This Opinion article is part of a Narcity content series. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
When travelling to different locales and countries that differ greatly from your own, it’s entirely normal to feel a sense of culture shock when you’re immersing yourself in the local way of life. This happens to the best of us, and with time, you usually settle into the local way of life and adjust accordingly.
However, what if you’re moving here to Vancouver? Good choice, great city, and I do look forward to maybe seeing you around.
You’ve most likely done your research, and you feel prepared with a few very important cultural notes — Cheer on the Canucks, own about nine umbrellas, and develop a palate for sushi. All of these are very valid and useful facts, indeed.
However, there are some other truths about this fair city that I feel it is my duty to inform you of so that you don’t go into complete shock once you relocate.
People will make plans with you, and then bail at the last minute.
This is a huge part of Vancouver culture, whether you like it or not (and you probably won’t). I can’t really explain it; this is just the way a lot of people operate here. You’ll meet someone at work or at a meetup group, and you’ll enthusiastically make plans to go out for dinner, for drinks, to see a movie, to watch a live band, or even just hang out at your place. Then, the very day that you’re supposed to hang out, your new Vancouver friend will text you and say that they aren’t feeling well, or something came up, or that they just aren’t feeling up to it and are going to stay in.
It’s a point of bewilderment for many people who move here, and something you’ll just have to get used to.
Never take it personally, though. It has nothing to do with you. Besides, the longer you live here, you’ll find yourself doing this exact same thing and not giving it a second thought.
Nobody presses the button to cross the street.
I’ve lived here for my entire life, and I’m still perplexed by this phenomenon. You’ll approach an intersection that still has a green light, and you’d like to cross over. A few other people walk up beside you, also wanting to cross. Do you know who will press that button to ensure the light changes to red? You.
Not a single other person will bother. Instead, they will stand there, silently hoping that the green light eventually runs its course, or they are completely engrossed in their smartphones, not terribly concerned with how long they’ll be waiting for traffic to come to a halt. This is especially common in downtown Vancouver, so if you plan on doing a lot of walking down here, get those index fingers warmed up and ready for a workout of their own.
No matter the weather, people here will complain.
Vancouver is indeed a temperate rainforest, and we have a well-deserved reputation for our downpours, particularly during autumn. However, we also have the delightful privilege of four very distinct and beautiful seasons with no real extremes in temperature or propensity for natural disasters. In fact, you’ll love the climate here.
Talk to some of the locals, though, and you will find that it won’t matter how it is outside — it’s never good enough. Raining nonstop for a week, which is completely typical for this city? People will grumble that they’re sick of it. Six inches of snow while the rest of Canada is buried under six feet? We will mutter that we can’t wait for spring. Warmer-than-average summer temperatures in which people can enjoy countless outdoor activities? Vancouverites will declare that it’s too hot and we need some rain.
You cannot make anybody happy here, no matter what the weather conditions are, so just ignore the complaining and enjoy yourself.
Everyone lines up politely to board the bus.
This might not seem like a big deal, but it can actually be quite jolting to approach a bus stop in Vancouver and watch people adhere to the unspoken code of conduct here of lining up to board.
If you aren’t aware in advance of this social norm among the locals, it’s good I’m giving you a heads-up, because if you even dare to wade into a random point of the lineup — or, the worst offence of all, simply wander to the front of the queue once the bus arrives — you’ll be met with glares, hostile glances, mutterings, and invariably, more than a few people kindly-but-firmly letting you know to get in the back of the line.
I’ve travelled to several places in this world where it’s every man (and woman) for themselves, pushing and shoving to get onto the bus with no order or etiquette involved. I very much prefer the Vancouver method, which is fair and first-come-first-serve. You’ll appreciate this aspect of local culture once you get used to it, which you will have pretty much no choice but to do, anyway.
Don’t expect a lot of smiles and warmth.
The rarity of perfect strangers demonstrating outward friendliness can be so jarring, it can actually stop you in your tracks. This isn’t to say that we’re unkind, mean, or even angry — we’re just quite a bit more aloof than people expect, especially if they are coming from a town or city where people naturally and regularly smile and chat with one another.
If you flash a smile at a passerby here, you may not be met with one in return (you will, more likely than not, be met with a startled look). If you attempt to strike up a conversation with someone who doesn’t work in customer service, odds are that you’ll be given a polite-but-firm reply and nothing more. This is just part of the culture in Vancouver. Like I mentioned above with people here cancelling plans at the last minute, it’s nothing to take personally.
It’s really, really, really expensive.
This isn’t new information to anyone–and I’m sure you’ve read plenty about this before relocating here, and you’ve saved up plenty of money, but it will still take your breath away once you’re actually here.
Everything from housing to groceries to restaurants to pet food to car insurance is completely, incredibly pricey. The cost of living in Vancouver has been increasing over the last few years. Wherever you might be migrating from, you won’t quite believe how much you will be paying for everything, so take a deep breath and remember why you moved here — because it’s one of the greatest places in the world.
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