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SvennoJ on 12 April 2014
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MoHasanie said:
SvennoJ said:

I moved to Canada in 2002. Canadians may be a bit more aware of the world and their southern neighbours than the average American, but they are equally disinterested in politics. The country is officially bi-lingual but I have yet to meet an Ontarian that speaks french. Sure all the packaging is bi-lingual but apart from 2 French tv stations that's about the extent of it. Travelling to Montreal it's the opposite there, it might as well be 2 different countries.

It is true most people don't lock their doors here. Actual advice from my insurance company when I bought my first house here was to leave a bottle of booze near the front door. In case of a burglary they would just take that and leave.

Just as in the states people in shops are there to help you. That was the biggest eye opener compared to Holland. Back in the Netherlands they'll let you wait for minutes while they're talking on the phone with a friend, then ring you through with the phone tucked on their shoulder looking at you as if you're bothering them. Same with returns, I could not believe how easy it was to return stuff to shops here.
Here they'll open another register when there is more than 1 person waiting. Back in holland line ups of 15 people in front of you with half the registers unused are common. Same with service in restaurants. 2 hour dining experience, bullshit excuse for terribly slow service.
I have been to NY, and despite everybody saying those are the rudest people, I guess they haven't lived in Amsterdam yet.

Come to Ottawa and you'll meet lots of Ontarians who only speak French. 

Holland sounds really bad. I visited a few years ago and thought it was a really nice place. 

Holland isn't that bad everywhere. It's partly the extreme population density that makes people rude and the annoyance of drug tourism in Amsterdam. Plus the service industry 'suffers' from worker protection. Show up 9 to 5 and it's hard to get you fired, so why bother accomodating the customer.

And in defense of my birth country, there is much less of an attitude that if you're poor it's just because you're lazy. The people are very tolerant and will go out of their way to talk English to you. Quite a difference with Paris and Rome. I had to pay a parking ticket in Paris. It took a while to figure out that the people at the police station wanted me to go to the post office to pay for the parking fine with special stamps. They didn't speak a word English.

As for the US. At least as long as you have money you are well taken care of. A paying customer is always right. But Americans are also much more stuck on rules and regulations. .......... It's the law. Those signs creep me out lol. Don't give a reason why, don't think, obey!

Having the 'pleasure' to deal with border customs, they're patient and friendly, but still a bunch of sticklers. Once I flew into Montreal, hired a car there to drive to Hanover, VT. (So beautiful there in fall) I had my green visa waiver thingie already filled out at the airport, yet at the land crossing they would have none of it. Fill out a new one and walk back across the border to get exact American change to pay the $6 visa waiver fee. Every shop near the border takes Canadian money, and credit cards ofcourse. Not the US border people.
Plus I think they have it in for Dutch people. Every time leaving Washington DC, dreaded pink marker on my ticket. Picked out for a 'random' secondary inspection. Last time there I decided to drive 9 hours from Canada instead, picked out at the land crossing lol. Had to wait an hour in a concrete waiting room for secondary interrogation. Those tricky Dutch terrorists hiding out in Canada. Now I have my Canadian citizenship, better camouflage.