Culture Shock!: Canada (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)

by Pang Guek Cheng (Author), Robert Barlas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
You'll never feel intimidated and awkward about the customs and etiquette of another country again. With the insights provided in this CULTURE SHOCK! Guide, you'll learn to see beyond the stereotypes and misinformation that often precede a visit to a foreign land. Whether you plan to stay for a week or for a year, you'll benefit from such topics as understanding the rules of driving and monetary systems, religious practices and making friends. There are tips on political traditions, building business relationships, and the particular intricacies of setting up a home or office. Great for the business traveler, the foreign exchange student, or the tourist who makes a sincere attempt to cross the bridge into a new and exciting culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company; Rev edition (February 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155868087X
• ISBN-13: 978-1558680876
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,252,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Culture Shock!: Canada misleading & creates stereotypes!, May 17, 2001

By	Angela Bloor (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I ordered this book because my husband & I are soon moving to Canada. He is Canadian & we have been married 2 years, the same amount of time he has been living here in the U.S. We are in the middle of my immigration to Canada process and I wanted a quick history of & info about what will be my new country. I have visited Canada & since I am married to a Canadian I know that the tone of this book is quite misleading. I'm not sure what countries it's aimed at, but I know it cannot be the U.S.! The authors make it sound like Canada is a backward country full of bingo players who stay home all winter long! It's become a humourous book to me, even the words they say are "Canadian", such as "tad".....my family has used this word since I can remember & so do many others around here (maybe Oregon is too close to Canada?). Read this book with a grain of salt, IF you must read it.....I don't recommend it as much of a correct vision of Canada and Canadians.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but misses three essential recommendations, June 17, 2005

By	Charlene Vickers (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is quite good for the American thinking about living in Canada. However, there are three essentials which the writers have left out:

1) Do NOT even imply that Canadians are so much like Americans that Canada might as well give up its independence and become part of your home country. There is very little that will lead the average Canadian to violence (well, outside of an NHL contract), but that might do it.

2) Canadian kids are taught from the time they learn to walk that it's dirty and boorish to wear shoes indoors. Consequently, if you visit Canadian friends, you must remove your shoes once you enter their home. This is the case even on a sunny fine day. Strangely, being barefoot is not considered anywhere near as crass or thoughtless as wearing shoes indoors, but most people do think to put on socks before visiting others, even if they don't usually wear socks.

3) A common mistake among Americans moving to Canada is to buy a house in the suburbs thinking they're safer and more child-friendly than the inner cities. However, in many Canadian cities the inner cities have better schools, higher quality housing, less crime, and more pleasant neighbourhoods than some of the suburbs. This is especially true of Calgary and Toronto.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and funny., February 17, 1999

By A Customer

This book talks alot about the way things are done in Canada... everything from "Do they like football as much as Americans?" to how much it costs to build a house (based on the rates as of publication). It's a very interesting book. It mostly compares Canada with the U.S. as it's authors are from those countries, but it definately will provide you with some insight. I highly recommend it.