Posted by Lucy11 at amgh350ay510h.bc.hsia.telus.net on August 03, 2003 at 22:31:15:
In Reply to: Response from prev board - Re: Canada posted by Jessica Rabbit on August 03, 2003 at 22:13:16:
Hey, You suck,
Could you be more ignorant.
Vistiting on place in Canada does not make you an expert on Canadians.
Thats like me saying, all you people from the USA are like George Bush. (Why not, he is the one you all voted for)
Take care, from a proud Canadian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:
: A couple of things,
: It’s cuLture, ShakespeAre, Enough, couRse. And (don’t quote me on this as my French sucks) I think it’s Pardon Moi (there is no “ez” at the end of it)
: Now that being said, I went to Bard in the Park – yes, it was a nice night out, but it happens for 3 months out of the year and then... nothing. There is hardly any decent or semi-decent theatre anywhere to be seen. I lived right in the centre of downtown and believe me I looked everywhere for anything that was remotely decent in the way of theatre.
: FYI, have you been to the downtown area lately. There are more homeless people, there is more poverty and general grottiness than almost any other place I have been to. And this is not just reserved for Vancouver, it’s also on Vancouver Island. Homeless kid everywhere.
: I assume you don’t like Kylie and you thought I did? This sentence confused me somewhat: “Just because not everything here sounds like Kylie doesn't make it bad”
: If everything in Vancouver sounded like Kylie, I would have topped myself. The only decent things I heard was that Blur were playing in Vancouver, regrettably it was the week after I left and that Springsteen toured, but it was one show and tickets were impossible to get - not to mention the price!!
: As for anything out of the downtown area, I didn’t visit the outer downtown area much for a couple of reasons, but the main one was public transport. It sucks and unless you have a car, then you are limited to the places you can visit, hence why I mostly stuck to the downtown area.
: As for owning a car, well unless you are prepared to flat-share with a couple of other people (and I wasn’t), then the following are out;
: 1. saving money
: 2. buying a car
: 3. travelling
: By Vancouver standards, I earned decent money (that would be $44k a year) and I couldn’t afford to travel, buy a car or save any money. I didn’t lead an extravagant lifestyle, nor did I buy a lot of material possessions. I lived in a modest flat in the West End.
: I also encountered other people during my time there, from the UK, South Africa, Australia and the US who all agreed as I did, Vancouver was highly over-rated. Most of the people I met, did their year and couldn’t wait to leave to go home to earn decent money and return to their comfortably lifestyles.
: Oh and this was the best, deductions from my wages. I paid Unemployment Insurance, yet I was not entitled to claim it. I paid CPP (Pension Plan) but have to wait until I am about 65 to claim my $350.00 worth of contributions – which are amortised over 25 years! I was not entitled to enroll in basic medical as I was not a Canadian resident – so if I went to the doctors it cost me approx. $100.00 per visit, plus whatever medication I needed!
: But the thing I loved the most about Canada was the people. So friendly, so inviting, so fucking self-righteous it was sickening. Sitting there telling me how Canada was the best place in the world to live. Yet when I ask them where else they have been in the world, they inform me they have never lived or in some instances, travelled abroad.
: I have lived in Sydney, London, New York and Vancouver. I’ve spent time in Continental Europe and parts of Asia. Don’t tell me that Canada is the best place in the world to live without experiencing what the rest of the world has to offer. Sure, Vancouver is pretty, but that is about it.
: The only decent thing I got out of Canada was that I met my boyfriend whilst I was there – he’s American thank the Lord! For all those thinking about travelling to Canada to work, do it, it’s a great experience. It makes you appreciate your own lifestyle back home.
: The only thing I do miss about Vancouver, is Tim Hortons. When I wrap it all up, I think that was the highlight of my time there.