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Posts: 9192

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Q: What is life really like for Chinese that move to North America?

I'm wondering how difficult it is from a Chinese perspective of moving and adapting to another country. I mean what is so difficult about crossing a street when cars stop for you  except that if you jay walk you can be fined. Ride a bicycle on a sidewalk even in an area with no buildings, not allowed. That always got me when I was a kid, sure I'd rather go play in traffic. Stop for a traffic light when there isn't a car in sight? Where I live there is an absence of people, much like living in rural China. I spoke with a Chinese woman once who said that took some getting used to. What things will fustrate an immigrant? Prices are crazy, well sometimes. some Chinese goods are cheaper at home than here where they make them.

 We think as ourselves as pleasant, polite people, I'm Canadian not from New York, but I've found over the years people have become more miserable, sarcastic, complaining, road rage, even old ladies will curse you etc. TV shows changed from My 3 Sons, Leave it to Beaver to Married with Children ( I miss that show). and the population has gotten so fat.

 Canada was always known to be so clean, I see this changing, they started charging for garbage pickup, and it keeps going up, so travel the back roads to see the mess, often just any road, while municipal salaries soar. We're so heavily taxed by government and they waste it, we don't have corruption scandal?

 We are supposed to be a free people, but often we are not. I could go on , on, try and bring home a foreign wife. You have to prove a relationship and wait for permission. Then the government dept decides if you have a real marriage that will last, well FO, like if you marry at home anyone worries, they expect it to end in divorce.

11 years 42 weeks ago in  Culture - China

 
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Comments (6)
Posts: 2494

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 we have this question asked before? Yes

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11 years 42 weeks ago

There are cookies, bookies and too many rookies for me to sit here trying to be a hooky! Looky Looky don't call me a wooky. Touchy Touchy Feely Feely Spicy Spicy Nicey Nicey & that's what the doctor Ordered!!

 
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Emperor

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There will be two kinds of persons, those that emigrate with a sincere desire to adapt to a new way of life (unfortunately a very small minority), and those that do emigrate but live in the new promised land as if they were still in China.  And this is why you will see so many ghettos (like Chinatown) popping up in larger cities.  Those will not be happy abroad, and eventually will return home after a few years and with savings to impress locals..

philbravery:

I disagree 

if the new arrivals are encouraged to move into blended areas the chance of relapse in less likely

assimilation not multiculturalism

and in that you can still keep your heritage and be part of the community at the same time

Hope that came out right

11 years 42 weeks ago
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mattsm84:

Really? I've been to a few China towns and always considered them to be very lovely places. I've also been to a few ghettos, which are much less, shall we say, charming. 

11 years 42 weeks ago
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MissA:

Funny, phil, what you consider assimilation is what I would consider a multicultural approach. If different people manage to live together and maintain their own festivals and beliefs (culture), being part of one overarching national group, that's multiculturalism to me! Oh, and food. We want people to keep their food; where would our country be without all the Thai, Viet and Chinese restaurants?!

11 years 42 weeks ago
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11 years 42 weeks ago
 
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Emperor

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Damn, and I was planning to travel in Canada at some point in the future.

 

You just completely turned me off that idea.

TedDBayer:

drop in if I'm home. No traffic, stop lights near me, got a great beach in summer.

11 years 42 weeks ago
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MissA:

You might be in China! Or did you finally decide to go home?

11 years 42 weeks ago
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TedDBayer:

I have to go home in July or lose my free health care and I have some legal battles to settle. AND I MISS MY DOG AND CATS. I really live in Picton, Ontario.

11 years 42 weeks ago
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11 years 42 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1153

Shifu

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thier arnt that many factories in canada and dont kid yourself the goverment officials in canada are just as corrupt as anywhere else they get elected to office and their previous 

job they made around 100k and after 1 year in goverment they are multi millionaires cmon

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11 years 42 weeks ago
 
Posts: 218

Governor

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As a general rule, immigrants from the PRC do very well in Canada. Most will move to larger urban centres like Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto. It is true that many Mainland Chinese do find themselves in lower-paying positions to start. Typically, they advance quicker than most any other immigrant groups in terms of financial gains. 

In most cities, there will be plenty of mandarin (or cantonese) speaking people, doctors, markets and this might be both good and bad. Good because Chinese immigrants can get started quickly through Chinese networks. It might be 'bad' in that this removes much need to learn Canadian customs, English (or French). 

Most 'Chinatowns' in Canada are robust, busy and might be comparable to cleaner streets in China. 

But most Chinese immigrants won't actually live in 'Chinatowns'. They are likely to find an apartment near the city and shop in a nearby supermarket. 

As of 2012, Canada is still has some slow economic growth and this is largely due to the USA economic recession of 2008 and consequent slow recovery. The good news is that Canada has survived and done better than most other countries have. Of course, this depends where you live in Canada. Ontario Province (for example) has devoted a lot of its time and energy on 'plastic bag laws' and building bird-killing windmill farms. So they might be experiencing more poverty, have less money for safety and research and cleaning their cities. Alberta Province has invested in the cleanest and most efficient energy sources we have today (Oil, Oilsands) and consequently is experiencing more wealth, good employment levels (overall) and has more money for clean parks, scientific research, cleaner and newer hospitals and schools and of course wealthy new Calgary is especially clean and safe due to many new excellent energy-efficient high-tech buildings and homes going up.

Across North America, Chinese are often touted as 'Model Immigrants' or 'model citizens' as, generally speaking, they have high levels of success, low crime rates and will often move 'up the ladder' within a single generation producing more University trained offspring than any other ethnic groups. 

PRC people will want to get adjusted to some cultural differences. Things like spitting on the street, cutting in line (or pushing ahead of anyone) and making loud noises while eating can be considered extremely rude in Canada. Canadians are especially vigilant about 'fairness' (in all aspects of life) and actually have little respect for materialistic lifestyles built around aquiring high-status brand-name items and cars. Many Chinese may actually feel uncomfortable with levels of friendliness and 'open emotion' some Canadians take as normal. 

 

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11 years 42 weeks ago
 
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