Like most countries, Canada and its population has a few stereotypes that people expect to be true when they visit. Such things as "riding a polar bear to work" or "dogsledding" everywhere because it is winter all year round in Canada are obviously not true and people find this out quickly if they arrive in British Columbia in the middle of August and find that the majority of the inland is a desert. There are, however, several stereotypes on the list that people seem to always come up with that are absolutely - or at least partially - true about Canadians. While it is amusing to poke fun at Canada for these little quirks, most Canadians would agree that they would rather be called nice and apologetic as well as being the best hockey nation in the world than be confused with Americans - but even then they would probably apologise for any offence caused to the US. Canada has some of the most amazing landscapes in the world, with deserts in the summer, glaciers all year round, amazing ski resorts in the winter and the best overall infrastructure that provides the good sense to enjoy it. It also boasts some of the best skiing in the world, some of the best lake destinations in the world, thousands of great golf courses, and over 30 million of the nicest people you will come across in your life. What is more, they will probably offer to buy you a nice, strong, Canadian beer if you sit down and have a chat with them - or at the very least you'll get one of those famous Tim Horton coffees, so it's often a good thing that some of these stereotypes about Canada are actually true.
15. They Dont Feel The Cold Like Brits
While the stereotype that it is always freezing cold in Canada or that they all live in igloos and ride polar bears and sled dogs to work is not true, in the winter Canada gets extremely cold for months on end. In the summer it can get up past 40 degrees Celsius for months, but when its -40 in the winter and the snow is piling up so much on the roof that it needs to be cleared off or it will cave in, the hot days are hard to remember. Thankfully though Canadians just do not seem to feel the cold quite like other people though. -10 or -15 in the winter seems to be no reason for true Canadians to wear a nice big jacket like tourists do, and no self-respecting Canadian will ever forego an outdoor activity to wait for a slightly warmer day. They experience the elements on a daily basis and seem fairly immune to the cold weather and snow.
Thomas is currently a postgraduate student of literature at the University of St. Andrews. He enjoys music and golf in his spare time when he isn't writing. Tom completed his first novel in the summer of 2013 which was published at the start of this year. Next year he is going to be working as a teacher in Dubai, continuing his research, and writing as much as possible. Follow on Twitter @Tom_Andrews91
