More on Vancouver

Let’s turn to how the people of Vancouver comport themselves. They are a courteous, polite and helpful group. I think this is best seen on public transportation, or at least busses because that’s all I rode. Upon boarding the bus, the driver will generally say hello or pleasantly respond to your hello, answer questions, and guide you safely to your destination. Your fellow passengers are also a delight. Those seats reserved for the elderly or disabled really are reserved for the elderly and disabled. Any passenger can and will sit in them but the moment someone steps on the bus who may want or require a seat, a few people will pop up and offer their seats. You’d expect a gentleman to do this but it everyone in Vancouver gets in on the courtesy thing. Schoolboys, college students (both fairly self-centered populations), and basically everyone. It’s nice to see and I can’t wait until I get to be elderly or disabled and get the good seats.
Continuing on the bus, I became familiar with another pleasant phenomenon. Upon disembarking, a great many people will call a quick “thanks” or thank you” to the driver. This is especially true if departing from the rear doors and it seemed markedly popular among young people, high school and college age. Lesson here: always be polite on the bus.
Vancouver, and I suspect other areas of Canada are similar, still retains some British characteristics, as I mentioned in an earlier post. I can’t give a full rundown because I have not been to the U.K., but my viewing of British television and movies assures me that I am correct. Also, Mom told me too. I found the turns-of-phrase to be the easiest British holdovers to identify. Notably, there’s the use of “cheers” to end conversations but particularly emails. Sometimes I could swear I heard a British person talking but really it was a curious Canadian accent. The art of the Canadian accent deserves it’s own extensive analysis, a task I will undertake after I have dwelled among them for a few weeks. I don’t think I can do it justice now.
However, Canada has asserted itself and departed from some British ways. In Vancouver, there are no queues nor are there lines, like one would find in its close neighbor U.S.A. Rather, there are line-ups. People will line up in a line-up. Signs will say, “Line-up forms here” and I heard people ask, “Is this the line-up?” A curious thing at first but not so strange really.