Make no mistake about it, immigrating to another country is an ordeal. Even if the culture, language, and general operation of things is similar to your own, the devil is always in the details. Each day in a multitude of small ways, you are reminded you are not part of this society yet. Canada, for the good or bad, is certainly not the United States. For a few examples, yesterday I spent 45 minutes researching the proper use of our recycling bins. (More to follow on this, folks.) We could not get water service without presenting ourselves in person at Kitchener City Hall, I keep having a visceral reaction when I am given my "rounding" change and no pennies appear, and I am having a horrible time with the move from miles to kilometers. My Midwestern self insists miles should roughly equate to minutes no matter where I am going.
The experience of being an immigrant in Canada has been an interesting one, but not in the ways I expected. Two days ago, I received a hug and a hearty "Welcome to Canada" in the grocery store when an elderly woman observed I was "buying enough food for a party" and I explained I was stocking our new home as we had just immigrated. Yesterday, the woman at the checkout at my local Winners (it's TJ Maxx with a more awesome name) told me it was so cool we had immigrated from the states, that we would love it here, and welcome. Today, I received an actual "Welcome to Canada" discount at the phone store while purchasing a case and screen protector for my new phone.
I can say having lived in over 10% of the states in the U.S. that I have received consistently chillier welcomes coming from different parts of the same country than I have as an immigrant here. Would it be different if I had a different skin colour, spoke a different language, or came from a country other than the U.S.? It is honestly impossible for me to say. What I can state is that the fact individual people of their own volition have been so positive, polite and, well, welcoming only makes the move easier and makes us feel more comfortable and confident in our decision to move here. This is one aspect of society where the U.S. could benefit by learning a little from the "Neighbours to the North."
