Please add atleast one thing which you liked in Canada (only practical experiences and not bookish things like best country on UN list for three years....). That may be the first time when you landed here or may be something which you came across recently.
Charity begins from home! I will start.

Our (me and my wife) third day in Canada but first time when we were about to board a Mississauga Transit local bus. We were standing in the line with Rs 60 each ($2---see we were so new that we were depressed with the thought that to travel local we have to take a ticket of Rs60 each) in hand and everybody in front of us was putting the money in 'that box' and driver was giving them some papers. Also driver was greeting everybody who ever was boarding!!! We thought may be he knows everyone because they might be the daily commuters. When our turn came, we put the money in 'that box', driver said 'good morning', we looked behind, there was no body behind us, we were the last one to board, he again said 'good morning, how you doing?', only then we could realize that he was greeting us. We replied back. We asked for the ticket, driver replied: No ticket but Transfer....oh..okay....transfer please! We took the transfer and went ahead. That was the first time in life when we felt that it is not the Govt. which is obliging us for providing the transporation but it is the Passengers who are obliging the Govt. by providing it an opportunity to serve them!!! And no doubt: 60 RUPEES POORE WASOOL HO GAYE!!!

Rgds,

Happyji its really nice that you are liking the place. I am also planning to land with my wife in April I hope i have atleast the the similar kind of welcoming experience as you are having. I wish you luck for you job/business hunting.

Good luck and take care

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Manjeet Singh

Disclaimer: These are purely personal experiences and comments based on personal liking. Readers might have different experiences or different priorities/value systems, and so their views on the points mentioned below may be different, and therefore are NOT debatable.

Also, these comparisons are based on Canada vis a vis India (those parts that I have lived in). They might not hold good for any other country/ies.

The reason to migrate to any country is mostly on personal choice and sometimes forced upon due to various reasons. The people who are thinking of migrating, or have recently landed in Canada can look forward to various advantages/benefits, some of which are mentioned hereunder:

1. The factor of multiplication is a big benefit - 35 to 1. Due to this factor, a person doing similar job for same no of hours back home can get make roughly 4-5 times the money in Indian Rupee terms.
2. For many, if not all, a social status back home that - vo to phoren main rahta hai.
3. On landing in Canada, you stand in a carpeted or very clean lobby, with working toilets if someone needs to ......, and an officer who greets you with welcome to canada phrase.
4. After clearing the airport, you find working trolleys, which can take big bags, and not something that looks to be designed for keeping an overnighter.
5. When you come out, whether the first time, or nth time, taxi drivers, hotel reps etc. etc. don't crowd on you to make you feel you wanna go back inside!
6. A very clean air immediately hits you and suddenly you start feeling it was the first time you were breathing.

Life In Canada

1. First and foremost, you have constant supply of electricity and water, and blackouts are rare. You do not have to wake up early in the morning to fill up your buckets, tubs, tankees or take a shower. Similarly, you do not have to sweat in heat or live under candlelight in summers, or be disturbed by the noise and smoke of mini generators.

2. No visible pollution! You breathe better and your shirt collar does not become black by lunchtime. Infact, you can wear one set of clothes for 2-3 days without feeling bad.

3. The roads you travel on are good, infact great and you do not have to be on constant alert that someone might just decide to jump in front of you. In India, you might be driving a Honda or Lancer or Merc, but you have to drive on road full of pits, speed breakers and various sorts of vehicles. Here a motorcycle has right to the same space as a car, and it is illegal to overtake a mobike in the same lane.

4. The buses you commute on are cleaner, air-conditioned and the driver many a times greets you. For disabled persons, the bus lowers down, puts out a ramp on which you can place the wheelchair and lifts it back to sitting level. So a wheelchair bound person can easily commute on most of the routes without any help.

5. The roads have sidewalks, so people wanting to walk can do so without worrying for traffic. Similarly, a pedestrian's right of way is given due regard. You do not have to dash to the other side of the road to avoid a car hitting you on pedestrians crossing.

6. Govt offices - the ultimate sunvayi might be better or worse than India - but you get to wait in a nice and clean office mostly. And rarely would you find any sarkari mulajim talking to you as if he owned the place and did not have enough sleep at home (exceptions can be there but rare!)

7. The roads and sidewalks are clean mostly without any garbage on the road. If garbage is there, it is mostly packed in big plastic bags and kept there to be picked up by the municipality truck, sooner rather than later.

8. There are fines for traffic violations and applied too. If it is green light, you can safely speed up, without worrying that another vehicle might come from your right or left beating the red light (sometimes that happens, but unlike India, you do not have to be on the lookout for that!)

9. Coming from Gandhi's land, we actually do what he preached, here in Canada. We do our own dishes, we vacuum our floors and we also clean our toilets ourselves. For those who are idealistic about society and human rights, this has great meaning.

10. We do not work or live in buildings that are smothered with paan ki peek and other types of body wastes lying on floor which are so common in India. Nor do we come across graffiti on staircases/elevators in the office or residential buildings (exceptions are there), or on boundary walls (Prof Arora - rishte hi rishte ).

11. Eve-teasing in public is absent or rare, I hear there is, though I have not seen it. Buses are safe from that point of view.

12. Weather - that is the greatest thing. Summers are absolutely great with everything so lush green, the fields look like thick green carpet and flowers look extremely beautiful. Fall / Autumn is amazingly colourful, it seems some painter has actually painted the trees with wonderful imagination. Winters are harsh, but the snowfall is wonderful to watch and great for children to play. In Delhi, a +1 temperature might be killing with no proper heating but here one can easily survive in minus30 degrees with proper clothing, and enjoy the snow too. Spring really brings the springs live in you. The temperatures are great and you feel so energetic.

13. For an Indian, all kinds of Indian food is available and at most of the places, in a cleaner surrounding and with better ingredients than in India, because of strict laws. Vegetarians need not fear - unlike many other places on the globe where finding vegetarian food is like looking for a needle in bundle of hay, all kinds of veggie food is available and in abundance.

14. I have never seen my phone line go dead even when they were laying new pipelines/cables in the surrounding areas!

The above points about life in Canada makes me live in Canada with all its difficulties because though individually they might be small things, collectively they become the quality of life, and I value them more than other luxuries of life. I do not compare politics and politicians, because they are beyond me and do not directly affect my daily living. Nor does corruption or lack or more of it.

These are just some of the reasons why I feel one should want to migrate to Canada from India, or South Asia - but as I said earlier, they are my views and values.

And yes!!!

15. An advantage for being coloured and not good looking - when commuting by bus or train, I get a full seat unless it is difficult for the whites to find a better person to share it with!

Chandresh

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Chandresh

Advice is free – lessons I charge for!!

my turn for personal experiences
1) I am in close touch with the latest and greatest developments in my field...very important when you are in a field like computer animation
2) Access to the best artistic brains there are. e.g: I have just completed a short film and am getting feedback about it from none other than people from Pixar(finding Nemo).
3) As a visible minorityit is an advantage when it comes to getting access public funds for my animation projects.
4) My kids have access to good/free pools, schools, libraries, extracurricular activities and a well rounded education...even if i get unemployed tommorrow.
5) The govt actively encourages you to start/run your own bussiness.
6) less pollution
7) A chance to aspire and inculcate higher human values in children...e.g: my children do not have to ignore a 'bhikari' on the street everyday. Everyone is a human being.
8)self reliance and accountability are part of daily life
9) like chandresh mentioned...the wife does not have to always be on guard in public places/transport.
10) Do not have to see all 'shapes and sizes' alongside the tracks in the morning while travelling by local train...the mumbaiites will understand what I mean . Kai sangto Maharaj?
11) Do not feel guilty about not giving alms to a child on the road daily.
12) A chance for both wife and me to go jogging in any outfit we please to.
13) Are not expected to be at your bosses call after the 6pm or on weekends.
Many more i'm sure, but above are the few points I could think of. Did I mention before that I LOVE it here?

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Kai Sangoo re Jake ... THAT Problem is most between Jogeshwari - Andheri ... I know what you are talking ...

And to the same line, ... Most difficult thing to get used is usage of Tissue ...

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Mumbai Maazi Ladki ...

Friends,
I 'tried' to start this thread on January 6th, 2004 and infact I forgot about that because BAAKI POSTS KI BHEED MEIN KAHIN KHO GAYI THI. Today when I read Chandresh's reply on the other post (post landing experience of Mishtar India), he mentioned about this post and I finally found it out from somewhere..
When I say 'tried' , I mean it...because there were only two replies to this post, Chandresh's and Jake's......I kept a watch on the post for initial few days but then I came to Conclusion that either people don't like even a single thing here in Canada or either Chandresh or Jake has covered almost everything.


Thx and Rgds

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Sanjeev Manocha, MBA
Real Estate Sales Representative
Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR)

Re/Max West Realty Inc, Brokerage
96, Rexdale Blvd., Toronto

Mobile: 416-843-7600
Office: 416-745-2300
http://www.manocharealty.com" rel="nofollow">LINK

1. High speed internet at affordable price.
2. Range of consumer products available if you have the money(of course!).
3. I am not yet eligible for this. EI and maternity/paternity benefits.
4. Visit to doctor is free(but medication is not and I do not have a drug plan, I specifically ask for cheaper medication from doctor).
5. Finding transit information on web and by telephone.
6. Every govenment department has a website that is updated.

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Canada...another name for struggle in life!