I find it difficult to make friends but I always have done. I'm awkward socially and being hard if hearing doesn't help. I think Canadians are like southern Rnglish people, they make a lot of polite noises about meeting up, coming round for coffee etc but they don't mean any of it.

Definatly a professional stalker. This is not a hobby I would advise due to the odd times you would get chased out of town.

You're not awkward socially!

What a load of tosh!

I do agree with the Southern England comparison to a point.

One thing in Toronto's defence is that there is a lot of people here with out any immediate family or old friends in the area so I think people are a little more inclined to follow through on plans and arrangements.

I just don't find Canadian's all that friendly nor open to really having new friends. Even when involved in things in the community, I find once your done doing whatever it is your doing, the people you were with no longer have an interest in you or having a friendship outside of that.

Also being a 30 something married childless couple in places where the people are young, but mostly have kids also makes things difficult since your not going to be doing the same sort of activities and involvement in things the parents will be.


Too many variables involved, some will find it easy to mingle and make friends, others not so much, depends who you are, what you like, and where you fall into the community age wise etc.

I really have no deep desire to make friends, so I am not exactly trying to make friends either and well being from California, I don't sound different then someone born in BC, so unless someone is close to me and knows I am not from Canada, nobody ever knows, except when I say soda, always gives me a way as not being from here...lol...I just can't say pop, doesn't sound right.

That's good to know but its more a reflection on the company, BE, being welcoming. I always feel awkward and have to make a tremendous effort to hear, let alone know what to say, I'm often guessing what's been said and many aren't very understanding.

I think you are right about the family ties, out here in the sticks people are very family orientated and seem to spend a lot of time with them. It would drive me crazy.

Family are a lot more attractive to me now they are a long long way away. As for friends, aside from perhaps 2 or 3 "close friends" I had back in the UK, I'm not that fussed about the others, and the friends we've acquired over the last few years are at least as close/shallow as our "group" back in the UK. If I lived back in the UK there isn't anyone here I would save like crazy to come and visit. Equally I can't think of anyone worthy of that sacrifice living in the UK - including family.

Reading this thread has gone some way to explaining one or two points that have been put to me since we've been here.
One comment made to me is that canadians on the whole don't like to say no. So when you ask 'come for coffee' you'll get a 'yes of course' but it probably won't happen. No offense intended, just the way it is.
Another is the apparent difference in sense of humour. This goes a long way to explain the brash and often offensive sarcasm, often bordering on insult, expressed by one poster to another on these forums. Letting off steam and overdosing on opportunity, and I choose to be charitable.
Liike many, I too am socially awkward. Learned long ago that social climbing in company was more hard work than it was worth, but fortunately employment in the engineering sector, where a man's worth is judged not by who he knows but by what he can achieve, has taught me how shallow some acquaintances can be. I doubt that this is very different here and accept it as such.

My problem is that I’m far too congenial and hospitable for my own good, so I tend to make friends too easily. I wish they’d all just naff off really.

There are three English docs in our office - typical sarcastic sense of humour- I have to say in general we are training our Canadian nurses well - it is like waterboarding them but with fast chat, wit and sarcasm with a bit of bawdiness added in (Snoop remains above that level) - the biggest challenge has been to get our originally German physician colleague to get our humour- it has taken about 7 years! A true challenge! He has got a little better!!

Also, there are very few cradles so "Canadian" modes of engagement really don't apply. "Where you from?" is a standard conversational opening. It's unlikely that one can't make a conversation from the response to "Where you from?" unless it's "Mississauga but I've since moved to Oakville".

I don't think there's a pattern of social behavior that covers such a diverse population, some people turn up, some don't.

I found moving from the middle of the bar to the end of the bar helps.

No one talks to you when you are at the end of the bar. It's a subliminal message to say that you are happy in the comfort of your beer.

In the centre you get every tom, dick and harry. Not able to hold conversation to any deep length nor hold their alcohol.

It is good during baseball season though. Baseball gear looks great on girls and it definitely keeps the Hooters girls on their toes as well.

I have an irish man next to me, a geordie man down the way, a women from India and a canadian girl all in my section.

The canadian girl tries bless her.

We made her watch "The Office" which helped.

I have lived here for nearly 6 years and I have one Canadian friend. He lives 2 hours away and we see each other approx once a month. My other mates here are British and Dutch.

I find the locals here to be quite cliquey and in truth really dont like outsiders. I tried a lot in the first year or two to make friends with the locals but I became fed up with how unreliable they are. As mentioned earlier it seems that they are just all talk.

Sense of humour is a big problem even now for me. They dont understand deadpan at all and I have upset quite a few of them over the years. When you try to explain to them that it is just a joke they think that you are lying and are just mean and or rude. I think a lot of them are overly sensitive.
A lot of the time they dont get the joke even after you have explained it to them.

They seem very good at mindless chit chat. This just seems that they are only talking to you because they feel that they have to or are supposed to be nice to you. I have no interest in this whatsoever.

I am at the point now where I just cant be bothered.

I've never been to NB but what you say probably rings true of much of Canada. Try going to Saguenay. Up there they don't like you if you're from a different part of town. It's like being in rural Devon.

I miss British plugs. The trick was to have your tea-break before a Gareth Keenan type bloke, then just before you go back to your desk take the fuse out of the kettle plug, then wait until the above bloke explodes in fits of rage. That topic of conversation could keep us going until lunch.