Canada vs USA

When I was 11 I had the opportunity to go to Canada for two weeks. I lived there with a Canadian family in New-Brunswick, in the French-speaking part of this country.

Even though Canadians and Americans live next to each other, they are in fact quite different.

Let's start with the basic clichés about them.

Canadians, as seen by Americans, are the kindest and most polite people on Earth, and spend theirs days struggling in the snow, playing hockey, drinking beer and pouring maple syrup on everything they eat. And they also love beavers and most of them are lumberjacks.

Americans, as seen by Canadians, love their guns and their burgers (and, in general, don't enjoy a really healthy way of life).

 Now which of these stereotypes are true ?

Canadians are indeed very kind, although I can't tell if they are kinder than Americans (I've never been there). For example, one thing that surprised me during my trip is that a Canadian will not lock his car on a parking lot (like at a supermarket). I don't imagine myself doing that in America, but again I may be mistaken.

As for the weather, if you don't like snow don't visit Canada in February... But the landscapes I saw were truly beautiful, and the snow wasn't a burden since they are used to it : every morning the snow was cleaned off the roads and one could drive easily. Even if winters can be really cold (down to -30°C), the summers are a lot warmer (up to 25°C from what I remember).

Finally, the Canadians love hockey as much as Americans love football. Okay, maybe a bit more but not that much...

 But as a matter of fact, it is harder than expected to compare the “American culture” and the “Canadian culture” : those countries are so huge they are made of several different cultures. It is even harder to relate a Canadian from Vancoucer and another from Montréal... But one may not be able set apart a New Yorker from a Toronto born and raised.