Here are some questions I received from fellow bloggers. Feel free to ask me anything by adding a comment on this post - I’ll answer the question like with these ones below !

• Why did you leave France?
• What made you choose Canada as your new home?
• How did you manage to learn all the languages that you speak?
• Do you miss France? What do you miss most?
• What’s the best and worst thing about being an expat?
• China vs. Canada? What’s the difference?

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From Princesse Ecossaise, author of La Belle Saison, a blog about her life as a French language student in Scotland and soon-to-be expat in France

Why did you leave France?

I had never really thought of staying in France after high school. I don’t know why… I didn’t have anything against it, but I needed something fresh, something new. Europe is a nice continent, lot of history, lot of culture, but it has its drawback. I felt like we were carrying the weight of history on our shoulders, and at the time, I hated the narrow-mindedness around me.

I had nothing to lose. I was fresh out of high school, I had arranged distance-study with my university, didn’t have a job or an apartment so… I packed and I left.

What made you choose Canada as your new home?

To be honest, I had always thought I’d be living in China. Then, I worked in Hong Kong for a while and realized living in China as a foreigner was a bit harder than I had expected. So once again, I packed and went to Latin America.

After traveling a lot, Feng and I decided to “settle” in Canada. It was an obvious choice since Feng is Canadian - at least, one of us would be legal ! I wanted my “Breakfast in America” too : North America was an unknown continent for me and I thought it would be fun to live something new.

I spent almost two years on tourist visa, temporary visa, work visa, extended visa you name it. Moving in Canada was tough at first : I didn’t know the culture, my English wasn’t that good and I had to start from the bottom. But it got better and I sensed I would have enough opportunities to live normally. So I applied for a Permanent Resident visa and… voilà ! I’m now a full time Canadian !

You are a wonderful writer - even with English as a second language - how did you manage to learn all the languages that you speak? (eg Chinese ! - I’m impressed!)

In France, it’s compulsory to learn at least two languages : the first one in Grade 7 and the second one in grade 8-9. The typical choice is English or German, then Spanish.

But my school offered Chinese as a second language, so I decided to take it. I really don’t know why… At the time, I was pretty bored in school and wanted to do something original. Besides, I had found the writing very intriguing.

I then studied English but I mostly learned the language with Feng and by living in Canada.

I took some Spanish when I was in school, but I learned pretty much everything I know by traveling in Central and South America.

I tend to pick up languages very fast… I seem to be programmed for it. Unlike math.

Do you miss France? What do you miss most?

I don’t miss France at all. When I first came to Canada, I compared everything to France, then realized these were two different countries and cultures and I just had to deal with it. As a result, I don’t really miss anything anymore. I left France when I was 18 so I started my adult life abroad. I couldn’t compare a lot of things. I don’t miss food much cause I never really ate frogs legs and snails. Seriously. I do buy great cheese from Lebanese shops though.

I’m lucky to live with a Canadian who also have two cultures, plus whatever we picked up when traveling. I was never forced into abandoning my culture but I naturally adapted to Canada and it somewhat took over my French culture.

What’s the best and worst thing about being an expat?

The worst are definitely dealing with a particular status : not a citizen yet not a tourist. This can lead to extreme frustration, especially with administrations.

The worst can also be your fellow expats – it’s easy to lock oneself into a small group of expats and never really adapt to the country’s culture, bitching about everything and living in a ghetto.
I was lucky though, there aren’t many French in English Canada, they all gathered in Montréal!

Best thing about being an expat is discovering a new way of life and try out new stuffs all the time.
When I first saw snow in Canada, I played in the backyard like a kid – all the passerby must have though I was nuts ! Going to the restaurant, to a mall, to the market, for a drive, or just watching TV at home is challenging and simulating cause everything is different.

That said, I don’t really consider myself as an expat. I’m half Canadian now and will always have two - or more – cultural baggage. I’m not in Canada temporarily for a job or for study. I’m here to stay. Or travel.

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From Sir Jorge, author of Video Store Blues, who write about his life in Seattle and as an eye for life’s little oddities and paradoxes (yes, I love his blog !) :

China vs. Canada? What’s the difference? Obviously geography, and looks, but what about lifestyle, culture, media, touristy stuff?

I could go on and on about China, but I think the main difference between Canada and modern China would be philosophical : individualism vs. living as a group.

In Canada and in North America in general, personal freedom is highly valued. In China, this notion doesn’t really exist, which lead to misunderstanding between the two cultures. For example, the one-child policy, the birth control policy adopted by Deng. At the time, the overpopulation lead the government to take this measure. I’m not defending it : as a Western woman, I would feel extremely frustrated if my government would tell me that I can’t have more than one kid. But in China, if it benefits the country on the long term, then people would accept it.

The policy is controversial overseas and even within China, so this might not be the best example, but the truth is, a lot of Chinese politics seem cruel viewed from abroad but are accepted in China.

In my opinion, some human rights as they are viewed in the West will never work in China, simply because the demographic, the culture etc. are different. Just like French don’t understand why it’s so complicated to elect a President in the USA when in France, he’s directly elected by citizens.