11 Eye-Opening Differences Between South Africans and Canadians You Didn't Expect (Pt 1)

Have you ever wondered what the real differences between Canadians and South Africans are? Hou verskil ons, regtig? Well look no further for an in-depth perspective of the 11 differences between South Africans and Canadians (and I promise you it’s not just that Canadians are super polite)! From culture shocks to real lived differences - join me for the wild ride.
Should I immigrate to Canada? That’s the million rand question. What if you could look 20 years into the future and see if immigrating was the right thing to do?
I’m Christi in Calgary, and that’s the question I'm going to answer. I am proud to be South African, but am also now a proud Canadian. As a teen, I saw the remarkable journey my parents made for our family, and I’ve lived through major milestones in both countries.

[@baddiegirlypop]

Totally enjoyed it

[@ChristiInCanada]

Thanks!

[@CheyannesJewelry]

Lovely - thank you.

[@ChristiInCanada]

You are most welcome!

[@latoniamoodley7562]

Christi can you please talk more about Healthcare. Is the waiting period long to see a doctor or specialist? Is it readily and easily accessible?

[@ChristiInCanada]

So for an emergency, you will be triaged and priority given on the critical nature of the sickness. If you have a family doctor and it’s not urgent, it takes me about 2 weeks- month to book in. (Sadly, I was just in there this week with my toddler - she was lower priority - it took three hours to see the paediatrician). If urgent, you can call the 811 health line in Alberta, and if your doc is part of the primary care network they will refer you to an open clinic - usually on the same day. A specialist and the wait times would depend on a lot of factors. Cancer treatment for our family has overall been excellent and immediate. A transplant for a family member took longer because of finding a match, and Covid bumping up “non-urgent” procedures. For birthing a baby, you can go with midwives or OBS, that has been excellent service for my first and no issues booking any appointments. Sometimes you have to wait a week for a scan versus the week you want it, plus you have to be willing to drive around the city for scans. My friend tore her ACL - it took about 18 months for the surgery. She was doing physio in between. Eye care and dentistry are sadly not covered under the health system. Finding a good family doctor can be hard. I am fortunate my husbands doc took me on.

[@Lunala97]

Oh wow we're in the same City

[@ChristiInCanada]

Well, I can’t say my handle hides my location 😜

[@saifararatsa3060]

HOW CAN WE MOVE TO CANADA

[@ChristiInCanada]

See which stream of immigration best applies to you: www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada.html

[@neliswamzimane4904]

HER : THIS IS A DOG PARK ME:WAITING FOR AA DOG CHASE SO SHE SAYS THE "V" WORD

[@ChristiInCanada]

Haha, in all honesty, I love dogs. So very unlikely that will happen. Plus, Canadians dogs rarely bark, they are too well trained.

[@derikuk2967]

As a fully bilingual Sarth Efrikin - but with Afrikaans as my mother-tongue - I also had to pass English 101. Before that, I had to pass a test to get into the course. It was both irritating and amusing.

[@ChristiInCanada]

My Dad had to retake English 101 around the same time frame I took it for the first time. The ratio of amusement to irritation has switched as the years have gone by.

[@Diderson]

are you regretting South Africa?

[@ChristiInCanada]

Am I regretting being South African? Not at all, I think being able to live in two different countries and experience multiple and different cultures has fundamentally changed my worldview for the better. It’s definitely provided a broader perspective than it would have otherwise.

[@princepilane]

I think you are describing Dutch South African’s differences with Canadians... 🤔🧐 That’s a very small part of South Africa’s population

[@ChristiInCanada]

You’re probably right, since that is my lived experience (with some English and Portuguese thrown in there). South Africa is so diverse I wouldn’t want to speak for its varied people of colour’s - and tribal - experiences which are so different than my own. It would just make for a much more clunky title 😅

[@princepilane]

@@ChristiInCanada Ok, well said... now I understand 👌👍 I also noticed on the part 2 of the video as well... “ South Africans are crazy about Rugby and cricket...” 😅🤷‍♂️...I’m sure some of us are, but those are not even remotely the most popular sports in SA for the wider population, soccer is.😅😅 “South Africa is so diverse I wouldn’t want to speak to it’s varied people of colors - and tribal - experiences which are so different than my own” ... would make for a perfect disclaimer that you could add to a future video on South Africans... These KZbin streets can be a nasty wena Christi 🙆‍♂️.... our sad history of exclusion makes our people sensitive to any form of exclusion of what a real South African is or is not. Ryanair was recently dragged in S.A for using Afrikaans as a test to prove that a person was South African or not... Due to mass corruption at home affairs, Nigerians, Pakistanis and others are using fake S.A passports as a way to enter Europe illegally... So Ryanair, in their uninformed wisdom ended up opening some old wounds... 😅😅..cause not everyone even understands Afrikaans in South Africa 😂🤣😅🤷‍♂️ But anyway, all the best for your channel... keep growing👌🌻

[@ChristiInCanada]

@@princepilane Thanks for the response. I can add that to my videos (where it makes sense), my intention is not to exclude people with diverse and different lived experiences than my own. My husband is a POC and my children are biracial, so I care deeply about not talking about experiences as if they are universal. Because we have those discussions so frequently in our house, it becomes the norm that I operate from, and I don't always think to articulate "different backgrounds = vastly different experiences". But thanks for reminding me :)

[@princepilane]

@@ChristiInCanada Thanks for your response too. If I may ask, what’s POC? 😌🤷‍♂️

[@ChristiInCanada]

@@princepilane Sorry I missed this comment on my phone. It stands for a person of colour. It's part of a commonly used, North American acronym BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour)

[@derikuk2967]

Sadly, Canada suffers from education inflation. I have encountered people with PhDs doing administrative office jobs in fields that have nothing to do with their field of study. Bachelor degrees could get you a job slinging coffee at Starbucks. On the other hand, if you have a Red Seal trade (ambag) qualification, you will always have a good job (or a business).