CultureShock! Canada

Cheng Barlas Rober Pang Guek

Description

Whether you're encountering the mountainous Rockies, the coastal areas of New Brunswick, or the French-speaking province of Quebec, this guide covers every aspect, providing you with all the tips and pointers you'll need to make a smooth transition. Understand what is truly meant by the Canadian 'mosaic' through learning social customs and etiquette, immerse yourself in the nation's love for ice hockey, and be fully aware of the community ' honor' system. Not sure where to live? This book covers every possibility, from log cabin to trailer home, small-town to sprawling city. Discover where to sample Canada's huge variety of cuisine, be it Saskatoon berries, maple syrup, or oka, a highly flavored cuisine brought to Canada by Trappist monks. Whatever your preference, whatever your needs, CultureShock! Canada will guide you through the vast expanse of this fascinating country.

Sujets

• Canadá
• Canada

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 05 août 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 8
• EAN13: 9789814435314
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

This 6th edition published in 2009 by:
Marshall Cavendish Corporation
99 White Plains Road
Tarrytown NY 10591-9001
www.marshallcavendish.us
First published in 1992 by Times Media Pte Ltd, reprinted 1995; 2nd edition published in 1996, reprinted 1997, 1998 (twice); 3rd edition published in 1999, reprinted 2000, 2001; 4th edition published in 2003; 5th edition published in 2006.
© 2009 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no events be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Ltd. 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Marshall Cavendish Ltd. 5th Floor, 32-38 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8FH, UK Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
eISBN: 978 981 4435 31 4
Please contact the publisher for the Library of Congress catalogue number
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Pte Ltd
Photo Credits:
All black and white photos by Bill Murtha, Bob Barlas and Guek-Cheng Pang. Dinner menu on page 185 used with permission of Pierre Berton. All colour images from Photolibrary. Cover photo: Getty Images.
All illustrations by TRIGG
ABOUT THE SERIES
Culture shock is a state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings, away from one’s comfort zone. CultureShock! is a series of trusted and reputed guides which has, for decades, been helping expatriates and long-term visitors to cushion the impact of culture shock whenever they move to a new country.
Written by people who have lived in the country and experienced culture shock themselves, the authors share all the information necessary for anyone to cope with these feelings of disorientation more effectively. The guides are written in a style that is easy to read and covers a range of topics that will arm readers with enough advice, hints and tips to make their lives as normal as possible again.
Each book is structured in the same manner. It begins with the first impressions that visitors will have of that city or country. To understand a culture, one must first understand the people—where they came from, who they are, the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. This is covered in the first half of the book.
Then on with the practical aspects—how to settle in with the greatest of ease. Authors walk readers through topics such as how to find accommodation, get the utilities and telecommunications up and running, enrol the children in school and keep in the pink of health. But that’s not all. Once the essentials are out of the way, venture out and try the food, enjoy more of the culture and travel to other areas. Then be immersed in the language of the country before discovering more about the business side of things.
To round off, snippets of basic information are offered before readers are ‘tested’ on customs and etiquette of the country. Useful words and phrases, a comprehensive resource guide and list of books for further research are also included for easy reference.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Map of Canada
Chapter 1
First Impressions
Arrival
Size, Climate, People
Chapter 2
Overview of Canada
Geography
History
The Political Spectrum
Chapter 3
The Canadian Vision
What is a Canadian?
Canadian Stereotypes
Multiculturalism in Canada
Canada’s Young and Young at Heart
Senior Citizens
The Canadian Mosaic
The Gender Issue
Chapter 4
Living in the Canadian Mosaic
A Question of Size
The Honour System
Rights of the Consumer
The Luck of the Draw
Garage Sales
Door-to-Door
Addressing a Postal Problem
A Manner of Greeting
Perceptions
Becoming Part of the Mosaic
Social Customs and Etiquette
Chapter 5
Settling In
Documentation and Formalities
What to Bring
Where to Live
From Log Cabin to Trailer Home
Shopping
Coping with the Seasons
Living in the North
Financial Matters
Health and Hospitals
Keeping in Touch
Getting Around in Canada
Chapter 6
Food and Entertaining
Canadian Smorgasbord
A Typical Canadian Menu
Shopping for Food
Canadian Cheer
Dining Out
Pot Luck
The Perfect Guest
Chapter 7
Canada at Play
Celebrations
The Long Weekend
Cultural Pursuits
Canadian Music
Our Sporting Selves
Chapter 8
Canadian Language
The English Canadian Language
English Canadianisms
Language and ‘The Two Solitudes’
French and English
Canadian French
Heritage Languages
Body Language
Chapter 9
Doing Business in Canada
Entrepreneurship in Canada
Starting a Business in Canada
Finding a Job
Working for a Living
Job Security
Types of Work In Canada
Common Management Strategies
Canadian Business Etiquette
Chapter 10
Made In Canada
Famous Inventions
Acronyms
A–Z Fast Facts
Culture Quiz
Do's and Don'ts
Glossary
Resource Guide
Further Reading
About the Authors
Index
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When we first met each other, we remarked upon the happy chance that we were indeed ‘opposites’—Caucasian and male, long-term resident of eastern Canada complementing Asian and female, a newcomer to western Canada—and could bring different viewpoints to CultureShock! Canada . Since then, many hours of cross-Canada telephone time have gone into the creation of this book, and a friendship has been formed. What we lacked ourselves, we supplemented with information solicited from many sources and with suggestions from our own friends.
Writing this book has therefore placed us in debt to a large number of people. To all of you who made contributions in one way or another—thank you for your support. Special thanks must go, however, to those who so ably helped us research the facts which we needed to make this book accurate:
From Bob: to Robert Amesse, Elizabeth Mitchell and Norm Tompsett—first-class librarians all—to Denise Maxfield, Mike Filip, and Jim and Joanne Rich, whose contributions to various parts of the text were invaluable, and to Vern Shute and Charles Clarke, who proofread my text with great accuracy and precision. Finally, especial gratitude to my good friends Bill Murtha and John Mortimer, whose artistic suggestions and contributions helped immensely in visualising the text as it was being written.
From Guek-Cheng: thanks especially to Shirley Hew and Shova Loh who made me an author; to John Bartle, Mark Looi and Diane Quinn, for their invaluable help; to Bob and Clare Looi, who introduced me to this beautiful country; and to my Canadian friends who have welcomed me into their midst.
Last, but by no means least, our gratitude and love to our families whose constructive criticism and moral support have been invaluable during the weeks and months it took to put this book together.
DEDICATION









From Guek-Cheng:
To Pius, Christopher and Kimmy, my fellow-adventurers in
exploring a new country .
From Robert:
With love to my wife, Nancy, my children, Richard and
Sharine, and my mother, Ann .

‘Canada is a broad land—broad in mind, broad in spirit and broad in physical expanse.’
—President Truman, address before the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, 11 June 1947

I T IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO REFLECT on a country as diverse as Canada through the eyes of only one person—or even two—and first impressions of anything always depend greatly on the context and circumstances of the person doing the observing. When Guek-Cheng and I met to discuss how we would approach writing the following section, we agreed that, since first impressions are so unique, full justice to a topic as subjective as this could only really be done through the eyes of one of us. This would be better than us attempting to make some kind of visual compromise between us. So the text which follows was written by Guek-Cheng and primarily reflects her first impressions of arriving in western Canada as an Asian immigrant. However, what is strange but rather comforting is that my own first impressions of Canada as an Englishman who came to the eastern part of Canada some years before Guek-Cheng are not at all dissimilar. In fact, had I written the chapter which follows, much of what I would have said in it would be exactly the same. Where my account would differ is only in the smaller details of location and time, and hardly at all in the substance of what first impressed—and continues to impress—me about Canada as a whole.
ARRIVAL
I arrived in Canada without ever having set eyes upon any part of the country before. My port of entry was Vancouver, British Columbia. It was June 1989. Making one’s first entry as an immigrant is a necessarily stressful experience. We were met and interviewed by a Canada Customs and Immigration official who went through our documents and asked us a few questions about our possessions, what we had brought in with us, w