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Woman Moved From The UK To Canada And Was Surprised By These 12 Differences

Woman Moved From The UK To Canada And Was Surprised By These 12 Differences

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While traveling has a few purposes, the one that we enjoy the most is when we go on vacation to relax. And we do that not only to escape our own routine, but because people are curious creatures and we are attracted by different cultures, foods and surroundings. Sometimes people like the new place so much that they decide to move there.

This British TikToker took a fancy to Canada and has been living there for a while, so she decided to share some of the things that surprised her that are different from what she’s used back home.

More info: TikTok

Southeast Londoner moved to Canada and there were a few things that she didn’t know were a thing there

Image credits: summerfox___

Summer Fox is a video creator and a full-time TikToker who shares her opinions, experiences and travels on her account. She has lived in Dubai, traveled in Asia and Australia and now has settled in Canada.

Having in mind that Canada was formed when the British and the French colonized it, the three countries lived their own separate lives from each other and developed their own unique culture, politics and lifestyle.

It came as a surprise for many other people online as well as nearly 3 million people that watched Summer’s video

Image credits: summerfox___

Some of the stereotypes associated with Canada are that it’s very cold out there all the time and they have moose randomly come up to your house. It is believed that Canadians love their hockey and maple syrup and are the loveliest people on Earth who would apologize if they bumped into a chair.

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But there is more to Canada than these stereotypes. They have beautiful nature with its rocky mountains and perfect hiking paths. Their scenery often includes lighthouses, but they have a lot of European heritage and historical landmarks.

It’s a place to visit if you want to come and watch whales, and their wildlife is rich as well. Canada’s economy is the 8th-largest GDP by nominal and 15th-largest GDP by PPP in the world and in 2022 Canada, was in 15th place out of 146 countries in the happiness index.

Turns out, it is illegal to drink alcohol in public or in a car even if you’re a passenger in Canada, as opposed to UK

Image credits: Nenad Stojkovic (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

Summer missed off-licenses that are more like corner shops and don’t sell only alcohol

Image credits: Northwest Retail (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: summerfox___

It is understandable that one would like to live there as the quality of life, the people and the surroundings are alluring. Summer Fox herself is from southeast London and she moved to Toronto.

Even though it was a British colony, it has grown up and became its own country, so there were some things that Summer found Canadians doing differently. People on TikTok found the video pretty interesting as it now sits with 2.8 million views and 350k likes.

From what Summer observed, Canadian women either don’t do lip fillers or they are more subtle

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Image credits: Youssef Labib (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

Canadians are not ones to mock you and will be genuinely kind. In addition, they seem more laid back

Image credits: Dan Brickley (not the actual photo)

The first thing that surprised Summer was that in Canada, cannabis is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. She knew that in some states in the US it had been legalized, but she missed the part about Canada.

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Speaking about substances that affect your brain, you can’t drink alcohol in the streets or in a car even if you’re not driving. In the UK, there aren’t any national laws prohibiting it, but in Canada, even if you’re not drinking and just have an open container of alcohol in public, that’s considered a violation of provincial acts and municipal bylaws.

Summer also found it odd that liquor stores sell only alcohol, as she was used to off-licenses, which are more like a corner shop and where you also grab a snack like a sandwich to go.

Image credits: summerfox___

Image credits: Petras Gagilas (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

Comparing what she saw in London, Summer was under the impression that Canadian women don’t really get lip filler and if they do, it’s not obvious. Research shows that they definitely don’t shy away from doing procedures to their face as Toronto Botox found out, “In Canada, 51% of women say dermal fillers are the best solution to enhance their beauty in a way that looks natural.”

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Summer felt some differences in the way people communicate as well. She feels like Canadians won’t make fun of other people or joke around to offend them. And they have more of a ‘bro’ culture instead of a ‘lad’ culture, which, from Summer’s tone, means that they seem more laid back.

Because in Canada, it is expected for you to tip, Summer noticed that servers are nicer compared to what she was used to in the UK

Image credits: Alan Light (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

While living in Canada, the woman noticed that Canadians are really happy about the holidays and are not afraid to show it

Image credits: Tori Behr

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Image credits: summerfox___

Another thing that is different in Canada from the UK is that servers are nicer to customers, but Summer also points out that you have to tip in Canada. Not in a legal way, but if you don’t tip, you’re automatically considered a bad person.

In the UK and perhaps in Europe in general, individual people tend to stick to decorating their interior for the holidays, but Summer experienced how Canadians celebrate Halloween and she wasn’t expecting them to be so festive.

A couple of not-so-nice things about Canada are that groceries are more expensive and people under the influence of illegal substances are more aggressive

Image credits: Alexander Baxevanis (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

Image credits: Kevin Gibbons (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

A couple of not-so-nice things about Canada that Summer saw were that the groceries were more expensive there, and she thought that people under the influence of some illegal substances couldn’t be worse than they are in London, but apparently in downtown Toronto, they were pretty aggressive.

Lastly, Summer realized that pubs are a UK thing and in Canada, they have bars. And if in those bars, you order a vodka lemonade, the bartender will be confused that you would like to dilute your drink with lemon juice.

The last thing Summer touches on is that Canada has more bars than real pubs, and the bartenders there will pour lemon juice in your drink if you ask for a vodka lemonade

Image credits: David Russo (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

Image credits: Alper Çuğun (not the actual photo)

Image credits: summerfox___

You can watch the full video below

@summerfox___Please know I’ve never had an egg n mayo sandwhich from a corner shop♬ original sound – Summer Fox

People in the comments were fascinated by this video and Summer discovering things that are so usual to Canadians. At the same time, the British considered Canada to be like a different planet. And those who have also experienced both countries agreed with the TikToker’s observations.

We would like to hear your thoughts. Which of these differences surprised you the most? Did you have a different experience than Summer? Do you feel that there is something important to know that Summer missed? Let us know in the comments.

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Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Having started as a content creator that made articles for Bored Panda from scratch I climbed my way up to being and editor and then had team lead responsibilities added as well. So it was a pretty natural transition from writing articles and titles as well as preparing the visual part for the articles to making sure others are doing those same tasks as I did before well, answering their questions and guiding them when needed.

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Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Jurgita Dominauskaitė

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Having started as a content creator that made articles for Bored Panda from scratch I climbed my way up to being and editor and then had team lead responsibilities added as well. So it was a pretty natural transition from writing articles and titles as well as preparing the visual part for the articles to making sure others are doing those same tasks as I did before well, answering their questions and guiding them when needed.

Saulė Tolstych

Saulė Tolstych

Author, Community member

Read more »

Saulė is a photo editor at Bored Panda with bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design. The thing that relaxes her the best is going into YouTube rabbit hole. In her free time she loves painting, embroidering and taking walks in nature.

Read less »

Saulė Tolstych

Saulė Tolstych

Author, Community member

Saulė is a photo editor at Bored Panda with bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design. The thing that relaxes her the best is going into YouTube rabbit hole. In her free time she loves painting, embroidering and taking walks in nature.

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ngregory avatar
N Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not sure if this was her intent, but she's managed to perpetuate the stereotype that Brits are alcoholic louts. Ugly, alcoholic louts. I learned less about Canada than I did about her preferred lifestyle.

insanitytwin1 avatar
JLN
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine thinking you know all about Canada by having lived in Toronto for a bit. Most of the things she points out are so far from true, and even barely true for Toronto (save for maybe a few very specific areas within the GTA)

bastock23 avatar
Andy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She also seems to be assuming all of the UK is like the area she is from in London in her points as well

Load More Replies...
sharonfaust avatar
Kookamunga
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sprite = Lemonade. That's odd. Also lip fillers, who would notice such a thing? I only notice people's lips when they are... freak-show...879e53.jpg freak-show-6384c6a879e53.jpg

stefaniepatterson avatar
BluEyedSeoulite
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I recently found this out. UK lemonade is carbonated. Not sure if it acurslly tastes like sprite or just carbonated

Load More Replies...
jessica_morin avatar
Jessica Morin
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol, there are definitely pubs in Canada, lots of irish pubs too.

beckisaurus avatar
3 Owls In A Coat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And when someone drops a glass people definitely shout and cheer. This wasn’t a very good tiktok I’m afraid 😅

Load More Replies...
kayrose avatar
RoanTheMad
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

idk where in the UK she's from, but people don't ACTUALLY mock you for falling over. Only the really nasty chavs will be like that, it's more like if you fall over in front of friends they'll laugh about it (if you're not seriously hurt) strangers will either ignore it or check on you if you're more seriously hurt. We're also not drinking all the time wtf? I've rarely seen people drinking on buses or trains. I've also never had a rude "what do you f*****g want" kinda scenario from a waiter. It's their JOB, if they act rude they lose it. Even in the UK they're smarter than that. e_e

silverskycloud avatar
SilverSkyCloud
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ive never seen anyone walking down the street drinking a beer during the day either, and thats saying a lot since i came from rochdale

Load More Replies...
rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hope this helps with the confusion. While carbonated water was invented by Joseph Priestley in 1767, the first reference found to carbonated lemonade was in 1833 when the drink was sold in British refreshment stalls. R. White's Lemonade has been sold in the UK since 1845. One of the best adverts in UK history, I remember this from when I was a kid in the 80's and the ad is from 1973! ♫ Cause I'm a secret lemonade drinker.....R Whites....R Whites♫ Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hro4AdTYiTA R-Whites-L...779200.jpg R-Whites-Lemonade-2L-scaled-6387a23779200.jpg

silverskycloud avatar
SilverSkyCloud
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

as a brit the "not allowed to walk down the street drinking a beer" part sounds trashy as hell, is this the mayor of chav'sville?

hughcooks avatar
Hugh Cookson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Summer comes across as a badly educated, twattish, stupid and frankly vile individual who has no idea about how things work in the UK vs how things work anywhere else in the World. She should have stayed at home in Lewisham, got knocked up at 14 and left the rest of the world in peace without her stupid, brainless ideas ....

jeandavid-russier avatar
OnAFreakingRollercoaster
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Loved this post. Tell me more nice things about my mother country. Oh Canada! 😍🇨🇦

cherylhayesbent avatar
Chez2202
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s not normal to wander the streets of the UK drinking alcohol if you aren’t an alcoholic. Most alcoholics don’t do it either.

meghanrose05 avatar
AffenpinscherMom
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can someone explain what this means.."on the way to the park to get slaughtered"?

rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

By the end of the night they will be quite drunk or slaughtered, it's a fairly common expression in the UK to denote a very high level of being drunk. Probably off to Clapham Common if she's in one of the better parts of South (pronounced "sarf") London. I used to live on Wandsworth Common West Side, just down the road from it, it's full of young professionals in their early 20's all out for partying and more.

Load More Replies...
ngregory avatar
N Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not sure if this was her intent, but she's managed to perpetuate the stereotype that Brits are alcoholic louts. Ugly, alcoholic louts. I learned less about Canada than I did about her preferred lifestyle.

insanitytwin1 avatar
JLN
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine thinking you know all about Canada by having lived in Toronto for a bit. Most of the things she points out are so far from true, and even barely true for Toronto (save for maybe a few very specific areas within the GTA)

bastock23 avatar
Andy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She also seems to be assuming all of the UK is like the area she is from in London in her points as well

Load More Replies...
sharonfaust avatar
Kookamunga
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sprite = Lemonade. That's odd. Also lip fillers, who would notice such a thing? I only notice people's lips when they are... freak-show...879e53.jpg freak-show-6384c6a879e53.jpg

stefaniepatterson avatar
BluEyedSeoulite
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I recently found this out. UK lemonade is carbonated. Not sure if it acurslly tastes like sprite or just carbonated

Load More Replies...
jessica_morin avatar
Jessica Morin
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol, there are definitely pubs in Canada, lots of irish pubs too.

beckisaurus avatar
3 Owls In A Coat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And when someone drops a glass people definitely shout and cheer. This wasn’t a very good tiktok I’m afraid 😅

Load More Replies...
kayrose avatar
RoanTheMad
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

idk where in the UK she's from, but people don't ACTUALLY mock you for falling over. Only the really nasty chavs will be like that, it's more like if you fall over in front of friends they'll laugh about it (if you're not seriously hurt) strangers will either ignore it or check on you if you're more seriously hurt. We're also not drinking all the time wtf? I've rarely seen people drinking on buses or trains. I've also never had a rude "what do you f*****g want" kinda scenario from a waiter. It's their JOB, if they act rude they lose it. Even in the UK they're smarter than that. e_e

silverskycloud avatar
SilverSkyCloud
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ive never seen anyone walking down the street drinking a beer during the day either, and thats saying a lot since i came from rochdale

Load More Replies...
rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hope this helps with the confusion. While carbonated water was invented by Joseph Priestley in 1767, the first reference found to carbonated lemonade was in 1833 when the drink was sold in British refreshment stalls. R. White's Lemonade has been sold in the UK since 1845. One of the best adverts in UK history, I remember this from when I was a kid in the 80's and the ad is from 1973! ♫ Cause I'm a secret lemonade drinker.....R Whites....R Whites♫ Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hro4AdTYiTA R-Whites-L...779200.jpg R-Whites-Lemonade-2L-scaled-6387a23779200.jpg

silverskycloud avatar
SilverSkyCloud
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

as a brit the "not allowed to walk down the street drinking a beer" part sounds trashy as hell, is this the mayor of chav'sville?

hughcooks avatar
Hugh Cookson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Summer comes across as a badly educated, twattish, stupid and frankly vile individual who has no idea about how things work in the UK vs how things work anywhere else in the World. She should have stayed at home in Lewisham, got knocked up at 14 and left the rest of the world in peace without her stupid, brainless ideas ....

jeandavid-russier avatar
OnAFreakingRollercoaster
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Loved this post. Tell me more nice things about my mother country. Oh Canada! 😍🇨🇦

cherylhayesbent avatar
Chez2202
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s not normal to wander the streets of the UK drinking alcohol if you aren’t an alcoholic. Most alcoholics don’t do it either.

meghanrose05 avatar
AffenpinscherMom
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can someone explain what this means.."on the way to the park to get slaughtered"?

rpeaslea_1 avatar
Pat Bond
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

By the end of the night they will be quite drunk or slaughtered, it's a fairly common expression in the UK to denote a very high level of being drunk. Probably off to Clapham Common if she's in one of the better parts of South (pronounced "sarf") London. I used to live on Wandsworth Common West Side, just down the road from it, it's full of young professionals in their early 20's all out for partying and more.

Load More Replies...
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