The Student Room Group

Canadian Soc anyone?

Hey guys,

I've noticed quite a few Canadians/fans of Canada on these here forums so, If I created one, would anyone be interested in joining a Canadian society? I guess the purpose would be to meet and chat with others who live/have been there and share experiences, tips on where to visit and the the things we love about Canada (Timbits and toques anyone?) !

:smile:

EDIT: You can now join by clicking on the society's tab and clicking join next to this entry in the list

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Reply 1
I would, I'm not Canadian but I am going there later in the year and therefore want to know as much as possible!
Reply 2
sure, i'm up for that, though my knowledge is highly restricted to toronto
I'd join. I'm going to Vancouver in a month :biggrin:
Reply 4
Pro Gryffindor Seeker
I'd join. I'm going to Vancouver in a month :biggrin:


Ah, me too, though probably in more like 2-3 months. What are you going there to do?
Reply 5
I lived in Vancouver for a yr...it was amazing...anything you want to know then just ask...:smile:

I'm off out now but will set up the soc when I'm back!
Count me in, I'll represent the small province....go Team PEI!
RL99
Ah, me too, though probably in more like 2-3 months. What are you going there to do?

I'm going to look at UBC, and explore :biggrin: You?
Reply 8
Miss Tink
I lived in Vancouver for a yr...it was amazing...anything you want to know then just ask...:smile:

I'm off out now but will set up the soc when I'm back!


Yeah, actually there's loads of things I'd like to know, would a private message be mroe appropriate though (don't want to bore everyone else with my ramblings)?

Pro Gryffindor Seeker
I'm going to look at UBC, and explore You?


Well I'm already at University so I have a degree waiting for me here to be finished in 2007-8, so I'm going there to work/explore/meet people principally.
Reply 9
RL99
Yeah, actually there's loads of things I'd like to know, would a private message be mroe appropriate though (don't want to bore everyone else with my ramblings)?


Nah, shoot away here, it might help others!!!


YOU CAN NOW JOIN THIS SOCIETY :smile: Click on the society's tab and click 'join' next to our entry in the list :smile:
Reply 10
Miss Tink
Nah, shoot away here, it might help others!!!


YOU CAN NOW JOIN THIS SOCIETY :smile: Click on the society's tab and click 'join' next to our entry in the list :smile:


I've done so, if you'll allow me in :wink:

Right, questions then (regarding Vancouver, some might apply to Canada more generally)...

1) Where exactly did you live, do you know what sort of areas Students (or those on a similar budget) might live? Any areas that should be avoided?
2) How is the nightlife and other forms of entertainment there?
3) How expensive was it?
4) It's been mentioned there are plenty of jobs available in the area, did you work and how much did you get paid?
5) How do British and Canadian people compare (though there is considerable regional variation within the UK, but any general points)?
6) What's the weather and temperatures like (I've read comparably mild), and how much variation is there in number of hours of daylight?
7) Are there any crazy laws that might confuse someone from the UK?
8) Any dangerous/exotic wildlife in the area (I know there are bears but I'm not daft, I assume you don't see them walking down the street every day)?
9) What's the public transport like - clean/reliable/cheap (all the things most British public transport isn't)?
10) Sort of extension to the above, can you get around easily without a car?
11) Do Canadian girls like the various UK accents (he he:wink: ...sorry)?

Think that's enough for now, did say I had a load to ask!
Reply 11
1) Where exactly did you live, do you know what sort of areas Students (or those on a similar budget) might live? Any areas that should be avoided?
I lived in East Vancouver just off commercial drive. I'd say pretty much anywhere is cool. People say to avoid living in the downtown east-side becuase it's kinda the 'rough' area of the city with lots of drug addicts and street people and slum hotels but there is still some quite nice accom. there and I never felt unsafe. The people can be fun to talk to, take 'em for coffee!!

2) How is the nightlife and other forms of entertainment there?
Quite good really :smile: Lots of ace and quite cheap places to eat, shops open late ('til like 10pm in some places), lots of movie theaters and if you like the theatre then Granville Island has lots and you can get cheap tickets from tourist info centre. As for general night-lifether are quite a few clubs and bars on Graville and Robson street way, which is where most people head.

3) How expensive was it?
More expensive than other Canadian cities! I found the food, in general, more expensive than in Toronto but clothes about the same.

4) It's been mentioned there are plenty of jobs available in the area, did you work and how much did you get paid?
I did voluntary work. There do seem to be lots of jobs around though. Tipping is a must if you go out for meals etc becuase waiters don't get paid much and rely on the 15% tip...so that's worth remembering when looking for work.

5) How do British and Canadian people compare (though there is considerable regional variation within the UK, but any general points)?
Canadians are so much friendlier! People always chat away with you on public transport unlike in the UK!


6) What's the weather and temperatures like (I've read comparably mild), and how much variation is there in number of hours of daylight?
The weather in generally milder than the south on England :smile: It snowed a couple of times when I was there which was nice but was uncommon for Vancouver! Vancouver is technically a rainforest area, so it does rain quite a bitin th winter, mainly October-March but you can cope :smile:. I have no idea about the daylight - sorry!

7) Are there any crazy laws that might confuse someone from the UK?
Ummm... J-walking (crossing the road away from designated crossing points) is illegal but I never got arrested for it! Other than that and tipping (15%...not a law but something you'll be frowned upon for not doing) nothing I remember!

8) Any dangerous/exotic wildlife in the area (I know there are bears but I'm not daft, I assume you don't see them walking down the street every day)?
Umm funny you should say that.Check here. lol. They do have bear warnings in some neighbourhoods but seeing them isn't an everyday thing. There have been a few Coyotes about too, but nothing to worry about.

9) What's the public transport like - clean/reliable/cheap (all the things most British public transport isn't)?
Transport in Van is good. There's a skytrain (kinda a cross between train/tram/underground) which covers the downtown area well and also travels to and from areas outside of Vancouver and there are lots of bus routes so you generally never have to wait too long (although sometimes as many as 6 buses come at once!!). There's an excellent transport website here with a route planner that tells you what buses to catch etc to get where you want. You can get an adult month pass for about $70 which, if you're using transport a lot, is worth it. It works by a zone basis which you'll understand when you get there.You can still do a zone top-up for $1 though.Otherwise it's $2.25 for a 'fare transfer' which you can use on any of the transport in your zone for an hour and a half before it expires. At weekends and after 6.30pm you can go into any zone with one ticket/pass so, for example, you can go accross to North Vancouver or into Burnaby etc for once price. Sorry if that doesn't make much sense! If you're a student you might get a student pass for cheap which I have seen being used but I don't know much about but the website link I've given you should tell you somewhere.
Oh, and yah..it's generally quite clean,the skytrain in particular, although some of the older buses can be a bit manky but I only found that because the buses in my uk hometown are lovely and new!


10) Sort of extension to the above, can you get around easily without a car?
Yes. Definately.. although the Airport's quite far from downtown so buses to and from are a bit of a pain because, unless you pay a ton for the shuttle you have to make a couple of changes and change zones although it is doable.

11) Do Canadian girls like the various UK accents (he he:wink: ...sorry)?
People though I was from Australia! lol! I have a pretty much generic English accent but I know some Canadians who have trouble understanding Brits with stronger regional accents....one kid couldn't understand how and friend and I could be from the same country yet talk totally differently!

I've added my MSN to my user-profile if you want more specifics :smile:
Reply 12
Sorry, didn't see y'alls requests! You've all been added!

Hope you like the gif for the soc pic :smile:
Reply 13
Miss Tink
People though I was from Australia! lol!


Yes, what is it with that? SO many people think I'm from Australia, and its just plain weird, cos I have a really English accent. Although me and my co-workers have come up with a theory that people in a foreign country start mimicking the local accent without meaning to or realising they are doing it. So when an English person starts trying to speak Canadian they sound Australian (vaguely). Does that make any sense or are we just way too bored at work?!
Reply 14
Yah, I think that's totally right as I did pick up a bit of a Canadian twang!!
It's a good theory, but I think as a whole, Canadians just really suck at guessing accents. We can identify that someone isn't speaking like we do, but when it comes to guessing where they're from, we're basically clueless. It goes something like this:

Irish person: Excuse me, can you tell me where to find Niagra Falls?
Canadian: Hey, you're not from around here, eh?
Irish person: No, I'm just visiting
Canadian: You talk funny
Irish person: Um...
Canadian: You're Australian, arent ya?
Irish person: No actually, I'm from Ireland
Canadian: Oh okay, you've got a British accent then
Irish person: *highly insulted*
Canadian: Lets go watch hockey, eh?

Basically, if someone doesn't have a Canadian accent, they're either Australian, British, or from the United States.
Reply 16
One guy couldn't decide whether I was german or scottish!!!
See! We have no idea what anything sounds like so we just take random guesses! It's like "okay, I've narrowed it down...either you're speaking Hindu, or Scottish. It has to be one or the other".
Reply 18
kitten with a whip
See! We have no idea what anything sounds like so we just take random guesses! It's like "okay, I've narrowed it down...either you're speaking Hindu, or Scottish. It has to be one or the other".


See this to me sounds mad, the accents in the UK seem to change every few miles, so with a country the size of Canada you'd assume there'd be loads of variation in accents...is this not the case? How different is it to a Northern US accent?
We do have different accents here, and we can tell our own accents apart, just not anybody else's!
Someone from Newfoundland sounds completely different than someone from Alberta. People from Toronto tend to have some kind of drawl...they say Toronto like "Trawna". I'm from the province where "eh" was born. Everyone makes fun of Canadians saying eh, and everyone in Canada makes fun of the people from Prince Edward Island for saying eh.
We sound different from some Americans, it just depends on where they come from. The biggest difference between our accents is that Americans tend to be more drawn out while Canadians shorten things. Americans will say abowt and Canadians will say aboot.

Any other accent questions? :biggrin:

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