Will and I were talking recently about going back to Canada and how it will be difficult to re-adapt ourselves to life in North America. It comes down to a feeling, un état d'âme, a view of life and of its priorities. There are important differences between Europe and Canada, in Europe there is a certain attachment to traditions, history, the arts and culture. There is a certain respect for knowledge and experience. People are more attached to their society and their group, maybe it is the age of the continent, its ancient history, traditions which are connected to the beginning of Western culture.
Berlin, Charlottenburg
Not that in Canada you do not find similarities with Europe, there are lots of similarities but life and how it is lived is very different. In Canada people are in a hurry, the idea of being efficient or being cost effective, of multi-tasking, of managing every minute of your time are very important. Taking time for a coffee break or having lunch is seen as a waste of time. How often you see managers scheduling a meeting at lunch time. You do not leave on holiday before the end of the day or take an extra day off during a major public holiday. Those are not values you find necessarily in Europe or at least they are not at the same level of importance in every day life.
Europeans see life differently and this is what suits us so much about living here. Family, friends, socializing is important. Arts and culture are important, appreciation of food and wines are important, people have time for conversing. It is all in the approach, how you see things and what is important, compared to a career and alway trying to accumulate stuff.
In many ways returning to Ottawa will be a big adjustment. Maybe we are just more European in out look. A question of appreciation in living well versus rushing through life.
Not that in Canada you do not find similarities with Europe, there are lots of similarities but life and how it is lived is very different. In Canada people are in a hurry, the idea of being efficient or being cost effective, of multi-tasking, of managing every minute of your time are very important. Taking time for a coffee break or having lunch is seen as a waste of time. How often you see managers scheduling a meeting at lunch time. You do not leave on holiday before the end of the day or take an extra day off during a major public holiday. Those are not values you find necessarily in Europe or at least they are not at the same level of importance in every day life.
Dresden, Saxony
Europeans see life differently and this is what suits us so much about living here. Family, friends, socializing is important. Arts and culture are important, appreciation of food and wines are important, people have time for conversing. It is all in the approach, how you see things and what is important, compared to a career and alway trying to accumulate stuff.
In many ways returning to Ottawa will be a big adjustment. Maybe we are just more European in out look. A question of appreciation in living well versus rushing through life.
My father tells me Canada was quite more English/European in the mid 20th century; nowadays it is 'just like the States'.
ReplyDeleteThat is true, even in the mid 1980's still, but it has changed a lot. We can always come back to Europe, we have lots of friends here.
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