Expat Interview: Ottawa, Canada

The newest installment to Life Out of a Suitcase’s Expat Interview series comes from  Juliette Giannesini (aka Zhu). Zhu, originally from Nantes, France,  asically came to Canada as a tourist and never left! After being under “visitor” status, she got a work visa, and then obtained permanent residence. She became a Canadian citizen in 2009 and is now working as a translator/editor in Ottawa. You can find out more about Zhu through her website, photography or on twitter.

1. What do you wish you had from France in Canada?

I don’t miss a lot of things from France, but I sometimes crave some specialty food, especially cheese and the huge variety of dairy products, i.e. yogurts, creams, mousses etc.

I also miss French newspaper shops. The French are somewhat addicted to magazines and newspapers and they are fairly cheap. I could buy them in Canada, some shops import them, but they are expensive.

2. What is the cost of living in your new home? The cost of a beer? Bread? A Blouse?

Comparing the cost of living of two countries is somewhat a national sport among immigrants and expats and people can’t agree! It’s hard to make an accurate comparison because there are many variables to factor in. I recently wrote about 8 things more expensive in Canada than in France and got a lot of feedback—it was a heated discussion!

I do find Canada is much cheaper than France or most European countries. However, Canada is slightly more expensive than most U.S. states, mostly because we have provincial and federal taxes added on most items.

Photo Credit: http://treehugger.com

I don’t drink beer but I can tell you soda is cheap! In a restaurant, it’s usually between $2 and $3, and you can often get a can for $1-2. Bread is about $2 at the supermarket, $3-4 if you buy it fresh from a fancy bakery. Clothing prices depend a lot on the brand, but for instance, a genuine pair of Levis can be as low as $40, and I usually pay $20 for t-shirts, blouses or tops. The key is to buy when it’s on sale… and there are always sales going on!

3. What are some useful phrases to know? Do you have any language related anecdotes?

French and English are Canada’s two official languages. You will also hear a lot of Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Arabic etc. because it’s a very multicultural country.

Language is somewhat of a touchy issue in Canada because francophones (French-speakers, mostly in Quebec) stress on the importance of keeping their language alive in a mostly English-speaking country. In most of Quebec (Montreal is an exception), you do need to speak French as English may not be understood, and you may offend people if you don’t attempt to at least make contact in French.

Useful sentences in French include “Est-ce que vous parlez anglais?” (do you speak English?), “allô” (hi), “merci” (thank you) and “au revoir” (bye).

When I first came to Canada, I didn’t speak English and I had a really hard time understanding the French spoken in Quebec. The accent is very different and so is the vocabulary. It was actually easier for me to speak English than French!

Living in a bilingual country is a fun challenge, especially when you speak both languages. There are also a lot of work opportunities for bilingual people!

4. What kind of visa did you get? Was it hard to get? Any advice about the visa process?

Photo Credit: travel-to.info

Canada welcomes about 200,000 new permanent residents (landed immigrants) every year, so it’s a country fairly open to immigration. Getting permanent residence is sometimes a long process, but it’s mostly paperwork. If you qualify in one of the immigration categories (such as skilled worker, family of Canadian residents, etc.) it’s a straightforward process.

I went through a different visa process. You can read my complete immigration story here, with a timeline. My immigration case was very straightforward and was processed amazingly fast. Gathering the paperwork and preparing the application took longer than the actual processing time!

I’m now a Canadian citizen and I have dual citizenship because I kept my French nationality.

5. What would be token souvenirs for Canada? Have you bought it?

I guess the typical Canadian souvenir is a bottle of maple syrup. It’s certainly a best-seller around here!

Even as a Canadian I need my fix. Maple syrup goes with everything and is delicious on pancakes and toast.

6. Favourite food? What do they make in Canada that you can’t get anywhere else?

Eating a Beavertail

Food in Canada reflects the country: it’s very multicultural! I can get excellent Chinese, Indian, Italian, Greek, Thai food just about anywhere.

A typical Canadian pastry is the beavertail. It’s basically a thick waffle topped with chocolate, whipped cream, maple syrup etc. A lot of people eat it at festivals when skating on the Rideau Canal in the winter.

Poutine is another favourite, especially in Quebec. It’s a really fatty dish of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.

Finally, Tim Hortons is probably the most famous Canadian chain of coffee stores. There are Tim Hortons just about everywhere, and always a huge line-up in the morning!

7. Do you have an anecdote about public transit?

Yes: get a driver license as soon as you can, because Canada is a car country!

Most Canadian cities are very spread out and are not very pedestrian-friendly outside the core. Besides, Canadian winters are notoriously harsh and you do not want to wait for the bus when it’s – 40ºC outside!

8. Do you have a “tourist site” guilty pleasure?

In Ottawa, I love hanging out on Parliament Hill. This major political centre is very open to the public and people in Ottawa often tan on Parliament grounds during the summer. You can also visit the Parliament for free pretty much any time of the year (some parts of it are closed when the House of Commons is sitting) and take the elevator up to the top of the Peace Tower for the best birds-eye view of the city.

9. What’s your feeling for your new home? 

I love living in Canada and I’m very grateful that I was able to become a Canadian citizen. I still consider myself a “citizen of the world,” but I adopted Canada as my new home and I’m happy here.

The first few years were challenging, but little by little all the jigsaw pieces came together. I’m a happy immigrant and new Canadian!

If you want to be part of the Expat or Traveler Interview series, contact Life Out of a Suitcase.

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