Så har vi kommit till den sista delen av intervjun med Farees och Vincent. Den handlar om Kanada och deras relation till, och tankar om, andra länder :)

28. What do you think about Sweden?

Vincent Mai (VM): Is it a trap question? :D

I loved Sweden. During my 8 months there I travelled a lot around the country, went in Stockholm and Göteborg but also in Jonköping and camping on the west shore. It is a very beautiful country.

I also really appreciated the way of seeing things the Swedes I met had. Everything seemed cool. You live to enjoy life and so should you. On the other hand, I have to admit it was very demanding to meet new Swedes, as they seemed to be, in general, quite shy towards international people. I still managed to become really good friend with some of them though :)

The traditions and monuments there are in Sweden are also amazing. I mean, here in Canada, we have 400 years of history and that’s not a lot. In Sweden, you can feel everyday the presence of all those things that we miss: old castles, churches, but also traditionnal celebrations (Valborg or midsummer) and small historical details (Lund’s university courses always started 15 minutes after the official time).

Farees Nathoo: (FN):  I’m actually the founding member of the Former Swedish Exchange Students Grieving Club.  I can’t wait to go back! Here’s a sense of charm to Lund, as well as Stockholm, Göteborg, Helsingborg, and all Swedish cities that is incredibly charming.  From winding little streets to some nice strong coffee, I loved every moment of the 6 months I spent in Sweden. 

29. What do you want to bring from Sweden to Canada? What did you miss in Canada when you lived in Sweden?

Vincent Mai (VM): Marabou! Gravad Lax! Knäckebröd! Fisk! Köttbullar! I really liked Swedish food and I actually start to miss it!

What I missed more from Canada? Poutine. But it was only in the first semester: when I came back to Montréal for Christmas holidays, I brought back several packs of poutine sauce in powder: I finally could eat poutine in Sweden (and so did all my international friends).

Yeah, you might have noticed, I like to eat good food :)

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I might be here a while… listing only food. Daim, Zoégas Kaffe, Knäckebröd, Köttbullar, Kannenbular, kardumumbullar, pytt I panna, and of course mintu ;).  Cycling, amazing sense of style and dress, and Swedish language are all things I wish I could bring back and make part of Canada. 

I missed Canadian beer and sushi!  Both are readily available and super inexpensive in Canada, and that’s definitely not the case in Sweden haha.

30. What is it like being the neighbor of the US? Is Canada affected a lot by the US?

Vincent Mai (VM): Hahaha, well, you know, we live with it. No, I’m kidding, US are actually (and without surprise) our biggest trade partners and we rather have them as neighbours than a lot of other countries. However, sometimes, we don’t really understand what those guys have in the head. But as they are the most powerful country in the world, we make sure not to upset them!

They really affect us, mostly in their economic situations (we usually are the first hit) and international affairs decisions (we usually have no choice – or do we? Anyway, that’s what the Conservative government seems to think – but to copy them everytime). That’s why we follow american politics nearly as much as ours!

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Nearly 95% of our trade is with the USA, and we watch/listen to/read a lot of American produced material.  We have funny jokes about each other, but at the end of the day our relationship is friendly and they have a huge influence on our politics and lifestyle. 

31. What do Canadians think of Americans? Are there a lot of jokes about them (like Swedes joke about Norwegians)?

Vincent Mai (VM): It’s not really like Swedes and Norwegians because we’ve been separated for a really longer time and actually we’ve even been in war in our early ages. But yes, we make a lot of fun about them, mostly about the weight, their dependance over guns and their totally stupid TV-Shows (would I be talking about American politics here?).

But it’s alright, I know for a fact they also make fun of us!

Farees Nathoo: (FN): What do you call a sophisticated American? A Canadian! Haha, in all fairness, it’s ambivalent and we don’t dislike each other at all.

…except when it comes to hockey. 

32. Which countries in particular does Canada have a good relationship with?

Vincent Mai (VM): USA of course, but also UK and all the Commonwealth countries. That’s for the English-speaking part. In Québec, mostly with France, Belgium, and somewhat with the french speaking african countries!

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Vincent got them all!

33. What are the stereotypes of Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): When we speak english, it seems we say “Hey” after every sentence and we say “about” in a strange way. I don’t know, I usually don’t speak English!

Otherwise, the stereotypical Canadian is whether the guy living with domesticated grizzlys in igloos, or the mounted police officer saying sorry. The “sorry” thing is true though, even in Québec we are always excusing ourselves, and I only noticed so when I was in Sweden :D

Farees Nathoo: (FN): We’re told we say "eh" and "sorry" all the time, and say "about" weird.  We also apparently have winter year around and live in igloos. 

Please excuse me while I have my evening dose of maple syrup and poutine….

34. Where do Canadians usually go on vacation?

Vincent Mai (VM): Whether in the US (New-York, Boston, Washington for eastern Canadians) or at Cuba! Yep. Some people need heat during winter! Actually there are a lot of resorts in Cuba that are only made for Canadian tourists. It’s a little troubling. I’ve never been there.

Farees Nathoo: (FN):  Cuba is definitely a big one!  There are places there that will actually take Canadian money.  Florida is also a big one, people often call Canadians who spend winter in Florida, snowbirds!

35. What do you think that others think of Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): I think that most people like Canadians and, except in Scandinavia where life is also very nice, I heard a lot of people wishing they could live here. I’m actually considering myself very lucky!
What do you think about Canada?

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I hope that others see us as a progressive country that is respectful of culture, the environment and the global community.  I was told in Sweden that we’re almost like a European country in North America, and I think that’s a great description.  Sweet question Vincent, what do you all think of Canada?

Det var de det. Hoppas att ni har lärt er lika mycket som jag har! Tusen tack för alla bra frågor :)
Och tack så mycket till alla som kommenterar, det uppskattar jag verkligen! Det känns roligare när det blir lite mer av en dialog här snarare än att jag bara babblar på om en massa saker ;)

Så, vad tycker ni nu om Kanada?

 

cissi

27 november 2013 10:16

Jag vill höra mer! Kan du inte komma på fler frågor? :)

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