What Cultural Shocks Do Indians Experience on Their First Move to Canada?
Leaving your country behind can never be a pleasing experience for any of us. However, there might be some unavoidable reasons that can push us to immigrate across boundaries. Sometimes we only migrate to return to our previous environment after a fixed period like after a few months or years.
However, this is not a ball for everyone’s basket and many of us have to live, sometimes for a lifetime, in a new location. This becomes a total paradigm shift for any of us.
In this piece of writing I am going to share a list of experiences faced by such immigrated individuals who felt that when they moved to Canada from India, they experienced some cultural differences that are generally known as Cultural Shock in daily to-day language.
Whether you have come via express entry or business immigration in Canada, be ready for these cultural shocks beforehand to avoid any further conundrum.
Let’s delve into the explained list and explore one by one all of these new experiences that will amaze and shock you at the same time.
Cultural Shocks Indians Will Experience in Canada
Firstly, as we all know, it is very often to address people in India by Sir, Ma’am, and other honorific titles, but this is not quite common practice in Canada. You have to address everyone by their first name and very rarely, by Mr. or Mrs. or Miss
Most people might be unaware of it but it may not be a new experience for you if you are in a business field, where you talk to foreigners as your routine. But, if you are not familiar with this one, be prepared, to feel equal to all in Canada because Canadian people are not fond to listen to these types of so-called honorific titles before anything you gonna tell them. I recommend it will be better to leave these titles behind when you head toward Canada.
A few words that are used in daily vocab and for eatable products are not called in the same ways as in India. For instance, Canadian use the word Cookie instead of Biscuit, Trunk instead of Dickie, and Hood instead of Bonnet. The toilet word will sound odd there as they used to call it with another common word ‘Washroom’.
Above mentioned wordings might seem like quite often but when you use these words in Canada, where almost no one knows your language, no one is familiar with your culture, and no one knows what nomenclature you use in your homeland for daily vocab, they can find your language odd and feel difficult to communicate with you.
These little things matter a lot and can help you to be a part of Canadian culture swiftly. Indian who comes on a temporary resident visa for Canada make these silly mistakes more often, however, this is something, for which, we can’t blame anyone as cultural differences are a natural phenomenon that can’t be avoided.
Furthermore, except in the northern part, snow falling is a rare weather phenomenon in India. But it is quite obvious in Canada, snow falling is an integrated part of daily Canadian life. It has impacted several things across Canada, whether it is traditions, festivals, and other customs of this North American country.
You will listen to the weather again and again in their daily conversations. This is habitual for Canadians to criticize the snow at end of the every conversation. So, you have to indulge yourself in experiencing this weather phenomenon that is pretty obvious in many countries but rare in countries like India, as it is a little bit difficult to find snowfall places in tropical countries, except in their highlands.
Moreover, as we know, soft drinks are quite famous in most Western countries, nowadays also around the world. Canada is not an exception, you can find several soft drink brands that are quite popular there. Yet, Coca-Cola beats the competition and peaks the popularity graph among soft drinks. In Canada, the naming of these soft drinks is different not only in comparison with India but also with the nearby countries like the USA. In Canada Soda is called Pop, and Coca Coal is known as Coke in daily life conversations.
Ending Lines
I can write on this topic for hours, but we have to end this now before leaving this page, let me take you through some other India and Canada differences quickly, some of them will shake your mind.
Firstly, unlike India, Canadians do not order milk with or after lunch or dinner, secondly, they drive on the right side of the road, which is opposite to Indian driving habits and rules. So, be careful whenever you get a chance to drive on Canadian roads. These two were the bonus difference for you.
Well, now we are stopping this never-ending topic, but before you leave this article, one more thing, if you want to visit or immigrate to Canada or looking to renew your permanent resident card Canada, then feel free to visit the anchored text that will take you on the official website of Suma Law Official, highly recommended, I assure they will provide you proper guidance with the entire immigration process.
