Since immigrating to Canada has become a growing trend in Indian communities, I have seen many people debating whether moving to this country is a good or bad decision. Some compare the luxuries with back home, while some don’t like the hard work you have to do here. In my case, I have made a list of 10 different things in Canada that are different from India. I hope they will help if you are making up your mind to move here or are a new immigrant.
Women power.
My colleague once jokingly told me that only 2 kinds of species are important in Canada, Women and dogs. That is quite right. Women have much independence here. I have worked late nights and early mornings and I have never felt unsafe anywhere. From workplaces to Educational institutions, Sexual harassment is considered a serious offence and strict actions are taken against it.
Guess what! There is no caste system in Canada.
I won’t say that there is no class or division in the society, but the lines are blurred, or it can be put this way that nobody is asked their caste even before their name!! Societies are divided based on education and income. Immigrants have an equal opportunity to earn and get educated to earn high levels in Canadian societies.
Any job is equally respected.
Unlike back home where people were allotted duties as per their castes and they continue to do so even in today’s date, the scene is a bit different here. I have seen people taking pride in whatever they do. You could be a general labour or pizza maker or a manager, you will be equally respected.
Every cent matters.
Debt has an easy way to get to you If you don’t watch your spending habits. It is so easy to spend money here that you only realize how much you have spent once you see your credit card bills. Shopping stores have so many techniques to allure customers. People forget their budgets on boxing days and Black Fridays. With the easy methods of payment, it becomes even more difficult to resist spending the money.
Politeness is the key.
This implies everywhere in the world. But Canadians are very soft-spoken and polite people. So, if you are planning to make this country your home, beware that you automatically are expected to say as much “please” and “thank you” as possible.
Customer is always right.
Canadian retail stores have excellent policies in store to offer every convenience to the customers. You don’t like what you bought, you can return or exchange it very conveniently. Even in the restaurants, if you didn’t like what you ordered, get your order changed and it will be totally on the house!! I think the most dreaded sentence for any employee from an angry and disappointed customer is “I need to talk to your manager.” Epic it is 😀
Everything is affordable buy-able
Thanks to the credit cards and easy installments, you can buy most of the things (not as pricey as a chopper of course). For things as small as a dress to a car, you can buy to your heart’s desires. The tricky thing is these credit card companies charge high interest which makes you indebted easily.
Family is something you see occasionally.
This practice is quite new to all the immigrants who want to keep their close. The parent-child bond is different in every culture. From what I have concluded from looking into the life of people who have lived in Canada all their lives, is that their children move out once they can stand on their own and feet and see them only at family gatherings and special days.
Mental health is above all.
We even have a vacation day here called ‘Mental health day’. A day meant for complete relaxation. Perhaps everyone knows how stressful life gets once you become an adult, even the schools want to keep everything as easy as possible for the kids.
Mind your own business.
I noticed here that people do not like to stick noses in anyone else’s business. Stares and questions are next to a minimum as compared to my lovely home country.
Google is the best.
When I first came to Canada, I had to find a xerox machine and I didn’t know where to do it because, unlike India, you cannot find one place in a 1.5 km radius where you can get all the services. Here you have to find a plaza where Staples is, and then go there to xerox, even if it is 2 copies. The point is, being a developed country, everything is systemized. So, you might wanna google a few things which seem new to you in this Country.
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