Meet Kate, a personal coach and content creator who moved from England to Canada back in 2017 where she was met and greeted by an array of cultural differences.
Today, Kate not only runs “The Newcomer Collective Community” that supports and helps connect internationals living in Canada, she also shares a glimpse into her daily Canadian life on TikTok.
Her video series “Culture Shocks In Canada” reveals all the quirks of expat life in the country of lovely people, ice hockey and maple syrup.
And in fact, there are so many more things that make up this beautiful country, so scroll down to see what Kate had to say about it in her videos!
The cultural shocks Kate shared about her expat life in Canada resonated with many people who joined the discussion
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Bored Panda reached out to Kate Malcolm, the founder of the Newcomer Collective, an online community and resource hub for newcomers to Canada and the creator of this viral TikTok series. Malcolm hosts the New to Canada podcast where she interviews internationals who’ve moved there, learns all about their native countries, and the story of why they chose Canada as their new home.
“I also run the Moving to Canada Academy: An online video course and community that breaks down the steps of rebuilding your career and personal life in Canada so that you can feel happy and settled that much faster in your new life,” she added.
Malcolm moved from the UK to Canada in 2017 after she met and fell in love with her Canadian now-husband whilst backpacking in Thailand. “I know, it’s a crazy story… Canada had never been on my travel bucket list but I am so happy that life took me here unexpectedly.”
So annoying! You think you are getting a bargain, until you actually have to pay. At that point it's a bit embarrassing to cancel!
Haha, my Dad had several pugs out the front of his car in Winnipeg, battery warmer, gas line heater, block heater and it still wouldn’t start! -40 will do that, so glad to be back in Liverpool.
It turns out that Malcolm also fell in love with the extreme seasons in Canada. “Instead of experiencing similar weather throughout the entire year in the UK, you can actually enjoy different seasons and all the activities that come with that. Summer = Boating on the lake. Fall = Hikes to view the multi-colored leaves. Winter = Skiing and sledding, etc.,” she explained.
Plus, “It’s a great country to enjoy the outdoors and I especially love how diverse it is as well so you can meet people from all over the world,” she added.
Wait..you mean having bathroom doors that close fully is actually a rare thing outside the UK? Did not know this.
This one might need some clarification: we don’t have raccoons in the UK. Wild animals going through your bins at night are usually foxes.
When asked how Canada and its people differ from her home country, Malcolm said it was surprising to her when she moved to Canada that there were so many differences. “I thought that the UK and Canada would be pretty similar. We speak the same language, watch the same movies, eat the same food… But I quickly realized that it would take longer than I thought to adjust and settle into my new Canadian life.”
Malcolm told us that people always comment on her “British” accent, which took a while for her to get used to. “There are a lot of differences in phrases and vocabulary between British English and Canadian English, which got me into some embarrassing situations.”
Cottages weren’t like that when I was a kid. Much smaller and we roughed it. If we did go in the winter, the water had been shut off or it would freeze the pipes. Water? You get an axe and a bucket. Head down to the lake, hack out the ice and get it that way. At night it got cold🥶 because the fire eventually went out. Lots of old quilts. They were warmer than the ones today. My uncle would get up early to get it going. Yep. The good old outhouse. But if there was a snow the night before, you’d have to dig yourself to there. There were times that didn’t end well🤣. Have to go at night? Good old chamber pot under the bed, and you better have a good throwing arm for the morning. The summer was much better, except for the black flies. You needed a blood transfusion when you came in at the end of the day. Loved every minute of it.
This tipping inflation has to stop. My entire life the standard tip was 15%. Why on earth would I just pay an extra 10% now?
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As an American, I've been struggling with tipping since the pandemic. In the beginning, I was happy to tip generously on takeout orders because I know how much restaurant staffs' income was affected. Now there's pressure to tip 20% everywhere, despite that you just picked up takeout.
No doubt! Especially when you already did the payment online and everything! You're literally just walking in, looking for the bag with your name on it, and walking out!
Load More Replies... Clarification - in the UK, it's illegal to pay waiters less than the minimum hourly wage so they don't rely on tips in the same way that US, and apparently Canadian waiters do. A service charge of 12.5% is often included in the bill, or is an optional item in the bill that you would usually say yes to unless service has been abysmal. If service is not included in the bill, you will leave a tip but this is often between 10 and 15% - 10 a little stingy, 15% quite generous. This only applies to restaurants, you wouldn't be expected to tip in a cafe, coffee shop or a fast food place - general rule of thumb is that if you pay at the til when ordering, you don't tip. You do tip delivery drivers but again that's normally an option you can click on if ordering - and it's wise to be generous as there's a general lack of delivery drivers and they will select your order based on size of tip, as far as I can see.
no its not that high, though my fiance makes 300 a night on tips while making 15 an hour
(US here) It's sadly 20-30% now! What's worse, you're now pressured to give a "full" tip for takeout many (most?) places. I never used to tip for takeout when I was younger, but then started tipping around 10% (figured somebody had to take my order on the phone, though that's usually done mostly online now, and package it up)... If we can't eliminate tipping entirely, maybe at least make it based on # of people served?! If I order a $20 salad today, and order an $100 entree tomorrow... Why should I tip 5x the total tomorrow for the exact same amount of effort?!
Where in US is 20-30% expected? No wonder restaurants are failing at alarming rates. Not a snowballs chance in haiti would I ever tip that much.
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Depends on the service. 10% is standard, it's never required, and if you're very displeased, don't leave anything. Servers in Canada are paid at least minimum wage (unlike parts of the US, I believe, where wait staff rely on gratuities for income).
Tipping = A practice in countries that are too greedy to pay living wages.
Moreover, the national sports are all different there. “Country music is very popular, which is a genre of music I’d never listened to.”
“As a whole, Canadians are a lot more straightforward and extremely friendly, whereas British people have a dry, sarcastic humor and aren’t as bubbly straight away,” the TikToker said and added that it took her a while to get used to the energetic customer service there.
“Where I live in Ontario, Canadians tend to 'hide out' for a large portion of the year over the winter months and are less sociable, so it can get pretty lonely. Winters feel like they go on forever(!)”
The roads are all in a grid system, so there is a 1 in 4 chance, as opposed to 1 in 360!
Another thing which is pretty hard to get used to, according to Malcolm, is that the taxes are added to prices when you are paying the total bill and the amount depends on which province you are in. “This took a while to get used to because taxes are automatically built into the prices of everything back in the UK.”
“I also still find tipping culture quite hard to deal with. There is a real pressure to tip high to ensure servers get a living wage, which I don’t think is fair on the consumer - and there is also a tipping expectation for many services that we never tip for in the UK (e.g. hairdressers, massage therapists, food delivery drivers, etc.),” Malcolm explained. Recently, CBC News reached out to her to offer her thoughts on tipping as it is a hot debate right now post-pandemic.
Canadian here. Most of the time it's not from your front door but there is a assign places where you take the bus in your neighborhood with other kids (example, all the kids from one streets take the bus on one specific spot) So depending where you live, the "bus stop" could be right in front of your house or 5 min walk from it. Well it was that way when I was at school, maybe it changes. Sorry if this whole explanation was confusing...
There have also been cultural differences that pleasantly surprised Malcolm. “This might be controversial but I actually enjoy driving in Canada a lot more than in the UK! The roads are wider and it feels like you have more space to drive safely. There are less roundabouts and more traffic lights, which I find a lot easier to use. Less traffic cameras and fines to worry about - and of course, being able to turn right on a red light is really convenient,” she explained.
She was also pleasantly surprised by how varied the landscape is across Canada. “You can choose to see the mountains, lakes, prairies or rugged damp coastline and it’s all in the same beautiful country.”
“Finally, I absolutely LOVE cottage country in Ontario. The fact that Canadians seem to have more disposable income than the average British family, so they can afford a 2nd holiday home on a nearby lake to vacation with their family, or buy a boat or jet-ski is probably my favorite thing about Canada! Summers are so amazing here,” the British expat explained.
Having said that, Malcolm missed a lot of things from the UK. “Of course, I miss my friends and family as I came to Canada alone. I miss British pubs and being able to go there for drinks socially with your colleagues after work. I miss live music as I feel it is much easier to find everywhere in the UK (e.g. festivals, intimate music venues, open mic nights, etc.)”
“Then, of course, I miss a lot of British food (e.g. a good roast dinner, Galaxy chocolate, and grab-and-go lunches from Pret-a-Manger or Boots),” she concluded.
Just keep driving - there's another Tim's in just a few blocks.... and another, and...
The cultural shocks Kate shared about her expat life in Canada resonated with many people who joined the discussion
You mean a different country is DIFFERENT??? Who would have thought?
Aussie here. Canada is also part of the Commonwealth and a lot of their ways are similar to the UK. I'm not surprised that OP was surprised. Like her, I *was* surprised at how similar to the US, they are.
Load More Replies... More low quality tiktok content. This is pretty much the same BP article you run once a week, except it's about Canada instead of the US and it's in tiktok form - exposing your readers to data mining, identify theft, and security issues.
Yes, because Canada and US have similarities. Most of this is different in the UK apparently.
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Here’s one: if your car gets stuck in a snow bank, a guy in a pickup truck will magically appear within ten minutes to help you out. He’ll give you a push or a tow.
Yes! And as you get further north there’s an increasing chance that pickup truck will have a winch on it for just that purpose. And other times if you’re stuck in sight of a farm they might just come out with their tractor to help.
Load More Replies... 🇨🇦 The only thing that might not be true is about the bikers. Got some reeeeeely bad ones. But it is also in how you treat them. We had a large contingent of a biker gang visit our town. Yes. They were scoping it out to establish a drug business, which they did. But, as I rounded the corner to go to the pharmacy Isaw all the bikes lined up & everyone out on the patio of the restaurant. I went into the pharmacy & they were all freaked out. At one time I was friends with a Hell’s Angel. Fantastic fun guy, as long as he liked you. No, I wasn’t afraid of the bikers. I got to the cashier & they were asking each other “ What do we do if they come in here? What if they try to steal something” I calmly told them they are not interested in a toothpaste heist. But, they do need things from the pharmacy, just like you and I. When they approach with something to buy, treat them the same as anyone else. “High. How are you today?” “Will that be all?” “Would you like a bag?” “Have a good day.” Easy.
I'm not sure why people are so afraid of bikers or biker gangs. They don't bother you if you don't bother them. Hells Angels particularly make sure "innocents" are not involved.
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From the US, grew up on the border, LOL'd way too much, I'm so sorry. Some were far too true.
You mean a different country is DIFFERENT??? Who would have thought?
Aussie here. Canada is also part of the Commonwealth and a lot of their ways are similar to the UK. I'm not surprised that OP was surprised. Like her, I *was* surprised at how similar to the US, they are.
Load More Replies... More low quality tiktok content. This is pretty much the same BP article you run once a week, except it's about Canada instead of the US and it's in tiktok form - exposing your readers to data mining, identify theft, and security issues.
Yes, because Canada and US have similarities. Most of this is different in the UK apparently.
Load More Replies... Here’s one: if your car gets stuck in a snow bank, a guy in a pickup truck will magically appear within ten minutes to help you out. He’ll give you a push or a tow.
Yes! And as you get further north there’s an increasing chance that pickup truck will have a winch on it for just that purpose. And other times if you’re stuck in sight of a farm they might just come out with their tractor to help.
Load More Replies... 🇨🇦 The only thing that might not be true is about the bikers. Got some reeeeeely bad ones. But it is also in how you treat them. We had a large contingent of a biker gang visit our town. Yes. They were scoping it out to establish a drug business, which they did. But, as I rounded the corner to go to the pharmacy Isaw all the bikes lined up & everyone out on the patio of the restaurant. I went into the pharmacy & they were all freaked out. At one time I was friends with a Hell’s Angel. Fantastic fun guy, as long as he liked you. No, I wasn’t afraid of the bikers. I got to the cashier & they were asking each other “ What do we do if they come in here? What if they try to steal something” I calmly told them they are not interested in a toothpaste heist. But, they do need things from the pharmacy, just like you and I. When they approach with something to buy, treat them the same as anyone else. “High. How are you today?” “Will that be all?” “Would you like a bag?” “Have a good day.” Easy.
I'm not sure why people are so afraid of bikers or biker gangs. They don't bother you if you don't bother them. Hells Angels particularly make sure "innocents" are not involved.
Load More Replies... From the US, grew up on the border, LOL'd way too much, I'm so sorry. Some were far too true.
