Philologos wrote:
Chevand - I know Canada moderately well from inside, mostly Ontario though we have friends in BC and I have hit Montreal for conferences. An upper midwesterner entering Ontario or NW coaster going to Vancouver does not notice a whole lot of difference except for some neighbourhoods looking a bit more British. Life style etc. pretty continuous. Especially in the academic trade. If I were going to change countries, I would likely want a bit more difference.
You're right, of course-- there's not much difference in actual lifestyle, which is one reason Canada appealed to me rather than any other country. I'm not really fluent enough with any other languages aside from English to use them in daily conversation, and I'm content to be only 7 hours by plane away from my family so that I can still see them about twice a year. However, I have to say, as someone who grew up in the Bible Belt, the one thing that really changed everything was the difference in
attitude. As it turns out, that's the only thing about my environment I really
needed to change to be happy. I certainly never fit in the South.
Got that. I did not fit in in my [brief, I am glad to say] sojourn in the Southland, nor did the climate suit me. The climate of Ontario [where I have spent somewhat more time as we count time] suited me rather better, but I fit in rather less well there than un the Upper Mid West. I do not dress or act in ways that please the Queen City, and visits to Ottawa showed that a worse fit.