[Honclfibr]

after spending two weeks there on business. And here's the strange thing: I miss it. Not the business side of things, we worked 16 hour days for 10 days straight through the weekend, it was hellish, I hate field tests. But the people there, it's a weird thing, I've never felt so at home in a place before.

We were up there working on a suspension system for MCI, a motor coach company on the outskirts of Canada. I've been to several different plants for this project, PrevostCar in Quebec, NovaBus in Montreal, Hendrickson Suspension in Chicago...this place just seemed somehow different. There seemed to be very little in the way of class division between the blue collar workers and the white collar engineers...the people who worked in the prototype shop were engaged with what they did and interested in the work that we were doing, they wanted to help us and they wanted to understand what we could bring to MCI as a company. They had a large depth of experience and were not shy about speaking up when they thought that their knowledge could be helpful, and the engineers there weren't afraid to get their hands dirty, working side by side with us and the prototype shop workers to make sure we had all the resources we need.

And beyond that, the whole city seemed so much more friendly and approachable than any other I'd been to before. People on the street would make eye contact and say hi to you as you passed, and patrons nearby us at restaurants had no qualms about striking up a conversation with us when we ate out; they wanted to know what we were doing in the city and wanted to tell us who they were and what they were doing in Winnipeg, whether they were long time residents or just visitors. During one dinner I struck up a conversation with a guy next to us who had just ridden out on his R1 from Vancouver to visit a friend in the city; I told him that I had a bike back in Boston and he was interested to know how the riding was in my area, and spoke at length about his trip out from B.C. and how he was enjoying the new R1 that he'd bought just 1000 miles ago.

Then there was the cab driver who brought me to the airport; when he heard that I was from the U.S. he wanted to talk about the hurricane in New Orleans and find out what I knew about how people were doing down there and what our government was doing to help them, and shared his own experiences growing up in Winnipeg during the 50's and the floods that they had in the city then, as well as the diversion construction that they had done to prevent future disasters.

It was a unique perspective for me, the people there had pride and perspective into their locale's history and future, while still maintaining a knowledge and concern for the world at large. The newspapers that I read every morning spoke at length about world and U.S. issues in addition to domestic concerns; there was a sense that they were at once concerned with Canada and it's health while at the same time having an understanding that they were part of the world as a whole.

Really the whole trip was an eye opener from me having never travelled to the English speaking provinces before. We have a strong prejudice here in the states towards our northern brethren, it comes through in lighthearted jokes about "America Jr" but I've definitely gotten a sense that the U.S. in general turns their noses up at Canada, much in the same way we accuse the Europeans of turning up their noses at us. But you don't get that same sense of animosity there, they were friendly toward me as a U.S. citizen and interested in who I was and what I was doing there...they lacked the sense of self-absorbition and domestic-centric attitude that I find in so many people here.

Not sure what all the point of this is really, or why I stuck it in controversial topics, other than I expect to get a barrage of jokes demeaning Canada and the people there. I just wanted to speak my own experiences there for whatever reason, maybe it's sleep-dep or something but coming back to the U.S. I really feel like a foreigner here...if it wasn't so damn nasty out there environmentally, it's 30 below in the winter and flat as far as the eye can see and that's just not my kind of place...well honestly, I could see myself being quite happy as a Canadian citizen, sure their taxes are high and they're not as sucessful economically speaking as the average U.S. citizen...but there's just a general sense of contentment and commraderie there, and acceptance of individuals for who they are and not who we expect them to be...it's subtle and hard to explain but I felt it while I was there.

Ya so anyway, who's doing a trackday up at loudon in september, I've been off the bike for 2 weeks now and I'm jonesin for a fix

[OreoGitorio]

Oh shit... you've contracted Canuck

(JK of course..... I mean... look at my last name )

That's cool, man. Thanks for sharin

[highsider]

Cultural differences in other countries are always interesting. We Americans take our "personal space" rather seriously, whereas much of the rest of the world is more interesting in being sociable.

Good to hear you had fun. Just dont go to Montreal, thats where all the rude, annoying Canadians are from.

[MissTwisties]

It's nice to hear, for once.... Thank you for sharing your positive experience in Canada...I have to admit I am sick and tired of listening/reading about how canadians are rude, stupid, idiots, etc. etc (list goes on...) when I know that we, too, have a great country and great people. Myself I've always been VERY welcoming with anyone coming from anywhere (specially americans), when I was still up there. Since I've been here, I see a lot of hypocrisy, selfishness, snobism, VERY close minded people towards anyone who's not from the US. Of course I am not generalizing, I've also met nice people, but I think I faced a lot more harshness. It's not heart warming neither a pleasant feeling to feel people dispise you just because you're citizen from somewhere else and they feel like you're invading their space. I am honest also in saying that I've heard at some points some canadians talk against the US too, but I'll be the first one to speak up, just like I do on here, and tell them to shut up. To me Canada, USA, or any other country is a piece of land. I'm sure I could be happy in many other countries beside US or Canada. It is really sad to see how so many people close their hearts and minds to others sometimes just because they were born elsewhere.

This is I think the first post I read on here that actually praise the country where I come from....thank you...

[Karaya One]

Just dont go to Montreal, thats where all the rude, annoying Canadians are from

Nothing to do with trying so hard to be more French than France, could it???

[MissTwisties]

Actually Montreal is more than half english now...you have to go to Quebec city to see those stubborn french people...

Originally posted by Karaya One
Nothing to do with trying so hard to be more French than France, could it???

[bentbryan]

Originally posted by MissTwisties
It's nice to hear, for once.... Thank you for sharing your positive experience in Canada...I have to admit I am sick and tired of listening/reading about how canadians are rude, stupid, idiots, etc. etc (list goes on...) when I know that we, too, have a great country and great people. Myself I've always been VERY welcoming with anyone coming from anywhere (specially americans), when I was still up there. Since I've been here, I see a lot of hypocrisy, selfishness, snobism, VERY close minded people towards anyone who's not from the US. Of course I am not generalizing, I've also met nice people, but I think I faced a lot more harshness. It's not heart warming neither a pleasant feeling to feel people dispise you just because you're citizen from somewhere else and they feel like you're invading their space. I am honest also in saying that I've heard at some points some canadians talk against the US too, but I'll be the first one to speak up, just like I do on here, and tell them to shut up. To me Canada, USA, or any other country is a piece of land. I'm sure I could be happy in many other countries beside US or Canada. It is really sad to see how so many people close their hearts and minds to others sometimes just because they were born elsewhere.

This is I think the first post I read on here that actually praise the country where I come from....thank you...

French Canadians are the rudest people I've ever interacted with. I used to work up in York Beach, ME where they flock to in the summer. Fuckers would pull up to you on the street and almost demand directions to where-ever they are going. Then, to boot, they wouldn't thank you! Well, I had enough of that shit. After a couple of times I started giving bad directions.

Oh, and they're the worst drivers too! They make Mass. drivers look like they know what they're doing!

[highsider]

Originally posted by bentbryan
. . . I started giving bad directions.

[MissTwisties]

Whatever you say. Mass drivers DO NOT know how to drive (well lots of them anyway). First little snow you see them flying off the road and hitting trees. It's snowingggg!!!! Oh my God it's the end of the world!!! I run on 4 seasons tires and you won't see me going zig-zagging on the roads when it start snowing. People tell me I'm stupid for driving when it's snowing one inch of snow...pussies.

Oh and I always smile, say please and thank you when requesting help to someone.

Originally posted by bentbryan
French Canadians are the rudest people I've ever interacted with. I used to work up in York Beach, ME where they flock to in the summer. Fuckers would pull up to you on the street and almost demand directions to where-ever they are going. Then, to boot, they wouldn't thank you! Well, I had enough of that shit. After a couple of times I started giving bad directions.

Oh, and they're the worst drivers too! They make Mass. drivers look like they know what they're doing!

[trackdog]

Originally posted by bentbryan
French Canadians are the rudest people I've ever interacted with.

I concur......just my experience from Snowboarding. They are downwright abrasive.

Although...then there are Canadians like KB. If they were all like him, then Canada would be a nicer place I'm sure!

[TheIglu]

Originally posted by trackdog
I concur......just my experience from Snowboarding. They are downwright abrasive.

Although...then there are Canadians like KB. If they were all like him, then Canada would be a nicer place I'm sure!

Yeah, cause they would all move to Cow Hampster and it would be quiet up there!

HAR HAR HAR

KB come get yoor fookin be-ah!

[Hardcore]

CANADA SUCKS---------------------AYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!


+ yes mistwist--mass has a shitload of horrible drivers-PUSSIES!
they're fun to fuck with though!

[RandyO]

Originally posted by highsider
Good to hear you had fun. Just dont go to Montreal, thats where all the rude, annoying Canadians are from.

Montreal is a dirty grungy city (it's actually one of the dirtyest citys in the world) , I'd be obnoxious & rude if I lived there too.





I've never been treated with anything other than friendship and respect anywhere I have traveled except in MA

[MissTwisties]

Kinda weird you say this....I've met so many people from here who went to visit Montreal and they always tell me how clean the city is compared to other big cities. Take Springfield for exemple....what a rat hole. There is crap all over the streets, I've had one guy once trowing a cup of McDee milkshake out of his car window right in front of me. I won't even trow a candy paper outside. I think Montreal is a fairly clean city for a metropolitan area. Sure, there is some neighborhoods that might be dirtier, but it's like that in every big city. As far as encountering friendly people when you visit places, I think it also has a lot to do on how we treat people ourselves and the attitude we have towards the place.

Originally posted by RandyO
Montreal is a dirty grungy city (it's actually one of the dirtyest citys in the world) , I'd be obnoxious & rude if I lived there too.





I've never been treated with anything other than friendship and respect anywhere I have traveled except in MA

[dave72370]

WHAT??? You mean that just because I have 4-wheel drive and ABS brakes I can't drive like a maniac when it snow???

Anyway, I like Toronto. I am up there almost every week and it tends to be one of my fav canadian stops. The people are also very friendly.

[LowSider]

Originally posted by Honclfibr
after spending two weeks there on business. And here's the strange thing: I miss it. Not the business side of things, we worked 16 hour days for 10 days straight through the weekend, it was hellish, I hate field tests. But the people there, it's a weird thing, I've never felt so at home in a place before.

We were up there working on a suspension system for MCI, a motor coach company on the outskirts of Canada. I've been to several different plants for this project, PrevostCar in Quebec, NovaBus in Montreal, Hendrickson Suspension in Chicago...this place just seemed somehow different. There seemed to be very little in the way of class division between the blue collar workers and the white collar engineers...the people who worked in the prototype shop were engaged with what they did and interested in the work that we were doing, they wanted to help us and they wanted to understand what we could bring to MCI as a company. They had a large depth of experience and were not shy about speaking up when they thought that their knowledge could be helpful, and the engineers there weren't afraid to get their hands dirty, working side by side with us and the prototype shop workers to make sure we had all the resources we need.

And beyond that, the whole city seemed so much more friendly and approachable than any other I'd been to before. People on the street would make eye contact and say hi to you as you passed, and patrons nearby us at restaurants had no qualms about striking up a conversation with us when we ate out; they wanted to know what we were doing in the city and wanted to tell us who they were and what they were doing in Winnipeg, whether they were long time residents or just visitors. During one dinner I struck up a conversation with a guy next to us who had just ridden out on his R1 from Vancouver to visit a friend in the city; I told him that I had a bike back in Boston and he was interested to know how the riding was in my area, and spoke at length about his trip out from B.C. and how he was enjoying the new R1 that he'd bought just 1000 miles ago.

Then there was the cab driver who brought me to the airport; when he heard that I was from the U.S. he wanted to talk about the hurricane in New Orleans and find out what I knew about how people were doing down there and what our government was doing to help them, and shared his own experiences growing up in Winnipeg during the 50's and the floods that they had in the city then, as well as the diversion construction that they had done to prevent future disasters.

They're doing recon.

[g®eg]

Originally posted by DrunkDriver
They're doing recon.

we're taking over

[legalspeed]

Winnipeg is a third world country...