buggalugs

After living in Canada for almost 13years, it has been my observation that although Canadians are very nice, polite people they dont appear to really want to get to know you well. Now I know that this may seem like I am generalizing here but this has been my experience and wondered if others had felt the same. I would say that making good, true friends here has been the hardest thing for my OH and I to do. Just wondering about other peoples thoughts on this.

TheCanes

We haven't actually made it to Canada yet, but bought a holiday home over there about 3 years ago. We visit 2 or 3 times a year, and love it over there. People are really friendly, and we have more friends over there than we have over here. We do lots of stuff together when we go over visiting, and even stay in touch when we are back in the UK.

Sorry to hear that you are having problems making friends, especially seeing that you have been there such a long time already.

gloveman

In general I would agree. Canadians are very friendly people but it is not easy to turn these friendly people into friends.

rwin

I'd say true.

I've lived here just over 40 years. The easiest place to make friends is elementary school but I'm beyond that now. It took 3 years before I really talked to my next door neighbour. And after 10 I still done really know them.

This kids on the other hand get alone quite well with their kids.

R I C H

It's not been my experience - perhaps we've just been lucky with the neighbourhood and the people we've met through our business.

iaink

Why would Canada be any different to any other country?

By the time most people hit middle age I suspect that they are mostly set in there particular clique of friends, and its not easy for a newcommer to break in either here or in the UK? Certainly its one of the challenges of emigrating, you need to go the extra mile to break in. People are certainly pleasant enough, but true close friendship is always a harder thing to forge, especially with fewer things in common in the first place.

Linda P

I have to say that we have found Canadian's to be wonderful.

Our first Christmas here is a great example, we had various invites, we have been made to feel very welcome.


Long may it continue......

Linda

Elaine B.

Since we've been here we have made a few good friends. However my OH and I have experienced numerous occasion people saying "we should get together sometime" and then as soon as you mention a time and date they always have something else planned.

I have one particular "friend" who calls every so often goes on about how much she would love to see me and the kids arranges to come and visit and then calls at the last minute with an excuse, the most recent occasion being my daughters 1st birthday last week. I had to laugh when I told her we're moving back to Ireland she said how much she would miss us, what a load of BS

geo4

Maybe it's you?

Just saying....

Elaine B.

If you took it all too seriously you could get a little paranoid.

Alberta_Rose

I agree with this entirely.

When you were all making those "proper, close friends" in the UK what else were you doing? At school? College? Was it some club? Did your kids grow up together?

You have to find some common ground before you can make a great friendship that becomes close. One of my chorus buddies is fast becoming one of my closest ever friends, and that is largely because I twisted her arm into car-pooling to and from from chorus when I first met her. That way we get to "visit" for about 40 mins each way once a week at least. Now our OH's have met and get along well, and we have had some "foursome" dinners and outings.

I suspect that for most people, even moving to a new part of the UK at our ages would find similar problems building relationships. I really don't find "Canadians" all that different. We're all just people.

Lorna_D

We've been in Saskatchewan 8 months and in our present house 7 months, the people in our local bar made us comfortable from the first, introducing themselves and then us to others as they came in. They invited us to their homes for a drink then it went to BBQ's BUT that is only when my OH is home. I spend 20 days a month on my own and don't get an invite anywhere. I am not complaining, because I have also made very good British friends some of whom have been in Canada for many years and some who are also truckers wives so know the score. It doesn't worry me that they are not Canadian friends are friends whatever their nationality.

Beaverquest

totally agree, very polite and friendly

but generally lacking a bit of pizazz

generally life seems very ordered - may long weekend - unfurl the tent , fall -buy the orange bags for leaf gathering , all a bit stepford in my opinion

you'll find a lot of the expats are in denial about this as they strive to justify the massive change they have made in life

JonboyE

Rubbish. Others have different experiences and opinions to you. Are you really so arrogant as to assume yours are the only genuine ones?

joelsa

But my kids are growing up with their kids here but i certainly haven't met any Canadians that i would call "friends". They are acquaintances, people I say hello to and thats all they seem to want.
There are quite a few Brits where i live, so maybe that doesn't help much but in all honesty, if i didn't have British friends here, then i wouldn't have any. And i have made an effort.

I agree with Iaink to some degree about set cliques of friends and it being difficult to break into those small circles. However, the few that i do know who are in set cliques aren't all from Calgary, they hail from all over Canada. They are all newcomers to the area but they have found a common ground, they're all Canadian, just like i have found a common ground with the British people i've met here.

Canadians are lovely friendly people, but i have found their friendliness doesn't go much beyond polite pleasantries.