Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

I'm trying to teach my classes a little bit about the culture of different countries where they speak English. Canada, USA, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Belize and South Africa.
Here are some things that I consider culture: music, dance, lifestyle, clothes, people, food and drink, holidays, vacation, education, work, religion and history. I'm sure that there are more but those are a few.

Anyway, I wrote a one page bit about America. I'm hoping to get more countries. So if you are from or spent time in one or more of the countries above, I'd love to hear from you. PM me or just post here.


Important Days- Holidays
1 January New Year�s Day
14 February Valentine�s Day
17 March St. Patrick�s Day April Easter
4 July Independence Day
31 October Halloween
November Thanksgiving
25 December Christmas
31 December New Year�s Eve


Typical food
Mexican, Italian, and Chinese are popular ethnic restaurants in the USA. Pastas, cheese, meat, and potatoes are common foods that people eat at home. Now that more and more people have less time to cook, many people buy instant foods that come in boxes or cans and simply microwave them. Americans typically eat a few fast food meals every week. Shopping is done at a grocery store and rarely done at a market.

Education and Work
Preschool can start at age 2. Children usually paint picture and listen to stories. Kindergarten starts and age 5 and first grade starts at age 6. There are three levels of schools, elementary school (first to fifth grade), middle school/junior high school (sixth to eighth grade) and high school (ninth to twelfth grade/freshman to senior). Children are required by law to go to school until they are 16. Typically they graduate high school when they are 18. Universities or Colleges are 2 or 4 years and it�s common for students to go away for school and not live with their parents. Since university is very expensive, most students have to work and take out loans to pay for school. Most universities do not require students to take a leaving exam or write a thesis. When students graduate, they simply get a full-time job.

Children can start working part-time at age 13 and it�s not usually for children this age to have part-time summer jobs. Usually at the age of 16, people can work full-time. Many high school students have after-school jobs and the majority of college students have at least one part-time job.

Spare-time activities
On the weekends, people go to the cinema, restaurants, the mall, the zoo, the library, or spend time with friends and family. Children may often have slumber parities and invite their friends to spend the night at their house. Students who play sports may have games on the weekend and afterwards go to a restaurant with their team. It�s against the law for people under the age of 18 to go into bars or dance clubs. And they can�t drink alcohol until they are 21. So most high school students don�t go out dancing, though many school have their own dances.


Turning points and other cultural issues
The ages of 16, 18, and 21 are turning points in America. At the age of 16 you can drive. At the age of 18, you are considered an adult and can get married, cote, smoke, enter bars or dance clubs, join the army and more. At the age of 21 you are allowed to drink alcohol. Other turning points are prom, graduation from high school and university and marriage.

When Americans first meet, they usually shake hands and talk about the weather, jobs (but it�s impolite to ask how much money someone makes) or family. When you go to someone�s house, you should come 15 minutes late and should bring a small gift, such as flowers or wine. You will be given a tour of the house. You will also be told to make your self at home. When eating, the host will not server you, they will expect you to serve yourself, because it makes you like one of the family. When you leave you should thank the host and wave goodbye. Americans may seem distant and informal to others. They are quick to use first names and hardly ever use titles. Many people leave home at 18 and may even go to school in a different state. After university they rarely live at home.

[marblez]

The families themselves often seem distant, and parents rarely live with the children when they need to be cared for when elderly. (This applies to US and Canada - unsure of others)

In Canada, you could mention Boxing Day (December 26) which is similar to the US's Black Friday/Thursday (whichever day). A bit of background information on Halloween would be interesting because it is an unusual holiday!

In Canada, you are legal age to drink at 18 or 19. Most Canadians can read French but many cannot speak it or write it. A lot of this has to do with the fact that everything is written in French, so I guess it is just imbedded in our minds (Canadians - try it. You'll be suprised!)

Canadians generally love sports and nearly everyone loves playoff hockey, whether or not they actually watch the season.

Another big difference is that if you ask an American/Canadian what they are - They will respond that they are British, French, Italian, Korean, Chinese, etc... but rarely "Canadian". I think it's because everyone has such different backgrounds that we like to boast

[ls650]

[Guy Courchesne]

[marblez]

[blue jay]

In no particular order:

Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October. It's celebrated like the American one with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. and pumpkin pie for dessert. It's nice to have it before Halloween.

Remembrance Day is on November 11. It's like the American Veterans Day. People often wear a red poppy on their jackets to remember the soldiers who fought in World War I & II.

[Guy Courchesne]