Anecdotes about studying in Canada

A few years ago, a friend called from Shanghai and said that China and Canada are both multi-ethnic countries, with similar land areas (ranking third and second in the world respectively) and sharing the same hero Bethune. He asked me to write about the similarities and differences between China and Canada, especially the differences. My intuition is that this is a job that requires a lot of information, and I will be overwhelmed. Coupled with those strange feelings when I first came to Canada, I dare not rashly promise my friend's kindness. A few years passed quickly, and information about Canada came from nothing, but those strange feelings disappeared. There is only one way to keep those feelings a few years ago: to get in close contact with mainland compatriots who have been coming to Canada. 20 10 10 10 is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada. Before and after this, many books about Maple Leaf Country were published, which made me very happy and gave me an idea: to record the strange feelings I had with my new immigrant friends.

Interesting stories about studying abroad 1. Air Canada: No fairies.

In the late 1970s, when people upstairs were still fighting a belly lawsuit and debating whether to engage in it, the daring Wenzhou people had already started to go it alone. In order to find a way out, people in Xiaogang Village, Anhui Province also tried their best to go it alone. Until the person who agreed to do it upstairs had the final say, honest and loyal people from all over the country did it like Wenzhou people and Xiaogang village people.

This is a great thing. People who were hungry and naked a few years ago suddenly became warm and full, and some people became rich. Civil aviation planes, which used to mainly serve officials and foreigners, suddenly poured into many ordinary people. Yadong's song "The Condor Heroes" tells a lot of people's yearning for flying. The song also sings:? Fairy stewardess elegant arrival? ..？ , with a hint of rose depicts this yearning.

I dare not say that people fly for the gods, but I dare say that passengers are making choices of transportation. Fairy stewardess? It must be one of the influencing factors. Anyway, the blue sky-white clouds-beautiful women-plane has been fixed in the cerebral cortex of our passengers until we boarded the flight of Air Canada.

In the late 1990s, I was in and out of Canada for the first time, and it was also the first time that I took an Air Canada plane. Several old ladies greeted us at the door of the engine room. One of them, if in China, should be retired at home, playing mahjong, dancing and playing Tai Ji Chuan every day. We were surprised to find that the fairy stewardess had disappeared, leaving only kind empty wives and empty women. During the flight, a gentleman accompanied his empty wife and empty girl to deliver water and meals, and an camel hair vest was covered with a short-sleeved T-shirt. The empty shell uncle's dress surprised us people in suits and ties from the mainland. I never imagined that in a few years, I would often dress up as this empty-shell uncle, which is strange.

At that time, the Arctic route had not been opened, and it took 10 hour to transfer in Tokyo from Shanghai to Vancouver. It's hard to stay in my seat for a long time. Whenever I get a chance, I leave my seat and walk around, or everyone is asleep. I go to the seat next to the stewardess's workshop and read a book by the light leaking from the slightly open window. My behavior was put aside by smiling Anna? Fairy stewardess? It was also severely stopped by a serious flight attendant of United Airlines. Only on Air Canada flights can I leave my seat freely. Air Canada stewardesses, stewardesses and grandfathers not only don't interfere with me, but also kindly ask me what help I need, and sometimes sit down and talk to me.

Interesting stories about studying abroad II. The disappearing suit and tie

These generations, who grew up with the new China, were not only excited, confused and hungry, but also crazy, awakened and proud of this troubled land. They have also been confused and popular by this difficult land.

Lenin's big lapel double-breasted clothes were popular when he was too young or not born. Popular? New three years, old three years, and three more years of sewing? Some of them were infected when installing the patch. The popularity of green military uniforms is something that many of them will come to. The green military uniform without the cap badge and collar was later replaced by a suit and tie with shiny leather shoes, which made this fashionable fashion last forever.

This kind of truly qualified foreign goods appeared in the state banquet where people of different colors were mixed, and also appeared on the table of ordinary people. They have become a symbol of the country's coming out of the closed state, and they have also become a symbol of enlightenment and enterprising for young people and even the elderly. In short, wearing a suit and tie is fashionable and elegant. Even if it's wrinkled, even if it's made of poor material, it's also a fashion and noble identity.

With this knowledge of the whole people, this imported product has more endurance than other costumes, and it also has universality that people's representatives can't match. Therefore, in our imagination, they are good things to wear everywhere. When we suddenly saw an empty uncle wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and vest in the cabin of Air Canada, there was no doubt that he belonged to the West, so we were naturally surprised. However, weird, not just on the plane. After setting foot on this land of American neighbors, all kinds of strange feelings have never left our self-righteous people in suits and ties.

We come from an orderly country. This is orderly and is associated with uniforms. In addition to the uniform uniforms of the army and police at the national level, there is also a unified army of urban management, industry and commerce, taxation and security in the prosperous times. While suits and ties are increasingly becoming the packaging of official business and economic activities, the army of uniforms is also growing. This striking uniform army is everywhere, and we can't imagine what kind of situation the society would be without it. What makes us wonder is that in Canada, a country with complete race, developed economy and low crime rate, people wearing suits are rarely seen, let alone people wearing law enforcement uniforms.

10 years, it's hard to believe that I've only seen people in military uniforms three times. One was in Niagara Falls, which coincided with the Memorial Day of World War II. A group of veterans who had already retired marched in procession wearing military uniforms of that era and medals on their chests. I met the same person twice, a friend I met in Canada: once, he came to my house soon after he joined the army, and his whole body surprised me; Once at a party at his home, he put on his military uniform and took a group photo with everyone.

As for industry and commerce and taxation, the bidding company only needs to pay tens of yuan to check whether the names are duplicate, and it can be done in less than an hour without registered capital. No one wears a uniform that shows authority. Tax payment is done by mail or online, and I have never seen a tax official so far. The police, perhaps the most uniformed person in Canada, can't compare with the big cities of my dear motherland. It is rare to see them without traffic lights and suddenly caught in traffic jams. Of course, if you have a car accident or other accidents, they will also appear in front of you soon.

In this out-and-out western country, the suit popular in my hometown, strangely, has become a rarity and stands out. Travel shoes and casual clothes are actually common clothes for most people to go to work. People who want to see suits and ties are said to go to Financial Street, where white-collar workers wear uniform suits to work. Second, to the tourist spots, compatriots from the motherland who come to Canada for the first time can meet your peeping requirements. In my company, I only see the big manager wearing a suit, which is an external activity less than once a month on average. A very rich friend of mine and his party paid a short visit to China. Besides sleeping, they always wear suits and shoes everywhere. When my friend appeared in the company where I worked so seriously, he was misunderstood as a customer representative at home.

Rustic, Canadians are really rustic. After living in Canada for several years, my family and I have unconsciously returned to our native land. As soon as we returned home, close relatives and friends quietly reminded us whether we could change our clothes and image. My wife's sister even said rudely that her sister was not dressed as well as the migrant workers on the street. In Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park, there are entrepreneurs who have returned from studying abroad. My former colleagues told me that they could tell which one came back from Canada at a glance, because their clothes and dresses really couldn't keep up with the progress of our compatriots! And I listened to their advice and only nodded with a fever.

Interesting stories about studying abroad III. Country of country people

My compatriots in my country, it is very accurate and insightful to summarize Canadians with hillbillies.

? Rustic? It is said that it originated from farmers who grow crops who deal with the land all day. Corresponding to it, right? Western style? . That's the patent of city people, who enjoy the fruits of farmers' land treatment and don't have to touch the soil themselves. I have discussed with my partners from the mainland why Canada, one of the seven industrialized countries in the west, is so rustic, and its residents wear casual clothes and sports shoes and travel all over the world. We know that Canada is a village. In the words of Chengdu people, living in Canada means living in rural dam head. The people in Xiangbatou are hillbillies, and hillbillies are not rustic. That's weird.

It is often said that it is the environment that determines people's character and behavior. Perhaps it is the rural environment in Canada that determines the people who have stayed in this land for a long time, so that our city compatriots can see at a glance that they are all so rustic.

Ottawa and Beijing are the capitals of Canada and China respectively, but they can't be compared at all. Take any district in Beijing as an example, whether it is prosperous, the scale of urban construction or the population, it will surpass Ottawa. In front of Beijing, Ottawa can only be regarded as a small county at most, and it can't be as bustling as Beijing, and it has to go to the streets on wheels.

Toronto and Shanghai are the largest cities in Canada and China, but the gap is too big. Shanghai has a population of nearly 20 million, while Toronto has just over 2.5 million. Counting the surrounding cities? Greater Toronto? The population is only over 5 million, only with Shanghai? Foreign population? Almost. (Note 2) Compared with the height of buildings and the number of high-rise buildings, Toronto lost in a big mess. Toronto can only be a winner if it is in turn compared with an open space without buildings. Don't those open spaces with long grass and trees in summer and covered with snow and ice in winter just change the pastoral scenery of people?

Moreover, the mentality of Canadians is becoming more and more rural, which doomed them to be not only local now, but also more local in the future. When winter goes and spring comes, the compost yard set up by the government is open to the public regularly. This compost is not what we called farm compost when we were in China. They are kitchen waste and garden waste collected from households, which are turned into fertilizer after centralized treatment. Every open day, cars line up in the morning. People who volunteer to be farmers and workers are happy to shovel these free fertile soil into their bags and barrels and take them home. In spring, summer and autumn, part-time farmers engaged in garden farm work can be seen everywhere. Even the residents of apartment buildings have no private gardens, and some are part-time farmers. They enjoy farming by applying to the government for a piece of free public land. Some fresh products in the farmers' market come from these part-time farmers.

Interesting stories about studying abroad 4. One side of the soil eventually bound the city.

Maintaining the rural scenery of Canada and striving to be a part-time farmer have become the rural aspirations of Canadians to carry out rural life to the end. It is inevitable that this land will not be squeezed by industrialization and commercialization.

There is a place in southwest Toronto called Mississauga. When it was founded 36 years ago, there were only 1.5 million people, and now there are about 730 thousand people. It is already the sixth largest city in Canada, an important industrial town and transportation hub. The former green space was occupied by houses, highways, etc. The tranquility of the past was replaced by the noise of traffic, people and machinery, and the lovely rural scenery was mercilessly torn by the behemoth of the city.

Canadians who yearn for home are shocked by the rapid expansion of urban monsters. They can't tolerate their green homes being invaded by reinforced concrete. They joined the trend of green environmental protection that began in Europe, and insisted on building a strong green belt through legislation to restrain the expanding behemoth of the city and curb its reckless behavior.

Of course, not all Canadians are so stubborn and insist on going all out. Especially this pair? Earth? When their persistent pursuit hurts their chances of getting rich, they naturally have to stand up and try their best to prevent the passage of the Green Belt Bill. For example, some farmers wait for urban development to raise their land prices, but their dream of making money will be blocked after the green belt bill is passed (their fear was later proved by the fact that the land price in the green belt dropped by 30% after the establishment of the green belt). There are also real estate developers, who originally made money by urban expansion. How can they tolerate their financial resources being blocked?

However, they did not succeed. Although they are rich, money is not everything in this vast land. It is too difficult to combine money and power to form power, especially to buy public opinion. Opinion polls show that more than 90% people in Ontario support the Green Belt Act. Politicians who are scattered in different communities and have the power to repeal bills may step down against public opinion in the next election. Those who are unwilling to joke about their political future have to conform to public opinion. In 2005, the "Green Belt Law" was passed, and 6,543,800 mu of green belts were set aside in Nan 'an Province.

Interesting stories about studying abroad 5. Stupid regardless of national face.

In our vocabulary, simplicity and stupidity are often a family. Year after year in the Spring Festival Gala, the finale is usually Zhao Benshan's sketches. Zhao's sketch made the audience laugh, which was said to be a joke on farmers. Their simplicity and stupidity on the screen have made hundreds of millions of people happy and made Zhao's company rich. I'm not interested in whether this statement is pertinent or not. I find it interesting that Canadians on the other side of the world are also associated with their simplicity and stupidity.

When I first arrived in Canada, no matter which bookstore opened by foreigners, there were comfortable customer seats in it. It's not a bad idea to sit there and read a book for nothing. But in this way, will the number of people buying books be greatly reduced? Perhaps my compatriots are inclined to this idea, so we can't find customers' seats in the Chinese bookstore in Toronto. This kind of business stupidity is certainly not an isolated case. There are more stupid examples outside the business field.

In the summer of the year before last (20 10), the G8-G20 summit was held in Huntsville, a picturesque town in Ontario, and Toronto, the largest city in Canada. It is the first time that Canada has hosted such a high-standard global summit, and it is rare to host two summits at the same time in the world. The heads of rich countries and big countries have come, just like the impact of the Olympic Games and the World Expo on China, which is definitely a very embarrassing thing for Canadian. Supposedly, newspapers, radio stations and TV stations should sing praises for this great event, and all Canadians should be flushed and extremely proud. Strangely, the media does not come out to support the national face, and taxpayers do not buy the account of the national face.

The media not only focuses on whether the content of the summit is beneficial to the world, but also focuses on whether the expenses of the conference are reasonable and whether taxpayers' money is wasted. Before the meeting, the media vehemently accused the artificial lake and artificial scenery in the news center of being unnecessary, and criticized the isolation belt in the venue area for disturbing the people. After the security premium was made public, it was like a frying pan, and it was overwhelming in the media. During the summit, anti-poverty organizations, environmental groups and even gay groups also organized large-scale demonstrations. There were several clashes with the police during the demonstration, and some people were arrested in the clashes.

The organizers of the demonstration and the residents of the summit venue not only failed to think from the overall situation of national face, but even took the police and the government of the summit organizer to court. The court is not affiliated with the government or any political group, and actually ruled that some of them were lost by the police and the government. People have to let go and give economic compensation to the winner.

Stupid Canadians, taxpayers' union. In order to let people know and criticize the profligacy of the three levels of government, the alliance created? Teddy government garbage award? (Teddy Government Waste Award)

Attention. On February 8th, the League held the13rd award ceremony on Capitol Hill. The G8/G20 Summit, which spent more than 65438+ billion on security, was chosen as the most wasteful project of the federal government. The government of Ontario won the Teddy Award because it paid 56 million yuan in severance pay to a group of tax officials who were not really unemployed. They just changed the PST tax collector on the business card to the HST tax collector, so everyone got 45 thousand yuan. In 20 10, Miao Dawei, the mayor of Toronto, won the lifetime achievement award for increasing the operating budget of several cities by 44% (2.8 billion yuan), the municipal government debt by 65.438 billion yuan, and the annual property tax increase exceeding inflation. Do not give face to the government and government officials representing the country!

What's even more surprising is that in such a country where demonstrations are more lively than summits, the government is always scolded but not praised, and the media only criticizes public power without praising it, there is no one complaining and complaining. Good social order does not need high walls, iron bars and security forces to maintain; People of different races, beliefs, political views and backgrounds can actually live in harmony.

Note: Canadian Taxpayers Union? Teddy government garbage award? (Teddy Government Waste Award) was founded in 1999 and has won 13 awards in succession. Every year, the taxpayers' union will review the expenditure of governments at all levels and judge the waste of taxpayers' money. Outstanding? . Then, the organization will hold a serious award ceremony, and the well-dressed master of ceremonies will announce the winners and issue them? Golden pig trophy? . This trophy is in the shape of a gilded sow, which is used to satirize the laziness and tax waste of some government bureaucrats. This? Awards? Ted, a former bureaucrat in the federal liberal government. Named after Ted Wadely. He served as the chairman of the Canadian Labor Relations Committee for nine years in a row. As soon as he took office, he squandered public funds at will, causing great public anger. 1998 was dismissed by Lawrence Macauley, then Federal Minister of Labor.