10 Things All Montreal Immigrants Are Tired Of Hearing
As an immigrant, I can think of so many bizarre thingsย people tell me on a daily basis. One thing you need to remember about us - we're Montrealers and human beings, just like you. Who would've though I'd ever haveย to remind this to anyone. Immigration is a very hard and emotional process. People give up their lives and habits to start brand new ones.ย Certain things people ask me are hilarious, other things are offensive, but we don't let these comments get to us. We realize that unless you actually move to another country yourself, you can't really grasp what it is to be an immigrant. So here are 10 things every Montreal immigrant is tired of hearing.
1. "Do you miss home? Do you go back home often?"
Well, technically, Montreal is our home. And, yes, we do miss it when we travel back to our native countries.
2. "Say something in your native language!"
You're not going to remember it anyway, what's the point of this? Are you actually trying to learn a new language?
3. "Do you guys celebrate Christmas/Thanksgiving/New Year's eve?"
Yes, most of us do. Even if it's not part of our culture, we still adapt. Yet another reason to gather around a table, not go to work, eat and drink - why the hell not? We love it!
4. "Did you get here on a boat?"
Seriously? We got here on a plane, yeah... Myth busted.
5. "WTF are you eating?"
It's food and it's delicious, thank you very much. It took us some time to get used to you guys pouring maple syrup over everything too.
6. "Do youย like it here?"
Yes, we love it here. It's our home. Do you like it here?
7. "Why did you moveย here?"
It's a very personal question that can't just get a casual answer. In a nutshell, though - most of us came here to build a better life for ourselves and our family.
8. *Insert any political question about our native country*
Try to avoid political questions altogether, it's never a good idea. Unless you want to get into a heated argument, then definitely ask political questions.
9. "You all look alike!"
Do we now? Alrighty then.
10. "Haha!"
Laugh at our accents all you want, we know you secretly love it. You will never know the struggle of repeating something over and over again and the other person still doesn't understand what we're trying to say... Ugh...