04-20-2015, 09:06 AM
I am Caucasian myself, but with the language issue, it becomes a barrier. The many non-Caucasian friends I have had in life have tended to speak better of Canadian experiences when they sought to speak English in public, and Hindi/Farsi/Cantonese/etc at home or within those community centres.
Imagine for a moment a couple talking about random subjects, and looking at you, then your kids, then someone else, then some birds. Now, imagine them looking in the same ways, but this time they are covering their mouths and whispering while doing the same things. That barrier suddenly creates discomfort, and it can be the same when speaking a language not understood by anyone around. When I grew up in English communities but wanted to learn how to speak French, my family would do so at home a great deal, but we would not have conversations in French in public places that were English speaking; it only created an unnecessary barrier. I learned to speak French and did not have more difficulty with it because I didn't speak it in public non-French places.
If there is concern about the friendliness of people, do consider that barrier. When you come across people speaking a language you don't understand, you are inevitably going to be less likely to strike up a conversation with them, and children especially will face challenges; kids will be even more likely to see fellow children speaking an unfamiliar language, and naturally will gravitate towards the kids they can understand. The same thing happens everywhere; the classmates I had in university, I would be in groups with all different backgrounds, but with a stark difference being that the choice some people of any background would make to speak non-English exclusively in class would inevitably not wind up associating with me.
I don't want to give you misgivings about the area; it is incredibly wonderful for all family types, and I know families at all stages who love it here and have found great community. If you can find an urban location here, your children will be in for a wonderful treat with the close-knit family communities near the cores, and things like the free Waterloo Park splash pad and zoo. My sister lived in Montreal for a couple years, and she also felt distant from the people there. I just hope that you consider that the first impression anyone will have when coming across people they don't know is whether they are open and welcoming, or closed off and distant, and language barriers create an immediate barrier when you first come across someone. Later, once you have familiarity though, many parents and kids can appreciate being "let in on the secret," and as a kid I enjoyed learning words and phrases in different languages. We do have a great and proud multicultural community and groups of such organizations, and I hope that if you and your family come here, you will see and take in the best we have to offer :-).
Imagine for a moment a couple talking about random subjects, and looking at you, then your kids, then someone else, then some birds. Now, imagine them looking in the same ways, but this time they are covering their mouths and whispering while doing the same things. That barrier suddenly creates discomfort, and it can be the same when speaking a language not understood by anyone around. When I grew up in English communities but wanted to learn how to speak French, my family would do so at home a great deal, but we would not have conversations in French in public places that were English speaking; it only created an unnecessary barrier. I learned to speak French and did not have more difficulty with it because I didn't speak it in public non-French places.
If there is concern about the friendliness of people, do consider that barrier. When you come across people speaking a language you don't understand, you are inevitably going to be less likely to strike up a conversation with them, and children especially will face challenges; kids will be even more likely to see fellow children speaking an unfamiliar language, and naturally will gravitate towards the kids they can understand. The same thing happens everywhere; the classmates I had in university, I would be in groups with all different backgrounds, but with a stark difference being that the choice some people of any background would make to speak non-English exclusively in class would inevitably not wind up associating with me.
I don't want to give you misgivings about the area; it is incredibly wonderful for all family types, and I know families at all stages who love it here and have found great community. If you can find an urban location here, your children will be in for a wonderful treat with the close-knit family communities near the cores, and things like the free Waterloo Park splash pad and zoo. My sister lived in Montreal for a couple years, and she also felt distant from the people there. I just hope that you consider that the first impression anyone will have when coming across people they don't know is whether they are open and welcoming, or closed off and distant, and language barriers create an immediate barrier when you first come across someone. Later, once you have familiarity though, many parents and kids can appreciate being "let in on the secret," and as a kid I enjoyed learning words and phrases in different languages. We do have a great and proud multicultural community and groups of such organizations, and I hope that if you and your family come here, you will see and take in the best we have to offer :-).