Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To be fair, when he first joined this forum he was in Vancouver for an interim period (and hated it) and he used Canada for his stepping stone from some other country into USA. He's only been in Seattle for a relatively short time and doesn't know much about the nature of USA either (yet) but I think he's trying harder since he is now stuck there and has to sleep in the bed he's made. I have absolutely no doubt he's originally from someplace(s) other than North America and it's evident he very much regrets coming and being stuck in North America now and can't return home.
I've spent one winter in Madison, WI and it sure was cold. Unlike anything you would experience over here in Europe and not something I would like to experience again. Winter in Chicago was terrible too. I can't imagine what it would be like up north in Canada. Otherwise it is a great country but it is just too cold. Perhaps northern parts of Scandinavia are just as cold but otherwise we are blessed with pretty moderate climates here in Europe. No blizzards, hurricanes, or tornadoes either .
Amsterdam's winters are slightly colder than Vancouver's, but pretty similar
Winter in North America is funny. Sometimes it can be colder in the American Midwest than farther north in Canada and Alaska. There's a bubble of extremely cold air that meanders between Siberia, the Arctic and down into North America. When it oscillates down over the northern US, places farther north can actually be warmer.
Exactly. It's a lot more complicated than just north and south.
To be fair, when he first joined this forum he was in Vancouver for an interim period (and hated it) and he used Canada for his stepping stone from some other country into USA. He's only been in Seattle for a relatively short time and doesn't know much about the nature of USA either (yet) but I think he's trying harder since he is now stuck there and has to sleep in the bed he's made. I have absolutely no doubt he's originally from someplace(s) other than North America and it's evident he very much regrets coming and being stuck in North America now and can't return home.
.
You did read my post but, evidently, you did not a very good job at it.
I never used Canada as a "stepping stone" for the US", as a matter of fact I had no interest in the US at all...it simply happened that I met my wife and she from the US so I moved here.
I have not been living in Seattle for "short time" as a matter of fact, well over 15 years and counting.
I probably know more about the US and visited more places in the US than you did ....
I do not "hate" Canada or Vancouver...simply is not worth it to me to be so far from Europe....too little or no benefits compared to the disadvantages.
No, I'm no "stuck" in North America...simply I make a very good living here and at this point it would be silly to go back...in the long run I will have a much better retirement (and I will be able to retire anywhere I want) if I stick around a bit longer...
The thing is that I’m also Canadian at the end of the day. I agreed with a lot of the points that were brought up by Nat, but those are just bullet points at the end of the day.
As Canadians we should be proud of how well our country stacks up against others in the world, and many of these stats are good ways to evaluate that. However they are not always useful in assessing immigration and QOL.
In many of the debates against saturno, these stats get brought up to show why Canada is better than the US, but that’s hardly relevant to the discussion (I’m using saturno as a reference point here rather than the OP)
While you keep bringing these stats up, saturno takes a step back and asks How does any of this translate into my daily life? So what if Canada has less homicides per capita? So what if Canada offers more equality? Most people in the US don’t deal with shootings in their daily lives. As a successful career driven individual, Canada’s greater sense of egalitarianism works against me as I end up with a lower salary and don’t get the same benefits I would in Italy.
That’s why I find most of the points odd, because they completely seem to miss the point of what saturno is looking for.
Nat had a lot of good points and as something aimed at the OP they are very relevant, but it depends on the audience.
P.S. I gotta stop saying point in the future
Very good points Milky Way
However I would hardly describe Canada as a bastion of equality, as a matter of fact the social network and benefits are rather lousy compared to the major EU countries.
The US is more unequal in the sense that it rewards disproportionately capable, driven people....but there are plenty of opportunities for anyone, no matter your socioeconomic status.
The overall issue is that at every opportunity he discourages people from ever wanting to immigrate here. His priories are not everyone's priories. Yet, every time we try and point out the positives of Canada, we seem to get chastised in some way. He gives the impression that if you want to " succeed " you can't live in Canada. The US is the only place etc...and that just isn't true.
As usual, you misread what I write or you want to read something is not there.
I never discouraged anyone tout court to immigrate to Canada. I only offered my experience and advice when the OP ask for it.
If someone opens a thread and ask "I'm moving to Canada in 3 months, can you please tell me about car insurance, the best way to find a rental or whatever" I usually do not say anything or I offer a specific advice/opinion about the specific issue being asked (if I have any info to offer)..... they have already made their decision.
My personal experience has been positive overall but some people have starry eyes and expect unicorns about Canada...that is not the case.
As you know my main Canadian experience was mainly in Vancouver and all I said to people (again when they ask for opinions and/or advice) is that the COL is high, the RE prices are out of the world, the professional job market is lousy and the weather is lousy in winter (rain and lack of sunshine)....and these are issues where pretty much everybody agree...maybe, with a little bit of an effort, even you may concur.
I actually defended Vancouver occasionally from silly accusations and rants....remember here??
For example, when someone long time ago asked about Vancouver because he/she wanted to move away, if i remember correctly, from the southern US (for a variety of reasons) all I said that he/she should have considered Seattle instead because: 1) the OP would not have to deal with an immigration process, 2) You get the same Northwest lifestyle and vibes as in Vancouver and Vancouver would be only 2 1/2 hours away by car for a visit anyway 3) the job market is much better and COL (especially housing) is lower....sorry but that was common sense advice, nothing to do with "hating" Canada.
Last edited by saturno_v; 10-08-2017 at 09:44 PM..
However I would hardly describe Canada as a bastion of equality, as a matter of fact the social network and benefits are rather lousy compared to the major EU countries.
The US is more unequal in the sense that it rewards disproportionately capable, driven people....but there are plenty of opportunities for anyone, no matter your socioeconomic status.
That’s what I meant in my original post. Canada is more equal than the US, but less so than Europe. I figured that in your case, since Canada offered you less benefits than the EU and less disposable income than the US, there was little point in remaining.
That’s what I meant in my original post. Canada is more equal than the US, but less so than Europe. I figured that in your case, since Canada offered you less benefits than the EU and less disposable income than the US, there was little point in remaining.
Exactly right...as a European Canada in the end offered no particular appeal....North America for North America I would rather go "all the way" so to speak.....
Amsterdam's winters are slightly colder than Vancouver's, but pretty similar
It is fair to say outside lower British Columbia, Canada has frigid and unbearably LONG winter (so long that spring often arrives in May).
On the bright side, summer is pleasant and not too hot almost everywhere.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
