Florida Bear said:
Loonies and Toonies are very convenient.
These are just some interesting things I've noticed while living here. So far it's a great country and most of the people have been very friendly. It truly is a massive melting pot of cultures which is outstanding.
I LOVE me some loonies and twonies! I always have at least $5 or $6 in change in my wallet, and sometimes I can find $25 or $35 in there, haha! I've come to detest US $1 bills, and know I know why I used to find crumpled wads of them in the hubby's pants. They're inconvenient.
As we've talked about in this thread, Canada can vary widely depending on where you are. I'm in an area of Northern Québec where it's not at ALL a melting pot. There are, like, 12 last names here. From what I've learned over the past two years, the Québécois in general (with possibly the exception of Montréal; Montréal is its own beast) identify very strongly by region and are very loyal to their "own" (their own region, traditions, others from the same place). Having said that, I've been told time and time again how "closed" this region is to outsiders. Definitely to Anglophones, but even to Francophones who come from "elsewhere" in Québec. In my experience, that's a self-fulfilling prophecy that doesn't have to be true.
I had zero expectations when I started looking for work. My French has come a long way in two years, but I don't consider myself fluently bilingual by any stretch of the imagination. I'm "functionally" bilingual, in that I can do anything I need to in French, but often without style or grace, and sometimes with much more difficulty than I'd have in English. In addition to language issues, I have a name that immediately screams "ain't from 'round here!" (My first name is Megan, not French, not even the French version of Mégane, and I took my husband's last name, which is Italian.) Even beyond that, my resumé clearly showed I had zero work experience in Canada, as all of my work experience lists Oklahoma addresses. A surprising number of people up here have actually heard of Oklahoma, but mostly only because of our tornados.
So, having said all of that, I started looking for work in May, after I finished my immigrant French courses. Zero expectations; most Anglo spouses up here don't work outside of the home. I had interviews for three different jobs within a month, despite my "outsider name" and my lack of Canadian experience. I got two job offers from those interviews. So I think people are perfectly willing to accept others who make an effort to be friendly and respectful.
keesio said:
I think Quebec feels overall threatened by the dominance of Anglo culture and feel their language/culture fading away - hence their very protectionist attitudes towards them. But this is directed more at Anglo Canada than the US.
I think you're right. My husband has called the area in which we live the "heart of separatist Québec." I find they are perhaps more accepting of Americans than Anglo Canadians up here. When I interact with people when I'm out and about (in not-great but improving French) and it comes up that I'm an American, I get a lot of kudos for my French. I always giggle at, "Your French is excellent for an American!" :-D Glad my people set the bar low to help make me look better! I think an American who came here and learned French as seen as having gone above and beyond what is expected of them, but Canadians who "never bothered" to learn French are seen as somewhat dismissive of Québécois culture.
