On the night of December 30th 2021, I arrived in the land of ‘moose and goose.’ It’s been about a month since I left my home country and I’ve already experienced a lot more than I expected I would.
- First Culture Shock
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My first culture shock in Canada happened about an hour after I got off the airplane. It happened at the immigration counter, where the immigration officer scolded me about how rude it was for me to say ‘what’ when I asked him to repeat himself. In Asia, it is common to say ‘what’ or ‘huh’ if you can’t catch what the other person is saying . This phrase isn’t considered rude in most Asian countries, but a lot of Westerners don’t see it that way. I knew this beforehand since I attended an international high school, but I was so nervous at the immigration counter that it completely slipped my mind. This technically wasn’t a culture shock since I was aware of it before I came, but this incident definitely scarred me for life because I thought I was going to get deported before I could even step out of the airport.
- Little Italy in Windsor
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The night before I could move into my residence, I was staying at an Airbnb in Little Italy. The listing mentioned the location and how there were a lot of Italian restaurants around the area, but I thought it was mostly a tourist attraction . The moment I walked in, it felt like I stepped into the set of The Godfather because the café’s only customers were this group of middle-aged men with heavy Italian accents. Waiting for my food to arrive was the most awkward 20 minutes of my life and I’ve never felt so intimidated. Besides the fact that I fear all middle-aged men (with the exception of my male relatives and friends’ dads), it was so scary for me to sit on the opposite table while they stared into my soul.
While waiting for my order, the men made intense eye contact with me and all looked at me like I didn’t belong. Perhaps that café is one of those places where the customers are mostly regulars, because they kept staring at me like I didn’t belong. Granted, I didn’t belong there, but maybe I’m just being paranoid. I think that this was a lot more shocking and memorable to me because I didn’t expect some people to have American/Canadian-Italian accents in Windsor. I also found out that Ontario was going on lockdown the day after from the waitress, so this little event is stuck in my head.
- The Realization of How Big Canada Is
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I’ve looked at a world map and seen how big Canada is, especially compared to Malaysia, but it didn’t register in my head how big Canada actually is until I got here. A lot of houses have a backyard and front porch and the roads have a ridiculous number of lanes. Even in the suburban area, the main streets have 4 lanes for each side of the road. In Malaysia, some highways don’t even have 3 lanes, let alone 4. I’ve also noticed that a lot of buildings in Canada are built horizontally rather than vertically, so I see many wide buildings that take up a lot of land,rather than tall ones. Canada is so different than Malaysia because most buildings, especially shopping complexes, are built with many floors.
At the end of the story, my first month in Canada went better than I thought it would. I’ve been dealing with staying away from home and loved ones better than I expected, but I also might be jinxing myself. Overall, I’m excited to try new things in Windsor and see different places. There are opportunities and experiences here that I can only dream of back home, and I hope I get to stay here to experience them all. 2022 is the year for me to try new things and meet new people, and I hope I accomplish this goal!