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What the World Thinks of Canada |
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Chapter 3 - Canadian Travelers Opinions |
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Jessica Tudos 28 years old Toronto, Ontario Occupation: Director of the Friends World China Centre, a university study abroad programmed on experiential learning based out of Long Island University.
Travels: USA, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, India, Vietnam, Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong , Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, China, Russia, Hungary, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Vatican, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Holland, Greece, former Yugoslavia, England
As a Canadian living and working abroad, not to mention always looking for opportunities to travel, the question of “what does the world think of us and our country?” poses some serious thought. What does the world think of any one nationality or country, and a country as far-reaching and diverse as ours...how to summarize? I wish I knew what I thought of Canadians and Canada itself, but I am slowly realizing that the “answer” lies in posing more questions. It also lies in listening to others and trying to make sense of their feedback. Is this possible? I am grateful to be part of the literary quest to find “answers,” and can only hope that by sharing with you some of my own personal reflections, you will have more questions. Having said that, I do at the moment live in a foreign country, and have opportunities to be the ambassador for our country as the only Canadian residing in Hangzhou, China. I feel isolated yet empowered in this situation. However, I must say I feel extremely proud when someone inadvertently says, “Where are you from in America?” and I say, “I’m Canadian actually, and come from Toronto.” That feels good, and suddenly a feeling of renewed “Canadianess” hits me. Images of an immaculately manicured front lawn, a big open backyard, summer bar-b-q’s and iced coffees, and the freedom to drive safely, also become Canada and I am reminded of what being Canadian means to me. This feeling is what I project on others and what they, in turn, will base some of their Canadian assumptions on. I must add here that there being American is admirable, if indeed you are, but since I am not I used it as an example. Besides, it is the most common greeting I have heard as of late! In order to not only listen but hear what non-Canadians have to say about us, we must, many times, be the country. As an individual you may be the only Canadian someone will ever meet. At what point does the personal cross over to the general or nationalistic? This is a fine line to draw, and not one that comes naturally. Maybe it’s not even necessary, or is it? But this is not about me, or about how we deal with assumptions, this is about other peoples perceptions about Canada, and about Canadians. But how can we, as individual Canadians, write anything about perceptions without using our own backgrounds, experiences, successes, failures, and surprises as a reference? For those of us who have been fortunate enough to step outside our boundaries and access other parts of the world, it is sheer joy to be able to connect seeing, feeling, investigating, adventuring, touching, and “living” another reality, one that we do not come from or know. This may be how some of us listen and learn. It is during personal encounters that we come across non-Canadians who may or may not know much about us, may or may not know how to deal with us, but want to share their ideas. This is the motivation for my personal travels and adventures, travels that have taken me to almost 40 countries on 5 continents. But this is not about numbers, as I relish the chance to find that special connection, that special encounter, and be utterly surprised by the unexpected. I thought that by working in one location for over a year would taint my sense of discovery, but to the contrary, Chinese people usually feel comfortable enough with me to share their views on Canada. Long journeys and short ones, and all the ones in between, enlighten us, if we are ready to listen. People who are ready to share will. I’d like to share with you some of the comments I’ve received over the years from those who could share, at a time when I could listen. In thinking about many of the discussions I’ve had with foreigners concerning their view of the country, the people and “Canadianess”, certain themes emerge. Namely, there are language, space and politeness. It is through these themes that I can attempt to look not only at our country and it’s people, but also my connection to them. Language would be the first theme, eh? This is an obvious one, especially among fellow North Americans. Aren’t Bob and Doug MacKenzie fictional characters? Didn’t that show go off the air in the 80’s? Do people even know they were acting?” When I hear, “Do Canadians really say eh?”, I just say, “Eh?” and look really confused. Perhaps I am not helping to clarify things but it sure feels good. It is only after this little self-indulgence that I explain to people that some people say that and others don’t. Funny how many people have a friend in Canada who does say “eh” eh? When people start speaking French to me automatically, I have to plunge deep into the recess of my grade 11 mind to pull out a response. I grew up speaking English, one of our official languages, while others grew up speaking French, a different language, or several languages. This comes as a surprise to many, who think French is our only language. “On the news they say that French Canadians are doing many things to rouse the government, they don’t talk about the English Canadians that way.” An interesting thought, is it because Canadians are assumed to be English? Or is it that news people tend to expose the “underdogs” in many cases? Canadians would be hard pressed to answer this, but it comes up among foreigners. Though I must add that during the most recent referendum, awareness of the issues and challenges that faced Canadians was very high among the global community. The language was clear, and many foreigners felt drawn to our situation, drawn to our decision and drawn to our language. Space. Big space. Big, open space. Big, open, cold space. Big, open, cold, sparsely populated space. I think the pattern is clear. Canada is a huge, well, space where every person can have their own house, it takes hours, if not days, to reach cities, you have to fly everywhere and there is room for others. Especially in China, where space is sacred, secured or scarred, Canadian space is alluring. There is a notion that there are plenty of spaces for immigrants of all levels, backgrounds, races, etc. The issue of immigration control and limitation does not seem to connect to Canada. Space to live, space to raise a family safely, and space to find a job - these are assumptions held by many by non-Canadians I have met. Is there a naive sense of our country in those comments? Or rather a hope that maybe things are better in Canada than they are in the speakers homeland? One can only ponder, and continue to ask back. The idea that Canadians enjoy summer, in shorts, swimming, tanning, playing sports, relaxing with friends and family, sweating no doubt, this may be a surprise to those who think we live on ice. Could it be those ice beer commercials? The Inuit posters that promote tourism in the North? All I know is that inevitably a look of bewilderment will form when, after the comment, “but it’s always cold there isn’t it?,” I mention that in Toronto it can get to be 34 degrees with close to 90% humidity, in a space filled by over three million bodies. Space, it’s all relative perhaps. Polite. That is what many people would say is a trait shared by most Canadians. We are seen as very polite people, not out to make a fuss, cause a war, steal from others, turn away those in need or ignore anyone. We are seen as traditionalists, in between the British and American culture. Perhaps this is a rather simplistic view of us, but aren’t many of our encounters. Not all though! To the world travelers on the road, the backpacker crowd as it were, we Canadians are closely linked to the Australians, with our sense of adventure and laid-back attitudes. We come across as friendly and open, if not a bit conservative and naive, with a strong sense of Canadian pride in the form of a flag sewn onto some article of our clothing or luggage. That’s a polite way of telling people where you’re from right? Even our superstars are polite, from Celine Dion and her bilingual singing, to Bryan Adams and his foray into the opera world. And how about our Prime Minister, he is polite, so polite that many people do not know who he is. Is diplomacy polite? Hockey stars are not very well known outside of North America and Europe, perhaps their sometimes rowdy nature strays too far from the polite meter. But not our U.N. peace-keeping force, they are highly regarded for their “polite” action around the world. Oh! Canada...our home and native land. But to who? Those who have legal passports from the government? Pay taxes? Speak both official languages? Play hockey? Drink strong beer? Ski in the winter? The list could go on and on. Funny how these items didn’t really make on the list of answers for “What do you think of Canada and Canadians?” Perhaps these are my own stereotypes of what it means. More importantly, I have realized that it is easy to take for granted what you have, and that by sharing some of what you have, and letting others share with you, a connection is made. It is only through these actions that others gain a sense of us. Just as Canada is a unique place, so is that interaction. Ultimately, Canadian or not, we are human and the power of communication transcends boundaries.
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J. Tony Mendes 29 years old Toronto, Ontario
Occupation: A geography teacher in theory, but an EFL teacher in practice (working abroad)
Travels: North America, Western European countries , Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Senegal and The Gambia (in West Africa).
Like a growing number of disillusioned young Canadians, I've had to go abroad to gain my work experience. So when one of my Czech or Portuguese students of English asks what brought me to their country I, as honestly and politely as I can, explain that it's not their country per se that's so appealing but my country that is increasingly unappealing. If others are projecting a similar image, some people in other countries will certainly be getting an ambiguous picture of Canada. Is Canada still that small-scale version of America, land of opportunity? Well, based I my experience, unlike their ancestors, I think that an increasing number of western Europeans see things that way. While abroad I’ve realized that there isn’t any consistent universal opinion or stereotype for Canadians. I’ve found that the British seem to know the most about Canadians (our Commonwealth heritage?). But in conversations I discovered that there often appears to be one salient feature about Canada. To the British, vegetarian nation par excellence, we often come across as a heartless nation of baby seal killers. To the ‘green’ Germans we are irresponsible polluters and abusers of the natural environment. To the fish-loving Iberians we are a bunch of uptight conservationists in the land where a cousin or uncle lives. To the culturally proud French, we are quaint, funny sounding Francophones. To the newly democratic Czechs we are friendly (if naïve) hosts for refugees, immigrants, and elite ice hockey players. To the Gambians in Africa, we are a peaceful and wealthy nation that provides them with NGO volunteers and hope. The list would no doubt continue in a similar fashion for other countries. For many people I was the first Canadian they had ever met ( I hope I left them with a favourable image of our country). Most people know Canada as an importer and not an exporter of immigrants. In my travels I’ve never come across any Canadian immigrant ghetto overseas: no Canadian newspapers, community centres or businesses (except for an Acadian restaurant in Vienna, I think). Therefore, the absence of Canadian immigrant communities abroad makes it difficult to have contact, and in turn form opinions of Canadians. Thus, opinions, are mostly based upon geography class, media stories and contact with tourists in their respective countries, none of which appear to be significant. (Most people do seem to know from their geography lessons in school that Canada is a large country with a small population.) My colleagues overseas (mostly British, American and Irish) do not see Canadians as drastically different from themselves. They do see us as being proud, albeit a bit insecure. “What ya mean you never heard of Blue Rodeo!? … We invented basketball, you know…. Did you know that the CN tower…” etc. etc. Yeah, my colleagues are tired of hearing this sort of ‘fascinating’ conversation. ‘Why,’ they often ask ‘do you always carry a Canada flag stitched on you backpacks, huh?’ A good question. ‘To show people that we aren’t Americans.’ Yep, I’d say we are quite insecure. On the other hand, no one has ever shouted any obscenities at me because they realized I was a Canadian.
* Monique Jacqueline CasimirPRIVATE 24 years old Niagara Falls, Ontario
Occupation: Teacher, Tutor, Technical Assistant
Travels: England, Yugoslavia, Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, France ,Spain, Belgium, Holland, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, the USA, Fiji and Australia.
Neutral like the Swiss. This I have often heard said about Canadians. We're neither here nor there but we certainly do not like to be mistaken for our American counterparts but then a Kiwi doesn't like to be mistaken for an Aussie or a Mexican for a Spaniard. I think we're as patriotic as the next guy even though we are the only people who travel with our nation's flag stuck to our packs. Many are easily convinced that we take residence in igloos and drink beer all night while in the daylight hours (which are few due to our northern location) we hunt caribou. They are surprised to hear that it does get hot in our short summer months and are just as shocked to hear that, yes, we are the biggest country in the world (geographically, of course). To the Europeans we are so very young and they mock us when we brag about our hundred year old buildings. Some also laugh at our pathetic political dilemmas which provoke separatism simply because of two official languages while they are trying to unite about a dozen countries, cultures and languages. Rocky mountains, snow, Niagara Falls and lots-o-lakes, all clean and pure. This is the picture they have of our country. They come to visit and are disappointed to hear that they cannot get from Toronto to that "French speaking part" in less than an hour. Those who live on the other side of the planet don't know too much about us since we don't make the news all too often, which is fine because if they turn around and ask me who their leader of the country is I may not know either. I can honestly say that I've never heard anyone in any country say" I f-ing hate Canadians!!" So I think as far as the global perception of Canadians goes, we're doing O.K.
* Rachel Alexander 25 years old Toronto, Ontario
Occupation: Paediatrics Resident at Hospital for Sick Children
Travels: England, France, Egypt and Israel
I used to be somewhat nervous travelling, likely because I was born in England and getting on a plane meant going for a family function. As a second year medical student I traveled for three months to England, France, Egypt and Israel. In Egypt, the most common comment I heard on revealing I was Canadian, was "Oh, Canada Dry" accompanied by hilarious laughter. In Israel, I worked on a Kibbutz for a month milking cows, the dairy manager thought I was a good worker until I caused a seven cow pile-up in the milking parlor. Most people from Europe are not really sure where Canada is located, or if it is separate from the United States. My relatives in England think of it a far off place, but do not have any concept of what it would be like to live there. They all comment on my accent and we have great language barrier problems despite the fact we both speak English. Canada is seen as a somewhat neutral country, I met a traveller in Israel who carried a key chain with a Canadian flag because he felt safer to be identified as Canadian than American. Personally I feel great pride in sewing my flag to a backpack and having people approach me because they identify the flag as Canadian. |
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