Huge S.African communities in Canada

[IamCanadian]

From another expat in Canada:

I live in Vancouver, Canada. I am an ex-South African and have been living here since 2000.

Anyway, the main reason I am emailing is I have been following this HOV lane between the N1 and M1. It actually quite amusing at the different reports from different web sites describing it. It is either a total disaster or it is receipt for success. Now living in Canada we have had these HOV lanes, which I believe were introduced 10/15 years ago. They come into force between 6am to 9am in the morning and then 3pm to 6pm in the afternoon and work with great success. But one must bear in mind that people obey the law here, except for a couple of idiots but then the RCMP catches them anyway. It seems to me that the SA government is trying to introduce 1st world standards in a 3rd world country, hey, maybe next they will introduce “Daylight Saving”, wouldn’t that be a total disaster?

I work in downtown Vancouver at a major consulting firm and we have about 15 South African engineers in the office. Mostly all are very well qualified professionals and hold managerial positions. Last time I saw some stats (about 2 years ago), there were about 80 000 South African families living in and around Vancouver. This now does not include all the SA folks living in Calgary, Toronto and the rest of Canada. Mostly all the SA we have meet are very well qualified people. For instance, our family doctor is from CT, my wife’s gynecologist is from JHB, our ear nose and throat specialist is from PE, the list goes on and on.

We are very fortunate as we have “South African” shops in and around Vancouver, so at least we can still buy SA goodies including biltong and boerewors. Find their web links below:

http://www.serengetionline.com/
http://www.outofafricatrading.com/

On our recent trips to Seattle, Washington State and Portland, Oregon State we found huge communities of ex-South Africans, all very, very nice people. It’s such a shame that there are so many white South Africans living abroad, but at least we all have safety and our children have the same equal opportunities of getting a secure job.

At the moment the Canadian government is looking at introducing a single citizenship law, which would entail us to surrender our other passports. Now being an official Canadian citizen and having a Canadian passport, I would not hesitate for 1 sec in giving up our SA passports. Not saying that we have anything against SA, my wife and myself grew up there, still have family there and miss the beautiful country, if and only if, it wasn’t filled with criminals and communists.

 

[brixton tower]

From another expat in Canada:

Not saying that we have anything against SA, my wife and myself grew up there, still have family there and miss the beautiful country, if and only if, it wasn’t filled with criminals and communists.

And we're living under an oppressive communist regime? Why won't these old colonials just stay away and realise that South Africa is not the same country it was 20 years ago...move on, enjoy Canada...South Africa has certainly moved on.

 

[HvRooyen]

From another expat in Canada:
....
[snip]

And your point is?
It seems you've left SA permanently. Now move on.

 

[bwana]

They really should have a special door at the airport so it can hit people like you on the ass on the way out.

I agree with the sentiment - move on.

EDIT - funny thing btw - my bank manager, lawyer, accountant and butcher are all British - the guy I just bought my car from is from Texas and the family who sold me my house are Canadian - so seems there are expat communities everywhere.

 

[w1z4rd]

Enjoy the snow. The beach water here is blue, and the sun is shining. I think I am going to mission now for a braai.

Communism?!?!!?!? you still on that old american fed horse? I thought it had been whipped to death a long time ago. Remember, weve moved onto "terrorists" now. If you are going to believe bull government propaganda at least keep with the program. Communists are so 80`s

Isint Canada a socialist country? You are more communist then we are! what a fool.

 

[brixton tower]

Isint Canada a socialist country? You are more communist then we are! what a fool.

Yep, Canada is more communist than South Africa will ever be...good thing about socialism is that they've got universal healthcare, the downside is that you're taxed to death, not to talk about strict regulations.

 

[arf9999]

If Canada is so wonderful, and SA so crap... why keep coming back to the forum to tell us about it?

I have a theory: cognitive dissonance

 

[HvRooyen]

EDIT - funny thing btw - my bank manager, lawyer, accountant and butcher are all British - the guy I just bought my car from is from Texas and the family who sold me my house are Canadian - so seems there are expat communities everywhere.

One person's obstacle is another person's opportunity, eh?

 

[arf9999]

I have no visions of a liberal utopia, I don't support the ANC, and I'm not a socialist. I am however tired of the whining rightwing assholes that have emigrated to nice white enclaves and can't stfu about it. Go to Canada, please. Stay there. Drink Molson, shag caribou, wear silly trousers, whatever, just shut up.. we don't care.

And alanf85, why not join him? The loss of your sparkling intellect will not be a real loss to SA...

 

[bwana]

You might not support the ANC(how about a few years ago) or socialists but you show various liberal traits in your posts.

In this post for example.

Firstly "right wing assholes" That is not very PC or tolerant thing to say is it. Typical hypocrite.

Also "just shut up" what about freedom of speech. Can't people express their views or must everyone tow the line. Only liberals enjoy the security of freedom of speech it seems.

Thirdly " The loss of your sparkling intellect will not be a real loss to SA." yeah everyone who disagrees with you must be stupid after all you are obviously enlightened.

Unless someone has redefined the term liberal most of those traits really dont apply as liberals are generally considered to be more tolerant.

 

[Alan]

Unless someone has redefined the term liberal most of those traits really dont apply as liberals are generally considered to be more tolerant.

That's how they like to define themselves. Actions speak louder than words.

 

[Angelo]

*Sigh* IamCanadian.....you have left South Africa and now you are living in paradise, WE GET IT!! Anyway here's an article describing people like you:

"The Expat Whinger"

Living in Perth, he trawls SA chatrooms for proof why he had to leave.
Article by Sarah Britten

He and his fellows haunt the offramps and rest stops of the information highway. They are on all of the overseas South African chatrooms. Only small numbers venture onto local forums to argue with left-wing and liberal types who still live here. Physically, they are to be found wherever English is an official language and whites are in charge.

Expat Whingers spend their time trawling the net for bad news about South Africa. Citizens.co.za is always a good source, and news24.com always has the latest farm attack. Stories of South Africans being raped and murdered are especially favoured. Also appreciated are stories of government corruption and ineptitude. Revelations that drinking water in many towns is not safe were a gift, and Charles Nqakula’s outburst in Parliament was too good to be true.

Expat Whingers applaud the online initiative to discourage tourists from visiting the country for the 2010 World Cup. They would love to see the tourism industry forced to its knees. That would show this useless government. They tend to be men who have done well in their new countries and enjoy solid jobs in engineering or IT. They tend to be obsessive compulsives, as one would expect. Their wives and children are relived that they spend so much time online, as this keeps them occupied. And out of the way.

The Expat Whinger has a lovely life in Perth, which is like Cape Town in the ‘70s – without the mountain. Infact, Australia is just like SA, only better: there’s not much crime, sports teams actually win and the government is run by “competent people”. His wife still misses having a maid, through – that was the hardest adjustment – but his kids are already little Australians.

Yet despite the four-bedroomed colonial theme house and the SUV, there is something missing. The Expat Whinger fills the yawning gap in his soul by spending every spare moment cutting and pasting evidence that South Africa is circling the plughole above a vortex of gurgling anarchy. The racism of affirmative action and BEE upsets him a great deal, though not as much as quotas in cricket and rugby. This is enough to reduce him to tears of outrage. Makhaya Ntini, argue the liberals. Overrated, he retorts.

Expat Whingers dance around the race issue, depending on the censorship policies of the websites they frequent. A large part of the Expat Whinger’s days and nights are spent in argument or agreement with people he will probably never meet and whose names, for the most part, he does not know.

Why does he do it? He has been asked many times by his cyber opponents, and he maintains that he is doing it out of concern for the country and for the people who are still stupid enough to live there (and who apparently, according to his logic, have no access themselves to news sources).

Nobody believes him though.

If he’s honest with himself, he will admit that there is a very real element of Schadenfreude in this obsession. Its not that he regrets leaving South Africa. He would never go back. But all the bad news is a source of strange comfort, a reassurance that he did the right thing, and a reminder of what might have been. There’s an element of a crusade that appeals to his ego: the voice in the wilderness, preaching to all who might hear.

He takes on a tone of aggrieved self-righteousness whenever anyone questions his logic or motives. It’s possible that in person, he’s a nicer regular oke. But online, he’s a ******

 

[bwana]

*Sigh* IamCanadian.....you have left South Africa and now you are living in paradise, WE GET IT!! Anyway here's an article describing people like you:

lol - that article seems quite apt.

 

[GTi]

Well written article and true in all aspects,nice post Angelo.

 

[kilo39]

Agree. Great post Angelo.

 

[chiskop]

Well written article and true in all aspects,nice post Angelo.

Agree. Great post Angelo.

Angelo just got congratulated on this forum - Dogs and cats living together!

 

[Alan]

Angelo just got congratulated on this forum - Dogs and cats living together!

And that surprises you.

 

[kilo39]

Angelo just got congratulated on this forum - Dogs and cats living together!

And that's the way we want it. (Now if only the anc would agree.)

A recipe for a more peaceful world.

 

[IamCanadian]

The Troll responds.

Well written article and true in all aspects,nice post Angelo.

I have read this article before and in my case it is quite accurate.

One thing the article missed is that I not only post these postings online, I also talk to many people in my community and workplace about how SA is falling apart and I do indeed warn them not to go there.

What do you have to say about that eh?

Back to the article, we have done very well here in socialist "Canada" and far better than we would have than in SA, but there are a few items that don't apply:

They tend to be obsessive compulsives, as one would expect. Their wives and children are relived that they spend so much time online, as this keeps them occupied. And out of the way.

Must be the pot calling the kettle black here. SOme of you are "grandmasters" in posting numbers. Is there some sort of guild I can join to compare my size to yours. Who's obsessive compulsive now?

His wife still misses having a maid, through – that was the hardest adjustment

We have a maid here as well.

.....quotas in cricket and rugby

I always preferred swimming and water polo for sport so I could care less about quotas for rugby and cricket.

Expat Whingers dance around the race issue, depending on the censorship policies of the websites they frequent.

The race issue is not one for me but reading many of the posts here it seems to me that it is a huge issue for some of you. I think the Afrikaaners bit off more than they could chew when they implemented state sactioned apartheid. The result is that they are reaping a whirlwind. They treated non-whites horrendously. I remember serving with these racists when I did my stint in the SADF and I can tell you that in some ways they are getting there just desserts.

Why does he do it? He has been asked many times by his cyber opponents, and he maintains that he is doing it out of concern for the country and for the people who are still stupid enough to live there.

True. I would add also for the people who are stupid enough to move there or go on holiday there.

Nobody believes him though.

I would argue that somebody does. In fact just yesterday I told "somebdy" at my workplace that SA is the rape capital of the world and they did belive me. Are you now trying to tell me that this is not true?

If he’s honest with himself, he will admit that there is a very real element of Schadenfreude in this obsession. Its not that he regrets leaving South Africa. He would never go back. But all the bad news is a source of strange comfort, a reassurance that he did the right thing, and a reminder of what might have been. There’s an element of a crusade that appeals to his ego: the voice in the wilderness, preaching to all who might hear.

Again true. We did make a good choice to leave and it becomes more apparent every year. I will also continue to be a voice crying out because there are people who visit this website who do want to leave SA and maybe one day they will ask me questions about what to do or how we did it and I will lend a hand.

He takes on a tone of aggrieved self-righteousness whenever anyone questions his logic or motives. It’s possible that in person, he’s a nicer regular oke. But online, he’s a ******

I am not aggrieved by your flames at me and you can question my motives anytime. In fact, much of the article is true except for some of the quotes that I have responded to.

 

[Xarog]

Go find some other battery to piss on. It's not perfect, yes it has it's problems, but there's nowhere I'd rather live. If you choose differently, that you're business, but stop shoving your agenda up our collective noses.