6 Things I'm Tired Of Being Asked As A Brit Living In Canada & Please, Stop Doing My Accent
"Where in Australia are you from?"
Charlie in Canada. Right: The Canadian and British flags.
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
When I moved from the U.K. to Canada, I was pretty excited to get into a new culture and so many Canadians I met were really keen to know about life back home.
However, at almost 18 months of living here, it's safe to say there are a few questions I get asked when I meet new people that have just started to wear a little bit thin.
From confusion about accents to thoughts of the Royal Family, there are a lot of questions I've been asked time and time again since I moved.
"Where in Australia are you from?"
My biggest bugbear since moving is the number of people that will try and almost certainly fail to pinpoint my accent. I have lost count of the number of times in the last 18 months that someone has asked me where in Australia I'm from.
It's usually asked with so much conviction too that I don't know whether to correct people or to commit to the bit and just play along.
Bonus points for the people who hear the accent, copy it and sound like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins.
"Why did you move to Alberta, of all places?"
While this question is usually pretty Calgary-specific, I'm still kind of exhausted from being asked about the reasons for moving. I have a whole spiel about the cost of living, how much money I was spending in London, and wanted to be close to nature practically down to the fine art at this point.
Though sometimes, it's just easier to say "why not?"
"Do I have an accent?"
One of the weirder questions I've been asked here is Canadians asking me about their own accents. Maybe it's because a lot of people get Canadian and American accents confused and they're curious to see if an outsider can tell the difference.
I don't know, I just get a bit baffled by the question.
"What do you think of the Royal Family?"
There's been a lot of talk about the Royals since I moved to Canada with the Queen's passing and drama surrounding Harry and Meghan so I've been asked about them quite a bit.
I think people in Canada expect you're going to have a pretty severe reaction either way but honestly, a lot of people are indifferent.
Yes, there are some real royalists and just as many republicans but honestly, it's probably best to just leave it unless you want to have an earful of opinions.
"Why don't you just try a Caesar?"
I cannot stress this enough, I have tried so many Caesars and I've hated them every time and I'm not going to change my mind.
Just let me drink my non-tomato and clam-based beverages in peace.
"Which is better: The U.K. or Canada?"
This is always super hard to answer because they're just so different. Everything I like about living in Canada, from the affordability, the friendliness of the people and the closeness to nature is just not something you really get in the U.K.
Likewise, I loved living in London for the history, the culture and how busy is. It all depends on what you're looking for.