While traveling has a few purposes, the one that we enjoy the most is when we go on vacation to relax. And we do that not only to escape our own routine, but because people are curious creatures and we are attracted by different cultures, foods and surroundings. Sometimes people like the new place so much that they decide to move there.
This British TikToker took a fancy to Canada and has been living there for a while, so she decided to share some of the things that surprised her that are different from what she’s used back home.
More info: TikTok
Southeast Londoner moved to Canada and there were a few things that she didn't know were a thing there
Image credits: summerfox___
Summer Fox is a video creator and a full-time TikToker who shares her opinions, experiences and travels on her account. She has lived in Dubai, traveled in Asia and Australia and now has settled in Canada.
Having in mind that Canada was formed when the British and the French colonized it, the three countries lived their own separate lives from each other and developed their own unique culture, politics and lifestyle.
It came as a surprise for many other people online as well as nearly 3 million people that watched Summer's video
Image credits: summerfox___
Some of the stereotypes associated with Canada are that it’s very cold out there all the time and they have moose randomly come up to your house. It is believed that Canadians love their hockey and maple syrup and are the loveliest people on Earth who would apologize if they bumped into a chair.
But there is more to Canada than these stereotypes. They have beautiful nature with its rocky mountains and perfect hiking paths. Their scenery often includes lighthouses, but they have a lot of European heritage and historical landmarks.
It’s a place to visit if you want to come and watch whales, and their wildlife is rich as well. Canada’s economy is the 8th-largest GDP by nominal and 15th-largest GDP by PPP in the world and in 2022 Canada, was in 15th place out of 146 countries in the happiness index.
Turns out, it is illegal to drink alcohol in public or in a car even if you're a passenger in Canada, as opposed to UK
Image credits: Nenad Stojkovic (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
Summer missed off-licenses that are more like corner shops and don't sell only alcohol
Image credits: Northwest Retail (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
It is understandable that one would like to live there as the quality of life, the people and the surroundings are alluring. Summer Fox herself is from southeast London and she moved to Toronto.
Even though it was a British colony, it has grown up and became its own country, so there were some things that Summer found Canadians doing differently. People on TikTok found the video pretty interesting as it now sits with 2.8 million views and 350k likes.
From what Summer observed, Canadian women either don't do lip fillers or they are more subtle
Image credits: Youssef Labib (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
Canadians are not ones to mock you and will be genuinely kind. In addition, they seem more laid back
Image credits: Dan Brickley (not the actual photo)
The first thing that surprised Summer was that in Canada, cannabis is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. She knew that in some states in the US it had been legalized, but she missed the part about Canada.
Speaking about substances that affect your brain, you can’t drink alcohol in the streets or in a car even if you’re not driving. In the UK, there aren’t any national laws prohibiting it, but in Canada, even if you’re not drinking and just have an open container of alcohol in public, that’s considered a violation of provincial acts and municipal bylaws.
Summer also found it odd that liquor stores sell only alcohol, as she was used to off-licenses, which are more like a corner shop and where you also grab a snack like a sandwich to go.
Image credits: summerfox___
Image credits: Petras Gagilas (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
Comparing what she saw in London, Summer was under the impression that Canadian women don’t really get lip filler and if they do, it’s not obvious. Research shows that they definitely don’t shy away from doing procedures to their face as Toronto Botox found out, “In Canada, 51% of women say dermal fillers are the best solution to enhance their beauty in a way that looks natural.”
Summer felt some differences in the way people communicate as well. She feels like Canadians won’t make fun of other people or joke around to offend them. And they have more of a ‘bro’ culture instead of a ‘lad’ culture, which, from Summer’s tone, means that they seem more laid back.
Because in Canada, it is expected for you to tip, Summer noticed that servers are nicer compared to what she was used to in the UK
Image credits: Alan Light (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
While living in Canada, the woman noticed that Canadians are really happy about the holidays and are not afraid to show it
Image credits: Tori Behr
Image credits: summerfox___
Another thing that is different in Canada from the UK is that servers are nicer to customers, but Summer also points out that you have to tip in Canada. Not in a legal way, but if you don’t tip, you’re automatically considered a bad person.
In the UK and perhaps in Europe in general, individual people tend to stick to decorating their interior for the holidays, but Summer experienced how Canadians celebrate Halloween and she wasn’t expecting them to be so festive.
A couple of not-so-nice things about Canada are that groceries are more expensive and people under the influence of illegal substances are more aggressive
Image credits: Alexander Baxevanis (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
Image credits: Kevin Gibbons (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
A couple of not-so-nice things about Canada that Summer saw were that the groceries were more expensive there, and she thought that people under the influence of some illegal substances couldn’t be worse than they are in London, but apparently in downtown Toronto, they were pretty aggressive.
Lastly, Summer realized that pubs are a UK thing and in Canada, they have bars. And if in those bars, you order a vodka lemonade, the bartender will be confused that you would like to dilute your drink with lemon juice.
The last thing Summer touches on is that Canada has more bars than real pubs, and the bartenders there will pour lemon juice in your drink if you ask for a vodka lemonade
Image credits: David Russo (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
Image credits: Alper Çuğun (not the actual photo)
Image credits: summerfox___
You can watch the full video below
People in the comments were fascinated by this video and Summer discovering things that are so usual to Canadians. At the same time, the British considered Canada to be like a different planet. And those who have also experienced both countries agreed with the TikToker’s observations.
We would like to hear your thoughts. Which of these differences surprised you the most? Did you have a different experience than Summer? Do you feel that there is something important to know that Summer missed? Let us know in the comments.