Oh, Canada - different place, different people, and a very different environment. If you’ve lived in Malaysia or Singapore most of your life, things here may seem a little unfamiliar, or even at times strange to you, and that’s ok. Coming from a small town in Malaysia with almost no traffic lights, it took me a few days to even get used to not using my hand to stop cars. To help you get through your time in Canada, here are a few key differences between Malaysia/Singapore and the land of maple leaves.
Tax
Buying things in Malaysia is a little simpler compared to Canada. Apart from being relatively cheaper, you usually just check the price, check your wallet, and if you ain’t broke you got what you want. However, if your budget is only a dollar or two over that price tag, I would think twice about buying that sweet-looking UofT hoodie at the bookstore. You see, in Malaysia (and most of Singapore) all taxes are included in the price tag, but in Canada the tax is added at the counter. So don’t be shocked if the costs of your items don’t add up- and rest assured, you are not being scammed- because you’re just paying a little more to help the Canadian Government, whether you like it or not.
Tipping
If you think taxes are the only extra costs you have to pay, think again. Although it isn’t mandatory to ‘tip’, it is considered extremely rude not to do so here. Tipping here is done by percentage, and you would usually tip an extra 10%~20% of your bill. If you pay using a debit or credit card, PIN machines will usually include a tipping option, so just play safe and use that instead of trying to calculate how much 10% of 23 is like I did the first time I went to a restaurant in Toronto. My advice is don’t think of tipping as an extra cost; think of it more like a way to say “thank you” with money. Be generous if you like your service. Or be like me and tip the lowest amount possible every time.
Food portions
Story time: when I first landed in Canada, I bought myself a medium-size poutine for lunch. It lasted through dinner and breakfast the next day. Somehow, I did not learn my lesson and bought a burrito for lunch the next day. The burrito lasted me dinner and breakfast the next day. If you haven’t caught on yet, Toronto’s pricey food is (almost) made up for by their massive portions, so I would suggest always ordering the “small” size when getting food. If you’re still hungry, you can always get more. If it’s too much, you’ve spent a few extra dollars to put your leftovers in the fridge so you can eat a half-frozen meal the next day.
Closing times
For us Malaysians and Singaporeans, going out to a nearby Pasar Malam or Hawker center to dabao stuff home to eat at midnight is quite common, and 8 PM trips to the nearby grocery store are definitely not unheard of. Sadly, here you’d be very lucky to find any malls or shops open past 8 PM. If you need to buy something for tomorrow and it’s already past 7:30, just forget it. Wake up early the next day and get what you need, cause there will be no one around to help you at that time of the day here.
And there you have it! Four things that you may not be used to here if you’ve lived in Malaysia/Singapore for most of your life. How have you been adapting to culture in Toronto? Do you think we missed anything when creating this list? Feel free to leave your answers in the comments.