October 2008
    (Except for the drivers. They suck. Oh, how they suck.)
    People are constantly complaining that the drivers in X place suck. Where, pray tell, are the good drivers? There must be good drivers somewhere for the Vancouver drivers to be worse than.
    As long as they are not from detroit. Damn I'm never driving to detroit ever again.
    Post edited by Alan on
  • phurballdjphurballdj
    (Except for the drivers. They suck. Oh, how they suck.)
    People are constantly complaining that the drivers in X place suck. Where, pray tell, are the good drivers? There must be good drivers somewhere for the Vancouver drivers to be worse than.
    As long as they are not from detroit. Damn I'm never driving to detroit ever again.
    Detroit drivers suck in a different way from Vancouver drivers. Detroit drivers drive with an overwhelming and aggressive sense of entitlement -- the road is theirs to do with as they will. The extremely high ratio of SUVs and pickup trucks vs. cars doesn't help, nor does no-fault insurance in Michigan (assuming the driver is actually carrying insurance).

    Vancouver drivers, on the other hand, just don't give a goddamn. I know, it's a subtle difference, but it's there. It's like trying to predict what an asshole will do ("He's going to cut me off, I know it") vs. what a raving maniac will do. At least the asshole is relatively predictable.

    But to answer Scott's question: The good drivers are probably the ones in smaller towns and out in the countryside, where they aren't pissing off and getting pissed off at their fellow drivers. :)
  • AprecheApreche
    But to answer Scott's question: The good drivers are probably the ones in smaller towns and out in the countryside, where they aren't pissing off and getting pissed off at their fellow drivers. :)
    That's a tree falling in the woods situation. Is a driver bad if there's nobody around for them to crash into?
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