im interested in maybe moving from washington to vancouver, bc

how are things different in canada? i know that this question could take days to answer, but ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you could share would be greatly appreciated!!!

thx :-)

I moved from Western Canada to NC 3 years ago. I guess it depends on your opinions on thing on how you would like Canada. Although I miss many things I do not miss the government and the taxes. Healthcare on both sides of the border frankly sucks but in different ways. In Canada you don't pay extra for insurance but the waits are atrocious and you don't have as many options. I don't really care for the more socialist type government and plenty of people abuse it.

In BC you are looking at something like a 15% sales tax between GST and PST. Income taxes are very high to pay for social programs and healthcare.

Vancouver at least has a nice climate though. Last I heard though BC had a NDP government and they were running things very badly, but there could have been an election since then, I'm not sure.

I do find that Canada is a little bit more progressive, at least compared to here (NC)

I like the US better in a lot of ways, if only the two systems could take the best of both worlds and make them one!!

I'm not sure how you are planning to immigrate but it isn't very easy unless you have an employer lined up and I think you need to have a degree. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to immigrate between the US and Canada! It's unreal and a huge headache!

I hope this helps a little bit!

Jennifer

Hi temporary.
I live in Vancouver. Isn't that weird that I'd come across this post? Anyways,I've never lived in the States,but I do go down occasionally to shop,collect mail,etc.
I can't tell you too much....tax is 14.5% here in BC. Not cheap

Generally though,goods and services seem to be cheaper over here. For example,DVDs-at a few stores that I checked in WA,they were in the $20-$25 range,whereas in Canada you'll find the same price in Canadian $. Gas is cheaper in the States,as you'd probably expect.
Canada is very different in terms of the people here. Everyone knows the States is a "melting pot" of different cultures,well Canada is just full of people of all cultures,ethnicities,languages etc. and there's no real requirement to fit-in,as there is in the States. Especially in the area where I live, there are lots of asian people...nothing wrong with that,it's just very different. I would estimate in high school,70-80% of the students were asian(that was 1 year ago).
Well,if you want any specific info,feel free to PM me.

I am a Canadian living in the States for 3 years now. I lived in Manitoba, which is very different from living in B.C. but for the measure of differences it is relatively the same.

As the previous poster said about health care, their are pros and cons. The pro is (at least in Manitoba), the health care is free, (well you pay for it in your taxes not exactly free, but you don't pay any charges after having been in the hospital or at the doctor"s), but your taxes are exorbinant(sp) compared to here in the states. However we found that with the insurance we are paying for medical through dh's employer that it comes out to relatively the same : high taxes (canada) = medical insurance (us).

I don't know if you have children, but having gone through the school system in Canada and now my daughter going through the school system here in the US, schooling is much better in Canada (granted once again the school taxes are much higher). We live in South Dakota, and a second language is not an option here, where in Manitoba it is mandatory that a child learn a second language. The schools are not as crowded, and the teachers there get paid much better than they do here (at least where we are located in the US).

TAXES.TAXES.TAXES. I think that is the boiling down matter. Think I "socialist" government, lots of taxes for the middle class, lots of free programming for everyone else. In Manitoba the provincial tax is 7% and the Country wide goods and services tax (GST), is 7%, making your tax 14%. Don't be surprised to get to the till and pay that much more for your purchases!

Both places are nice to live you give up some things for others, for us it's a matter of living where the work is! (Which is in the US for dh's profession).

Also as a previous poster said, Immigrating/Emmigrating, is not that simple, for your sake (don't know the circumstances), I hope that you have something already arranged and that this is not just a "whim" as it takes a lot of legalities and money to "legally" immigrate/emmigrate to another country.

Hope that helped.

I'm an American from Oregon who lived in British Columbia for 3 years. I can second what some of the above posters are saying: 1. Taxes are atrocious up there (Of course, in OR we don't have a sales tax so the taxes in Canada were a LOT worse for me than everyone else since I wasn't used to it at all.)
2. I agree that the education system in Canada is better than it is in the U.S. I have first-hand experience with both systems and I am a teacher now and I can see some real differences.
3. Personally, I didn't think their health system up there was too bad. Yes, you had to wait a bit and there was red tap, but heck, I have to make my annual appointment 3 months in advance HERE! At least there, everyone has health insurance and everyone can get healthcare.
4. They have the BEST candy in Canada! Everytime we go for a visit I have a long list of candy to bring back. There are some things you can't get there that you can get here, and vice-versa.
5. Gas is expensive up there, so is housing depending on where you are. But I actually did find SOME things to be cheaper, but only if I was exchanging American money to pay for them. The exchange rate is what made some things cheaper.
6. They have PIEROGIES up there! You can probably get them around here too (I buy frozen ones at the store), but you can get them at some restaurants up there! Yum, yum. My favorite food.
7. Now, this next one I am SURE I will get flamed for. I have absolutely nothing against Canadians and I LOVED living there and still visit and everything, but I find that Americans seem to have more patriotism and national pride than Canadians. That is JUST my opinion, an observation that I noted when I lived there. And, of course, I didn't live all over Canada so I can only speak for the areas I lived in BC. I am not saying that they aren't proud of their country, because I know they are, I just think that Americans do a better job of showing it. That's all.

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Move along!

I guess it depends where you live but I have found things in the US WAAAY cheaper than in Canada, groceries, with the exception of milk and bread, meat is a whole lot less down here. Gas is more, like others have said, cars are alot less here. Vancouver is very expensive, my Grandmother lives there and when she comes for a visit she can't believe how much less things are here.

You have to remember too if you are paying for things in Canadian dollars they cost more than if you were buying the same thing in the US with American dollars, plus if you take it proportionately out of your income it costs more because you are paying more taxes and you have less disposable income, plus then add the 14.5% sales tax to that as well. Super expensive.

I agree too that the education system is much better ther for the most part, but I have been doing my research on where the best educations systems in the US are and Washington's is supposed to be very good. Where I am it is particularily bad.

It's also true the Americans are much more patriotic....but Canadians are much more mild mannered and polite. Sometimes when I am shopping I can't believe how bad the customer service is here compared to Canada.

I could go on about this for days. I love both countries, they are very different though!

I totally agree. I like that about the USA,that everyone is so patriotic,but I can see how some people might not like it. The problem here in Canada with patriotism is that there's too many cultures,different people etc. ...it's very difficult to 'connect the dots' so to speak,because of our diversity

Just thought I would put my two cents worth in. I am a Canadian living in the US for 4 years. (I have completed 2 so far).

1. Canadians are patriotic, just different than Americans. We keep our patriotism inside and don't put flags everywhere. We have national pride, but it isn't pushed as much as here. ie Cdns don't have a pledge of allegiance to repeat every day in school.

2. The candy IS better....Smarties, Oh Henry, Coffee Crisp, Jelly Tots, Bridge Mix, Cherry Blossoms...I could go on....

3. Medical care. In Canada, you might not get seen as fast, but you will get seen. You don't have to worry about not having enough money to go to the doctor and there are social programs that will even cover medicine. It has amazed me the number of people I have met here that can't afford to go to the doctor!

4. Things in Canada are cheaper for the most part. Many things are dollar for dollar the same but when you do the conversion are much more in the US.

5. Cars are cheaper in Canada. We looked here before we moved down and again it was dollar for dollar the same price, which in those amount, adds up to big bucks.

6. Customer service in Florida, at least is an oxymoron. (I think that is the correct term). They don't know what it is and I live in a tourist town.

7. Stat holidays. In Canada, a long weekend for a stat holiday is really a holiday. Stores are closed on the Monday or other holiday and people get time off. In the US, it is just an excuse to have a big sale.

8. Americans seem to think everything is an infringement of their rights. For example, in FL you don't have to wear a motorcycle helment, infringes on your rights. Kids can ride in the back of pick up trucks, can't force people to protect their kids. Maybe other states are better but FL has some laws that make me shake my head.

Amber.

I AM Canadian

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Things are only cheaper in Canada if you are making and spending US dollars.

Yep if you could go to Canada and buy a car with US dollars it would be alot cheaper. We just bought a Windstar, base price here in the US is $21240us, base price in Canada is $25995cnd. So if you are making Cnd dollars it is more expensive.

Conversion has nothing to do with it cause you don't live like that unless you are making Cnd dollars in the US or vice versa

I have a friend in BC who needed a MRI, he was put on the "urgent" list, the wait was 12 - 14 months ~unless~ he could pay $1000. He paid and he got it done in 3 days and they did it on a Saturday.

I also worked retail in Canada (Edmonton) and we were always open on the Monday of long weekends, we got stat pay ( time and a half) but we were open, and I worked at several different stores and malls. Boxing Day is a Stat holiday in Canada and it's the biggest shopping day of the year there. The only day I can remember being closed is Christmas.......and maybe New Years...

Candy is definitely better! I had almost forgotten about that! Oh and Oreo cookies are completely different down here and so much better in Canada, not to mention fudgee-o's and pirate and all of the Mr. Christie cookies!!! Oh and gravy on fries! And poutene, gravy and melted cheese on fires!!

Generally, retail is only open in tourist areas, not general areas. The banks, post office and even grocery stores are closed.

I think think that no matter what you say, things are cheaper in Canada, no matter the amount. You must factor in the exchange rate. (I guess that is because we do get paid in Cdn dollars in the US).

Oh Fudge-O's...Chocolate Oreos don't cut it...Mr. Christie you make good cookies! LOL

And how can Cheez Whiz be sooooo different between 2 countries and why doesn't Kraft USA make Kraft Peanut Butter???

Not a big fan of poutine, but I know lots who miss it, along with Ketchup chips.

A trip down memory lane.

And Tim Horton's !!!

Amber

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Ouch, it must be tough to get paid in Cnd $'s! Things would be expensive that way!

The food thing is sooo funny. Cheez Whiz is totally different! For one thing in Canada you can practically buy it in gallon tubs hahaha!

Where are you from? I lived in Edmonton for 24 years and the only things that were closed on stats were the banks but no retail or grocery stores other than little shops but I find it the same here. But every state has different rules, just like every province does. In ON they don't even have Rememberence (I spelled that wrong?) Day as a stat! I couldn't believe it! (of course that holiday doesn't even exist in the US) Is Edmonton a tourist area? lol I didn't think it was......

Oh how about Squirrel Peanut Butter with the peanut on top lol!

Doughnuts are just better in Canada too, Krispy Kreme just don't cut it! Actually plain old bread is better in Canada, it's too soft here, it doesn't toast nicely!

Our grocery store actually has an "import" section with Canadian foods lol, like some Dare cookie...the Maple Cremes!

My parents lived in Florida for 5 years and they didn't like, now they are in Kansas and loving it. My mom had the same complaint about the customer service down there.

It's fun to chat about Canada!

Seems like this post turned out to be Anti-American. Am I the only one who feels this way???

Why are Canadians here in the US then? Not a flame - just curious.

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"Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness."
~ Earl of Derby

anti-American? I don't see anything that qualifies as that...we're simply comparing the 2 countries. Nothing wrong w/that.

Why do Cdns move to the USA? Better money maybe..

Whoa,,, Bite the biscuit on that one early. I don't think anyone is being anti-american here. Gosh, this is the one thing I don't like about the US (and other people than Canadians feel this way too), it is possible that things are better in other countries. While America is the super power of the world, it doesn't mean EVERYTHING is fine and dandy here.

Take for instance METRIC VS STANDARD. Did you know that The US is only ONE OF TWO (the other being Liberia I believe), that uses the standard system? Do you know how frustrating that is to the rest of the world? My car is in kilometers and liters, I have no idea "how many miles per gallon" I get to my car. I get less milk here too! (3.78 liters to a gallon jug, in Canada they sell them in 4 liter jugs!). I never know how warm or cold it is in the morning, (I"m learning slowly, 68 means I can put my daughter in shorts!). etc. My dh and I are planning to teach our daughter metric at home so she can function in other countries as well as this one when she gets older.

No one is being anti-american, somehow when others are being patriotic of their country, and their positive aspects it seems anti-american, why is that?

Oh and a side note! Smarties and Coffee Crisps what can we say? My dh has to bring a 1 kg bag of smarties to work next time we go across the border, because he was trying to explain the difference between American Smarties candies and Canadian ones (for Americans who don't know they are something like m&ms), and we buy coffee crisps by the case at Costco. And how about MacIntosh Toffee and Kindereggs? Yum....

Just wondering what you see as "anti-american"?

Personally I like it here better in most ways......

I lived in Canada for a year (a few years ago).

Hardest thing for me was figuring out metric and money. It takes a while, but you'll eventually be able to figure out what degree celcius = farenheit. With money, I was always trying to do the conversion in my head to compare to US prices (to see if it was really a deal or not).

If you'll be earning US dollars (though I'm assuming that's not likely) then things will be cheaper. If you're earning Canadian dollars, then they'll be more expensive.

Fuel is outrageous there. I lived near almost everything I needed to do, so I walked A LOT.

People seem happier there (I truly think they are). I stopped for directions at a gas station once and the girl behind the counter enthusiastically showed me what streets to take on my map.

I agree with the poster that said Canadians don't appear to be patriotic.

I found healthcare to be a complete hassle. I thought banks were a hassle, too. Postal service didn't pick up mail from my home, didn't deliver on Saturday. Everything was closed on holidays. (EVERYTHING.)

Didn't deal with schools, so I don't know about that one.

Good luck with your new adventure!

PS I did visit Vancouver in April and it was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Flowers everywhere.

I'm here because my husband is working here with the Canadian Forces, hand in hand with the American military.
Of course I am going to miss things about my homeland. That is what I was discussing. That being said, I am going to miss things about the US too.

I forgot all about Squirrel peanut butter. And I try to get Kinder Eggs brought down around Easter. They are so much fun.

What Americans call Smarties, we call Rockets. A hallowe'en staple.

Love MacIntosh toffee...Smack your Mac!

I think the bread has to do with the flour. Most of the Canadian I know here, have Cdn flour brought down for baking. It works better for our recipes I guess.

Amber

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I am very surprised about people saying stores are closed on holidays....that was never my experience at all....and like I said I worked retail for 8 years (Fairweather, Canary Island (now Northern Elements, if they're still around), and manager of Cotton Ginny.) And I worked at a few malls in Edmonton, (West Edmonton Mall, Kingsway, Westmount, Eaton Center and Londonderry) None were closed on holidays other than the biggies like Christmas. Maybe in smaller centers they are? Are they closed on holidays in Vancouver cozmo ?


Banks in Canada are good and bad, they have too much power because they are so huge, they don't really care about customer service but they do offer more services and are better networked then down here.

I hate Canada Post! They are unionized and terrible. The postal workers are paid waaay too much and go on strike quite often for more money, that is a part of Canada I really dislike. Now at least though they privatized a lot of post offices so they have better hours, and that is better than here, you can go to the local 7-11 at 8 pm and mail a package in some places. (It was like that when I left anyway)

I have bought Cnd flour when I've gone home. It's made from hard wheat where most down here is from soft wheat. King Arthur flour down here is really good and is made from hard wheat.

as far as Vancouver is concerned,stores do generally seem to stay open with 'holiday hours' on public holidays

Yes,Canada Post can be slow but I've found that they send stuff from Canada to the US quite quickly. Receiving packages from the US is another story. Plus the customs officers are quite strict with packages-items with a value of over US$20 are usually taxed and hit with a customs handling fee($5),even if they're not opened.

I've had no real problems with the banks,but that's probably because I'm a student so I'm not paying fees. They take forever to clear checks/MOs though-like 4 weeks! I've had good customer service so far--long waits for service in some cases,but good nonetheless. As far as interest rates on savings accounts go,we don't get much ING direct is the best bet(yes,they're in canada too)

As a frequent visitor to Canada, there is nothing better on God's Green Earth than Canadian television, lol.

The CBC has by far the best programming I have ever seen. Nothing like the mind mush that is on tv here. And there are less commercials.

The only strange thing is that it seems to be the same 30 or so actors on all the shows, lol.

anti-american?!? good grief - what are you even referring to???

C'mon,seriously?
I can hardly find one good show on CBC Except for maybe the baseball and Royal Canadian Air Farce.
Anyways,you like Colin Mockery(from 'Who's line is it anyway?')? He's canadian,dontchaknow!

I don't want to flame and I guess I'm sensitive because it's almost 9-11. Never mind....

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"Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness."
~ Earl of Derby

"Black Harbour" was the absolute best show I have ever seen. I was so hooked on it. "North By Northwest" "North of 60" "Road To Avonlea" "Da Vinci's Inquest" everything they show on Showcase (only a few shows in syndication here). I just love it. Really and truly.

I'm a naturalized Canadian citizen. Lived in Vancouver for 7 years (went from gr. 5-12) then lived in Montreal for 6year. Now, I'm living in Los Angeles because I married an American.

Having said that, I think I can give a non-biased assessment of the differences between 2 countries:

1. Healthcare: it's socialized medicine in Canada. It's not totally free, you do have to pay $200-$500 a year (at least my parents do). Dental plans are not covered, neither is prescription drugs. Unless the place where you work provides additional health insurance. If you have a job that has decent health benefits, it shouldn't really matter where you live.

2. Weather: I did not like the weather in Vancouver. It rains a lot and it's cold most of the time. But I live in LA now, so it's not fair to compare Vancouver to LA.

3. Vancouver and Seattle are very similar as cities go.

4. Lots of taxes have to be paid if you live in Canada. GST and PST.

5. Housing prices are much lower in Vancouver, compared to Los Angeles.

6. Vancouver has the best Chinese restaurants in the world. All the great Chinese chefs from Hong Kong and Taiwan have immigrated to Vancouver.

Like I said in the subject heading, it all really depends on why you want to go up to Canada. If you are retiring and have saved up $US as your retirement fund, then Vancouver is the place to be. If you got a job offer, then make sure you get paid in US$. Don't move up there without consulting your tax planner. Canada taxes people based on residency, so if you spend more than 183 days in Canada, you are suppose to pay tax (based on the Canadian tax rate) on your worldwide income.

Cost of living is very low in Vancouver compared to living in LA. My parents are always saying how things are much cheaper in Vancouver.

When I was growing up in Vancouver, I didn't like it there. One needs to drive everywhere and since I didn't have a car, I had to take the bus everywhere. Now, Vancouver has rapid transit, so it's easier to get around Vancouver. Also, I'm not an outdoor kind of girl, it was frustrating living in Vancouver. I know I should compare Vancouver living with Washington living, but I've never lived in Washington state, so I don't know how different it would be if you move up to Vancouver. My guess is that it wouldn't be much a cultural shock for you. If you love skiing, camping, canoeing, etc...you'll love Vancouver.


HTH.

Jennifer

One thing I would like to point out, Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities in Canada to live in, right up there with Victoria, Toronto and Ottawa. (There are probably others, but those stick in my mind.)

Amber

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'm an American who lived in Canada (near Ottawa) for five and half years and love both countries so this is an interesting topic for me.

First of all, here is a website done by an American living in Canada that is both entertaining and informative http://www.icomm.ca/emily/

As other posters have said, taxes are high but do cover health care except for dental, vision and prescriptions. Socialized medicine does have the advantage of an low out of pocket cost but does have a long waiting period for tests and and procedures (which unlike other posters living in the States, I do not have. I have always been able to get procedures and tests scheduled right away). The low out of pocket costs are great for people who will need long term care (such as a friend of mine who lives in Canada and has Spina Bifida) and another nice thing was that when we lived in Canada I was able to get my vision care covered because of of a congenital eye condition that I have. Because of my current working situation (here in the States) I have my own indiviual health policy, while it is more expensive, it's not unreasonable and all costs are tax deductible. Also because of cutbacks in the OHIP program in Ontario when you stay in a hospital you have to pay for your telephone and TV and your meal is going to be a microwaved TV dinner. When you visit someone at the hospital or you have tests done there you have to pay for parking.

Another interesting fact about Canadian taxes is that Catholic schools are part of the public school system, therefore students do not have to pay tuition to attend. Where we lived, if you weren't Catholic and you wanted your child to attend Catholic you would have to pay $600/year more in Property Taxes until your child got to 9th grade. I went to the local public school and I guess it was because I was in a rural area but the school wasn't that good. When I moved back to Florida in 9th grade I had a very hard time adjusting to the school system. Also our local high school (in Canada) did not gear kids towards furthering their education after high school. Again, I think this may have been because we were in a rural area. In general though, it seems that you can get far careerwise in Canada if you have a post secondary degree. There are a lot of colleges there (equivalent to our community colleges - it a two year but you do not receive a two year degree, you receive a diploma). University is a four year school (same as our colleges and universities) and you are held in high esteeem if you go to University. I don't know about in other provinces but in Ontario all of the provincial financial aid for post-secondary students (except for loans) has been cut and so it's very hard to get financial aid except for student loans up there.

Goods do tend to cost more in Canada but when you are an American coming in with the awesome exchange rate that we've been able to enjoy for the past couple of years, we obviously get the better end of the stick. Wages don't seem to be that high though. I have looked through want ads and have seen the same hourly wages for jobs for here in Florida and in Ottawa but with the exchange rate the Canadians wages don't seem that high, nor do they seem to balance out with the high cost of living. Depending on where you live in Canada, housing can be expensive, especially the cost of buying a house. Also as I understand it you cannot write off your mortgage interest in Canada as you can here.

One thing my mom and I both loved about living in Canada was all of the holidays, we think that Canadians take their holidays very seriously. Some of the holidays they have up there that we don't tend to celebrate at all (or as much down here) are:

Good Friday
Easter Monday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
August Civic Holiday (in Ontario at least)
Canadian Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve
Boxing Day

These are all paid holidays and in Ottawa at least a lot of things close down. While I'm sure a lot of retail stores are open when I was there for Good Friday in 2001, it seemed like almost the whole city had shut down.

Someone mentioned Canada Post, it seems that when I am sending letters from Canada to the U.S. they always get there faster than when they are going the opposite way. Also. if I remember correctly postal rates are cheaper in Canada, to send a letter to the States from Canada is 60 cents and the reverse it is the same way. Canada Post however, does not offer reduced rates for sending postcards which is frustrating.

I'm sure that you've heard that there is strict gun control in Canada and so there is very little violent crime, that is really nice.

I don't know about in other provinces but in Ontario all liquor sales are controlled by the province. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario controls all sale of alcohol and operates Beer and Wine stores and also separate stores for all other liquor. A few grocery stores will have LCBO's set up in them. Also the drinking age (and smoking age) is either 18 or 19 depending on the province or territory.

Social services tend to be very liberal there and as I understand it, it is very easy to get welfare. Also I know in Ontario that if you work in the school system and you have worked enough hours during the school year you are eligible to receive unemployment during the summer. Also maternity leave in Ontario is very liberal you can receive 55% of your wages for a year for your maternity leave.

Canadians are very proud to be Canadian but are very reserved about it (that is their general nature) but they do feel like they are overshadowed by the States. Unfortunately in the small town that I lived in I had to deal with a lot of discrimination because I was American. I visited the town a month after September 11th and there were American flags everywhere, I was kind of disgusted because it seemed hypocritical. Canadians as a whole were very supportive after September 11th and generally are very supportive people but might not show their support in a typical way (again their reserved nature).

The one thing that I did not like about Canada (but have only been able to observe this as I get older) is that the government tends to be involved in everything (see what I wrote about liquor stores and the health care system) but I do not know if this was worse because I lived near Ottawa. I will never forget ordering a hamburger in a restaurant in Toronto and not being able to order it less than well done because of health regulations.

I am very glad that I got to live in Canada, I think it broadened my horizons and I have very good friends up there that I have known for over half my life.

Sorry to be so long winded! You know us MC'ers we have to add our two cents worth

I'm American and never been to Canada but truly hope to some day. I have really enjoyed this thread!

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-Riff

I don't see this thread as being anti-American at all. I've never even visited Canada, and only have 2 friends in Canada. I know very little about Canada. I really am enjoying this thread.

I know Road to Avonlea (or we just called it Avonlea here I think. It was aired on the Disney Channel.)

Nothing better than the Avonlea shows.

And of course, you have to watch Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea.

I have all of the Avonlea books. L.M. Montgommery was a wonderful writer.

So, if Canadian television has shows like that, I would love to be able to see it !

I don't particularly like American television. Thank goodness for Satellite. I can watch some BBC programming, and I watch Fox News alot.

I do watch a few things on regular TV, but not alot. I think most of American TV is trash.

I love American patriotism. I think it should be expected of every American to show their patriotism, and if at all possible, to display a flag. If you come to this country, am I wrong in assuming that you want to be an American ? If so, display the flag if you can, and be patriotic to this country. That doesn't mean you can't be proud of your heritage either. You can be proud to be of German descent, or of your Asian heritage, or what have you, but you can be a proud American as well.

That's the whole reason why you should show your US Flag. It shows our unity. The United States. We are united, despite our differences.

That's the reason why I think we should all be patriotic. Its because we have the freedom here to be different.

Anyways, I really have been enjoying this thread. I do agree that its a shame that students here aren't made to learn a 2nd language. In highschool here in Illinois it is required that students take 2 years of foreign language in highschool, but that's it. Thank goodness I love to learn languages. I have been learning on my own. I am close to fluent (close, not completely. I still have some problems) in Spanish, and I am learning Hebrew. I plan to learn Russian as well. Then, I want to learn Hindi. What dialect I don't know yet. I want to learn as many languages as possible.
I think students here should learn atleast one other language than their own.

I like our standard measuring system. I can convert Fehrenheit to Celsius just because I learned that in private school when I was 11. But, everything else I would have a hard time learning.

I don't know if its to our advantage or disadvantage to be honest. I've never been exposed to the metric system of measurements, so I couldn't say to be sure.

Ok, well, I'm just yammering on and on.
I just wanted to say that I really am appreciative to learn about our Canadian neighbors, and I don't see this as an anti-American thread at all.

I want to school in canada