Things That SHOCKED Me About Canada (Metro Vancouver) 🇨🇦😳 (Filipino in Canada)

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]Everyone says Canada is clean and nice, but I didn't expect this. From strict garbage rules to tipping culture, these are the things that honestly shocked me when I moved here in Canada.

[00:00:16]Hi guys, welcome back to my channel. If you're new here, I am Marie and I moved to Canada from the Philippines 2 and 1/2 years ago. And today I'm going to share the things that really shocked me when I got here in Canada. Some are funny, some are stressful, and some I actually really love. Now, number one, clean streets. Okay, so the first thing that I really noticed when I arrived, the streets are so clean. So, I live in British Columbia here in Canada in Metro Vancouver. You know what? Like even in the busy areas, you cannot really see like trash on the sidewalk. Nothing like scattered around. So, I think that people here are generally disciplined about this one. And honestly, it feels like it was not real at first because I'm not used that streets going to be that clean. And also, you can easily see any garbage cans in the public areas.

[00:01:08]Number two, garbage segregation. So, I personally live in Klam City and this one shocked me the most. Garbage segregation here is very strict, especially in the city that I currently live in. have to separate paper, plastics, glass, food waste, and also recyclables in different bins. And if you don't follow it, of course, you get actually get fined. Back home in the Philippines, it is not that strict. I would say there's also garbage segregation, but for my area, I don't think the fines are that strict compared here. So I have here the actual brochure from the recycle PC and it's showing here how you segregate waste and also garbages. So here it is for cooklum and there are different schedules in which they're going to collect it from your homes. And this is really pretty nice.

[00:02:02]As you can see, there's like here what is included like for paper. You can have like a newspaper like magazines, box board boxes, molded paper from eggs also like paper bags, paper decoration or shredded paper. It will fall into this.

[00:02:19]There were also like not accepted as you can see here.

[00:02:24]So they also have containers which is the recyclable containers. Here you go.

[00:02:31]So this includes your plastic bottles, jars and jugs, plastic trays and containers. So you can also have your like lotion plastic containers. Another tip is that here in Canada for these recyclable containers, you can actually bring them to like a recyclable depot and then in exchange with that they will give you money. Here's this one, the glass.

[00:02:56]So, it includes a glass bottle, clear and colored. And I'm just going to let you know that this container is glass.

[00:03:02]You should like wash it before putting it ready for pickup. There were also like things that are only for drop off.

[00:03:10]They cannot like pick this up in in your home. So, this includes like flexible plastics, bags, foams, foam containers, anything like that. You can make a difference.

[00:03:22]Recycle, right? So here you can see the different collection schedule from July until like June like it's a one year. So there's like different colors from red to green to maroon to blue. It depends on the zone area. So some Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mostly are weekdays. There's not much even like Friday. There's only like once a week but mostly like different. So it will also depends on where or which city you can live. So the one I showed you is only for Kquitam and maybe you can search like if you live in Siri or in Vancouver city. They also have their own rules. Number three, politeness culture.

[00:04:08]So this one is very Canada. People here are really polite and what I mean by that is genuinely polite. They say thank you, sorry, excuse me a lot, even when it's not their fault. Like for example, like someone will bump into me and then they apologize immediately without even thinking about it. It actually made me confused at first like how can these people be so nice and be so polite? It's just amazing you know. So in the Philippines we are also friendly but this level of sorry for everything is very new to me and which I really admire. I think Canadians are really nice and actually I met a lot of them like strangers even in public transportation or even just walking in the street. It will just help you in any possible ways. That's why sometimes, especially here in my city, I feel like it's very safe and also I like the neighborhood. It's really great place to live in. Number four, outdoor lifestyle.

[00:05:03]So, another thing that I noticed about Canadians, they love the outdoors so much. I think it's really like a lifestyle here. People go hiking, cycling, walking, running, and even camping. And even in the cold weather, guys. And it's actually inspired me a lot. Even just going out for a walk, it feels so different. Fresh air, the trails, and even the scenery. It is majestic. Naturally, this is one of the many reasons why I chose British Columbia. It is because of the scenery.

[00:05:34]You can easily see the mountains and also those white caps over the mountains and also you can easily see lakes, sea, and the nice building that's not too overcrowded. So yeah, I really love that one. And you know what? Because of this, it gave me a new perspective of what really work and life balance means.

[00:05:57]Number five, small talk culture. So I think this is really a North American thing. Canadians love to do small talk.

[00:06:05]Like even strangers when you met at a cafe or even like servers, cashier, they would say like, "Oh, how's your day?

[00:06:12]How's your weekend? What's your plans on the weekend?" Like it's always like that. And honestly, at first, and even until now, I'm still having a hard time like thinking how to respond to this kind of questions because I'm not used to it. I don't think Asians are kind of used to this kind of environment, like this kind of small talk. But definitely, I also kind of appreciate at the same time. And at the same time, I'm also trying to adjust into it because in the Philippines, even though Filipinos are very friendly, these kind of questions are very unusual. Like Saturday, Sunday, unless you're very close to someone, then it might be kind of okay. But when it's like stranger, it's kind of like very new to me. And I think most of the Filipinos will agree on that. And honestly, if I didn't hear any of that, it would also make me miss of those questions because it's very Canadian thing. Yeah. And on a side note, it will also motivate you to do something on the weekend. So, you can share something.

[00:07:18]When my co-workers will ask me like, "Oh, how's the weekend?" And I always say like, "Um, I don't think I have plans on the weekend. Like, um, it was just only like a chill day. I didn't do much." Or something like that. It's always like that. Or sometimes like on Friday, oh, what's your plan on the weekend? what's your plan tomorrow? And sometimes I have plans but my brain is just buffering. You know, sometimes I forgot what my plans are. So yeah, I was like um um just nothing. I just which is like it's a huge adjustment.

[00:07:47]But yeah, but I like it. It grows within me every day. Number six, washroom. Okay guys, this one is very funny. In Canada they call it washroom while in Philippines we call it CR. stands for comfort room and in USA you know at the states of America they call it bathroom and this is so funny because during my first week here in Canada I went to the mall and I cannot like locate where is the washroom is so I asked this lady I said like excuse me um can you help me and find where is the comfort room she said like what like what comfort comfort room I was like yeah like a comfort room where you Like I was like, "Oh like what should I say? Like where do you what?" I was like, "Oh, what I mean is a bathroom." And I was like, "I don't think that's the word." But I said, "Bathroom." And she said like, "Bathroom?" Like take a bath like And then she said, "Oh, you mean washroom?"

[00:08:48]I was like, "Oh my gosh, I must say, but then yeah, I mean, people are here are nice." So yeah, and they always show me the way, which is amazing. It's part of the journey.

[00:09:01]Number seven, Tim Hortons double double.

[00:09:04]So for those who don't know, Tim Hortons is somewhat they called like Canadian coffee and some people even argue about that. So yeah, let's just put it that way. So when I first heard about it about the double double because my uncle used to order that a lot before going to the church. So I was really wondering what is that? Because when I go to coffee shop, I always order like caramel macchiato, Spanish latte or even just americano, right? But then little did I know double double means two cream and two sugar which I think is really genius. So that is Canadian sculpture in two words double double. And you know what? I actually really love it. I used to order double double in team Hortons before coming to class before. Number eight. Tax is not included. So this one stresses me out a little bit. The price you see on the price tag that is not what you pay in the cashier. Taxes here are added separately. So you think something costs like $10 and then when you pay it it is $11.20 for someone that is used for an all-in pricing back home. This took me so much time getting used to it cuz honestly I cannot still see the logic behind it.

[00:10:16]Oh, this is so hard. So always budget a little more than the price tag.

[00:10:24]Number nine, tipping culture. And then guys, there is this tipping culture and it is very real. You know what? It became close to normal. It's kind of like you are expected to pay tips in restaurants, cafes, and sometimes even in takeouts, which is crazy. For someone living in the Philippines, we don't do tips. We just spay on what is really the price. Unless you really like the service. For example, you really like your manicure, your pedicure, or someone help you bring all your luggages and also someone help you like food delivery. You'll just say like, "Oh, keep the change." And I think that's the tipping culture in the Philippines. It's not really mandatory. It's not a thing where you get pressured to do tip. But here is very different because I think most people do it. That's why most people are also pressured to do it. So, in the machine, it literally shows the tip. You can choose like 10%, 12%, 15%, 18%, or even 20%. Which is scary. Oh my gosh. But you know what? Here in Vancouver, there's actually new cafes now that will say no tipping or something like that. I even appreciate also those restaurants that will make an option as low as like 5% or 10%. But I also want to make it clear that you can also choose not to tip. you can click the no tip but also at the same time there are also servers who will like wait for you while watching you clicking that which makes it very intimidating and pressuring but at the same time I also got to understand that it is how service workers get paid really some workers make their income through tips but even until now it's still some kind of like culture shock to me quiet neighborhoods and early closing so here are the two quick ones first it is So quiet at night, like genuinely peaceful. Even though the city is large, it is so quiet. No jeep knees, no tricycles, and even cars. There's not much at night. And the second one, stores closes here early. Like some stores close at 6:00, 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., which is so new to me. So, when you're looking for a place to eat, it's going to be challenging to look for one because there's not much restaurants that will go over like 12 midnight or even like 11 p.m. It also depends on the city, but I would say in overall here in Metro Vancouver, it's always that case.

[00:12:52]So, back home, there's a lot of convenience stores that are open 24/7 every day. So, I really need to adjust it. But at the same time, this is also one thing I really love about here is because it's very familyfriendly. like the neighborhood. There's not much noise, not much like nightife party in which I really love. Number 11, public transport etiquette. So the last thing is public transport etiquette. So people here waiting for the bus really line up properly. No pushing, no cutting.

[00:13:24]Everyone is just waiting for their turn with so much patience calmly, quietly.

[00:13:30]It may sound so small, but it really stood out to me. It shows a lot about the culture here in Canada. So, at first it feels overwhelming with all these kinds of adjustments. Like everything that I was used to do back my home was flipped upside down. The longer I'm here, the more I understand why things are the way they are. And honestly, a lot of it I've grown to really appreciate. Canada has taught me to slow down, be more mindful, be more patient, to enjoy the nature, to enjoy the outdoors more, and be kinder in small ways every day. So, if you're planning to move here in Canada or you're already here, drop a comment below. What shocked you the most? I would love to know. And if you're new here, make sure to like and subscribe. I share my whole Canada immigration journey and also my lifestyle here in my channel. See you in the next one. Bye-bye.