Canada

N_Raid · 11-08-2005 01:32AM

I've been to Vancouver a few times cos I've got relations over there. I gottta say I did hear the 'aboot' a bit. not as bad as south park make it out to be but it was there. And they did say 'eh' a bit. but i might have noticed it cos I was looking out for it. Apart from that the place was so clean and what cremo said about the scenery is so true. just ten minutes drive from my uncles house there's a national park and it just looks so stunning. And I have to say the people there are great and so friendly but at the same time it doesn't smack of fake effort like I found a lot in America with their whole 'Have a great day sir' thing, yeah you know what i mean but it's late and I can't think of a better way to describe it lol. and everything was so cheap compared to this ****hole.

But if I was to form an opinion of a stereotype from the tourists I see over here, they Hate being mistaken for Americans, and they always, ALWAYS, have a canadian flag or some other patch with a maple leaf sewn on to their backpacks.

TCamen · 11-08-2005 01:41AM

haha, how the heck do you know of degrassi??

Degrassi Junior High and the later series were on cable in Ireland and the UK on TCC/Trouble back in the 90s, quality show

I was in Toronto summer 2003, it was waaaaay too hot! Really friendly people in the city, however I have to say that they definitely do say 'aboot', and since coming back home, it's really obvious watching TV when an actor/actress is Canadian rather than American mostly because of it! I didn't hear too much of "eh" at the end of sentences like I expected (pronounced like the 'A' in nay). e.g "Nice weather, eh?"

Mossy Monk · 11-08-2005 01:55AM

the few Canadians i have met have all been really nice

but i wish customers at work would stop mistaking me for one :mad:

miss_gonzo · 11-08-2005 04:06AM

djmarkus wrote:

Oh yea and toronto is FULL of irish

really??

i havent met any and ive been here all my life

oh, actually, last st paddys day i did meet a guy from galway. that about it though. there are a lot of authetic pubs though, not the corny ones that are desperatly trying to be irish.

eskimo · 11-08-2005 04:43AM

I was in Toronto for 2 weeks in July and everyone is extra friendly - I mean everyone!! It's really nice & refreshing, it doesn't make you wanna hit them - it's not like that. They're so positive in ways Irish and UK people couldn't even comprehend! It's probably to do with their sunshine and that we dont get any over here.

I got an absolutely fantastic impression of Canadians while I was over there! I'd love to go back.

And yes, Toronto was FULL of Irish people!!

miss_gonzo · 11-08-2005 05:25AM

eskimo wrote:

I was in Toronto for 2 weeks in July and everyone is extra friendly - I mean everyone!! It's really nice & refreshing, it doesn't make you wanna hit them - it's not like that. They're so positive in ways Irish and UK people couldn't even comprehend! It's probably to do with their sunshine and that we dont get any over here.

I got an absolutely fantastic impression of Canadians while I was over there! I'd love to go back.

And yes, Toronto was FULL of Irish people!!

well i am glad you liked it here!

now how come i'm missing this influx of irish folk?? id love to meet them, man maybe im hanging out in the wrong part of town or something....

pickarooney · 11-08-2005 07:59AM

You have to listen oot for people who say 'aboush'

French-Canadians have the craziest (French-speaking) accent ever. The first couple of times I heard a guy from Québec I was convinced he was taking the piss, but no, they realy do talk like that

Canadians, in my limited experience
- hate being confused with Americans
- hate having it pointed out that they say oot and aboot (although it's definitely more of an Eastern thing)
- are dead on

I asked my sister-in-law (from BC) once were there any Canadian communities abroad and she almost had a seizure laughing at the idea of a Canuck ghetto

boo4842 · 11-08-2005 08:02AM

RuggieBear wrote:

maple leaves everywhere...clothers back packs tatoos......pathological fear of being confused as americans

This is true, and also a huge inferiority complex when it comes to Americans. Its also a national pastime (much like Irish with the English) for Canadians to get on their high horse and slag off anything American, yet you won't meet a more Americanesque people.

Best comparison I've ever heard was Ed Byrne comparing Canada to the little chicken hawk on the cartoons and the states was Foghorn Leghorn, I say... I say son, why you callin' me names?

But Canada's a great country, but I think its getting worse. I've spent most of my life here, but lived for years in Dublin, and I think Canada got a lot less friendlier and lost much of its identity. Its very multicultural, but newcommers tend to stick to their own, and don't really integrate with others, so neighbours hardly speak with each other etc.

Its much cheaper, cleaner, and has a higher standard of living than Ireland though, although the pay rate is pittance, and the holiday time and social network pale compared to Eire.

PS. I have 2 friends over from Dublin in Toronto, who moved in with 3 lads from Limerick they met at the hostel, who joined a GAA team, which has 6 different teams in the area, so there are definately a few Irish around.

Deadwing · 11-08-2005 08:21AM

Miss gonzo i love canadians...especially in a light wine sauce, mmm
/licks lips

no but seriously thanks to canada for giving us kates playground

qz · 11-08-2005 09:00AM

I love Canada, and all the people I've met over there. Great place. My one problem though is that it (Edmonton, Sherwood Park) feels like it just appeared out of nowhere. There doesn't seem to be the whole historical aspect to it. But that's not really a proper complaint.

BizzyC · 11-08-2005 09:18AM

I think that canadians are very much like americans,
although generally more intelligent and nicer.

Deadwing · 11-08-2005 09:29AM

Wertz wrote:

Our national braodcaster used to run kids from Degrassi st when I was a kid...must have got it cheap. Better than most of the american guff that aired round that time too.

Wasnt it degrassi jnr high??

Iago · 11-08-2005 09:41AM

my gfs canadian and I spent a month in Toronto last year, fantastic place, so good in fact we're looking at moving there permanently. Very friendly people, laid back and easy going...very like the Irish that way.

What's the last thing an American packs before going to Europe on Vacation?

A canadian Flag

drunkenfool · 11-08-2005 09:41AM

RuggieBear wrote:

maple leaves everywhere...clothers back packs tatoos......pathological fear of being confused as americans

haha, thats kinda funny cause most people whom i met travelling with canadian flags on their backpacks or whatever were actually american, living in fear of being thought of being..... AMERICAN. Hence the canadian flag, so people will go "hey they sound american lets get 'em" then see the canadian flag and say "oh no wait they're canadian" pause for a moment, "**** it, lets get 'em anyway!!

martha · 11-08-2005 09:47AM

Canada has produced some excellent music from time to time, but most of it makes me want to grit my teeth until they crack. Celine Dion, Anne Murray, Tragically Hip, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, K.D. Lang, Sum41, Bachman-Turner-Overdrive, Bare Naked Ladies, Alanis Morissette (Now a US Citizen), Nickelback, Bryan Adams and the like are Canada's Pride and Joy. " Canada has Sum41 AND Avril Lavigne? Holy ****! They have the POSER PUNK market cornered!. Any time a Canadian reads this post he or she will come back with "Yeah well - you lads made so-and-so crappy band," All I need to say is SNOW. Remember him? Need I say more? I particularly liked how he got on MTV News and forced a fake Jamaican accent as he talked about his Jamaican Whitey roots in the mean streets of Toronto. Canadians make such a huge fuss when their artists are accepted in the US, as though they had to overcome such a drastic language barrier and other immense cultural hurdles to be accepted in the ultra-selective world of American media; a members only club where only the very most elite, brilliant and talented people... hang on! I think my sarcasm gland is going to rupture. I got a little lightheaded for a second. OK. Any spanner who looks good and can kinda carry a tune can be famous for a few minutes in the US. I hate the American Media more than any of you, and it is for that reason that I scoff even more when you cheer because Avril Lavigne bridged the "massive cultural gap" and made enough of a "crossover" to have the "honor" of "singing" on the MTV "Music" "Awards." Your culture is TOTALLY not based on the very worst scraps of American bull**** pop culture at all!
However i must admit that the mounties do a great job and i just love your national flag

gqma0 · 11-08-2005 09:53AM

It was a child's dream to go there.

Travelled throught Ontario and Quebec 15 years ago and I loved it. Ppl are friendly and warmful.

Went back on a business trip 3 y ago to Toronto and mentality hasn't changed.

My wife's 2 cousins moved there 18 years and they're still there. Irish and canadians are the same. That makes a good combination.

CANADA is great to live there if you get used to winter.

Crucifix · 11-08-2005 09:55AM

In fairness the Bachman-Turner overdrive make up for any crap bands.

martha · 11-08-2005 10:02AM

Canadians always moan and groan when Martha makes fun of the cold up there. "You ALWAYS say that. What a cliche!" Some things bear repeating, because they're ABSOLUTELY TRUE. Canada is TOO ****ING COLD for human life. Let me explain something to you. We have a few counties like Westmeath and Cavan that get pretty ****ing miserably cold. The rest of the country thinks that the people who live in these God-forsaken places are completely ****ed in the heads for living in places where the weather BLOWS and every long, long winter is like a ****ing bitter ice age. Probably the only thing more absurd than idiots living this far north and enduring the ****ty winters there, is that an ENTIRE NATION lives even farther north!
I dont think i want to get used to that kind of weather thank you very much

drunkenfool · 11-08-2005 10:03AM

Martha your full of ****.

drunkenfool · 11-08-2005 10:07AM

I know alot of people who have lived in canada (irish People) and they say that winters here are worse. As there is absolutely no sun, it rains all the time and its a horrible wet cold and ****ing depressing.
In canada if you wrap up, the cold is very managable, and many parts of canada are sunny throughout the year. Also, parts of the west get chinook winds, and it can raise temperatures by 20 degrees in winter for weeks.

martha · 11-08-2005 10:08AM

Crucifix wrote:

In fairness the Bachman-Turner overdrive make up for any crap bands.

Yeah you'd think that and say to yourself yeah maybe i'm being harsh,lets give canada a break but then Dion creature pops into my head. Am I the only person who finds Celine Dion REALLY, REALLY unattractive and annoying? "I'm gonna quit the music business to devote my life to my geriatric cradle robber husband. Praise me for my strong values! Meanwhile, I'll be singing in Las Vegas: HOME OF CLASS!" (Two years later) "I'm BACK! BUY MY CD!!"
NOOOOOOO!!!! You were supposed to be GONE FOREVER! YOU PROMISED! IT'S LIKE YOU NEVER EVEN LEFT! THE IMAGE OF YOUR MISSHAPEN SKULL IS BURNED IN OUR RETINAS FOREVER! GO AWAY!
By the way whats the plural of moose?Whatever it is they're great too,don't get me wrong i think Canadas grand its just a few niggly things that tend to get my goat

qz · 11-08-2005 10:11AM

Martha, please shut up.

BizzyC · 11-08-2005 10:15AM

The Barenaked Ladies Kick Ass.

What, Ireland has produced better?
Well, apart from Lizzy and U2?

Boyzone, Westlife, Girls Aloud.......need I go on?

Crazy Frog was number 1 over here FFS!

martha · 11-08-2005 10:15AM

drunkenfool wrote:

I know alot of people who have lived in canada (irish People) and they say that winters here are worse. As there is absolutely no sun, it rains all the time and its a horrible wet cold and ****ing depressing.
In canada if you wrap up, the cold is very managable, and many parts of canada are sunny throughout the year. Also, parts of the west get chinook winds, and it can raise temperatures by 20 degrees in winter for weeks.

Ha are you drunk you fool?The average winter temperature in Canada ranges between -10 and -40 depending on where you are.Your buddies must be throwing the whiskey into them and have either gone mad or are just lying to you.Compare this to Irelands average Winter temperature of 3 aor 4 degrees.
Was that post a pisstake?

YeatsCounty · 11-08-2005 10:17AM

I'm going to be moving there with my girlfriend (who's lived in Manitoba, Waterdown Ontario and is currently in Montréal for college) sometime within the next two months.

So you can guess what I think of Canadians.

I have the impression of Canada being a very diverse country, full of contrasts. Any Canadians I've met (and bear in mind that I had never met any before I went backpacking in the UK and Ireland last year) have been very friendly, apart from one guy who kept very much to himself.

I agree that Canadians hate to be confused with Americans. They also enjoy coffee from Tim Hortons (Starbucks is the American Tim Horton's

).

They love their hockey, so when the NHL went on strike last season, it was probably like a sporting wake for them. That is their national game, and it includes such Canadian teams as the Montréal Canadiens (my adopted team.....I had no choice!), Toronto Maple Leaves and Edmonton Oilers, former home of Wayne Gretzky.

The Olympics were held in Montréal and, from what I've heard, the roof of the Olympic stadium has to be repaired every few years.

The drinking age varies from provence to provence, it's 19 in Quebec (I think). Canadian troops (well.....the redcoats) burned down the White House during the war of 1812.

Former Prime Ministers Trudeau and Jean Chrétien are probably the two most famous Canadian PM's. The current PM is Paul Martin.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe every provence has its own police force?

The Maple Leaf flag rocks, I have a giant one at home.

BizzyC · 11-08-2005 10:17AM

that's -10 to -40 fahrenheit......

martha · 11-08-2005 10:17AM

BizzyC wrote:

Bare Naked Ladies Kick Ass.

What, Ireland has produced better?

Boyzone, Westlife, Girls Aloud.......

Crazy Frog was number 1 over here FFS!

Sorry darling but girls aloud are a british group,just because 20% of the group comes from derry this doesnt mean we can claim them(unfortunately,as i think they have some good tunes,anybody who doesnt like love machine is a liar)

qz · 11-08-2005 10:19AM

martha wrote:

Ha are you drunk you fool?Your buddies must be throwing the whiskey into them and have either gone mad or are just lying to you.
Was that post a pisstake?

A bit harsh no?

martha · 11-08-2005 10:22AM

qz wrote:

A bit harsh no?

Just read it back and yes you are right,it was totally harsh,i've got a little bit of an anger management problem i'm afraid and tend to type without thinking,no offence meant to drunken fool.Respect to my buddy

toiletduck · 11-08-2005 10:23AM

in my experience i've found that canadians aren't that much different than the yanks.

Canada

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