Thread: Living Conditions

I'm sorry to sound ignorant, but what exactly is the reason of people from Europe wanting to immigrate to Canada/USA?
Is life there really that bad?

I'm just looking for some serious answers.
For example, I feel safe where I live. Occassionally if I am downtown, I have to keep a sharp eye out around me because of "gangsters" (the random/drive-by shootings just keep happening more often lately), however, if I am around my neighbourhood away from the city, I feel safe.

Do you not feel safe in the country where you live? Is it hard to find jobs? Is it hard to find a place to live? Are there wide-spread diseases?

Just wondering...

"Водка холоднее у соседа" - Kalinka_vinnie

Ситуация в моей стране отличается от ситуации в России, но в Новой Зеландии много людей переезжают в Австралию, Европу или Северную Америку потому что там можно получать лучшую зарплату. Также, жить здесь очень скучно. В Австралии намного интереснее!

Originally Posted by basurero

"Водка холоднее у соседа" - Kalinka_vinnie

Ситуация в моей стране отличается от ситуации в России, но в Новой Зеландии много людей переезжают в Австралию, Европу или Северную Америку потому что там можно получать лучшую зарплату. Также, жить здесь очень скучно. В Австралии намного интереснее!

Why would you say that one place is more interesting than another? What makes a place interesting to you?

Ну, конечно, все зависит от себя!

Originally Posted by love.angel

I'm sorry to sound ignorant, but what exactly is the reason of people from Europe wanting to immigrate to Canada/USA?
Is life there really that bad?

I'm just looking for some serious answers.
For example, I feel safe where I live. Occassionally if I am downtown, I have to keep a sharp eye out around me because of "gangsters" (the random/drive-by shootings just keep happening more often lately), however, if I am around my neighbourhood away from the city, I feel safe.

Do you not feel safe in the country where you live? Is it hard to find jobs? Is it hard to find a place to live? Are there wide-spread diseases?

Just wondering...

нет, жизнь в Европе намного лучше чем жизнь в США, но это зависит от человека. Если человек любит денег и хочет много зарабатывать, лучше в США. И ещё в США, если ты расследователь или инженер, есть больше возможнестей. Для бедных, думаю что есть такая идея, что в США легчше стать богатым (но они не понимают, что придется очень много работать за этого)... А кроме этого, не думаю что так многых европецев хотят в США попасть... не знаю.

И ещё в США, если ты расследователь

расследователь - такого нету )) есть - следователь. (investigator?)

what exactly is the reason of people from Europe wanting to immigrate to Canada/USA?

я не хочу, лично

Originally Posted by Dimitri

И ещё в США, если ты расследователь

расследователь - такого нету )) есть - следователь. (investigator?)

That's criminal investigator, a detective. What KV meant is исследователь (researcher).

Originally Posted by love.angel

Do you not feel safe in the country where you live? Is it hard to find jobs? Is it hard to find a place to live? Are there wide-spread diseases?

Just wondering...

If you are referring to, let's say, Russia, than it's mostly for a job. Overall the society is more peaceful and reasonable too. If you have a god job in a well-to-do western european country and speak their language, then it's certainly better to live over there. Except that Canada and Australia encourage professional immigration, while USA and particularly Europe do not.

Originally Posted by adoc

If you are referring to, let's say, Russia, than it's mostly for a job. Overall the society is more peaceful and reasonable too. If you have a god job in a well-to-do western european country and speak their language, then it's certainly better to live over there. Except that Canada and Australia encourage professional immigration, while USA and particularly Europe do not.

What do you mean by "professional immigration"?

Originally Posted by love.angel

What do you mean by "professional immigration"?

This: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/skilled/index.html

The program, aka "independent immigration", only exists in Canada and Australia. In the US and Europe one has to go through a back door, be supported by companies that they work for, etc., virtually making them slaves of their bosses, giving no freedom in choosing their profession and employers etc. Immigration to Europe is particularly difficult, while in the US the monetary reward for the same input is better and there are more jobs, hence the USA, Australia and Canada are popular choices.

Europe is a big place. People tend to immigrate TO Western Europe, and not emmigrate from it.

One reason poeple leave Western Europe is an influx of immigrants. Here in the UK, people either leave to go to places with better weather, or just places that offer more exciting oppurtunites, like Australia.

You are over generalising. You are talking about Eastern Europeans, particularly Russians, Ukrainians, Poles etc. who leave their countries to go to USA/Canada, Western Europe. Money. These places either have a low supply of jobs or badly paid jobs, so they move to other countries where people are looking for cheap workers. A very large proportion of construction workers in London are from Eastern Europe. You will often here Russian spoken when you walk past building sites, since as well as there being Russians, Estonians and Latvians, for example will talk to each other in Russian.

Originally Posted by TATY

You are over generalising. You are talking about Eastern Europeans, particularly Russians, Ukrainians, Poles etc. who leave their countries to go to USA/Canada, Western Europe. Money. These places either have a low supply of jobs or badly paid jobs, so they move to other countries where people are looking for cheap workers. A very large proportion of construction workers in London are from Eastern Europe. You will often here Russian spoken when you walk past building sites, since as well as there being Russians, Estonians and Latvians, for example will talk to each other in Russian.

You are right. However, I think I hear more Chinese here than anything else. And the Middle Eastern population is building up as well. When my grandparents came here from Italy 30/40 Years ago it was Italians who were the "new" ones. However, what I don't understand is that my grandparents came, but some of their family members (aunts, cousins, etc) stayed in Italy. I'm sure they lived all in the same place and the same goes for many Italian families living here.

I don't think they came here for money because my grandparents came in debt. They did not have an education because in Italy they worked in the fields-- and they left school when they were 9 or 10 years old.
It's hard for me to ask them, however, because there is a slight language barrier between us.

Lisa, to answer your question you simply have to be born in Eastern Europe and live here untill your twenty fourth Birthday.

Originally Posted by Dimitri

what exactly is the reason of people from Europe wanting to immigrate to Canada/USA?

я не хочу, лично

Вот доказательство! Дмитри = В. Гусинский!!!
(вопрос: я хотел сказать "smoking gun" -- есть такой термин по-русски?)

I don't think they came here for money because my grandparents came in debt. They did not have an education because in Italy they worked in the fields-- and they left school when they were 9 or 10 years old.
It's hard for me to ask them, however, because there is a slight language barrier between us.

Не знаю особенную ситуацию ваших деда и бабушки, но долг не значит, что они оставались в Италии -- наоборот, наверное вероятнее, что они хотели переезжать куда-нибудь, чтобы сделать лучше жизнь, да? Наверное просто жизненные условия и возможности были лучше в Канаде тогда...

Originally Posted by love.angel

Originally Posted by TATY

You are over generalising. You are talking about Eastern Europeans, particularly Russians, Ukrainians, Poles etc. who leave their countries to go to USA/Canada, Western Europe. Money. These places either have a low supply of jobs or badly paid jobs, so they move to other countries where people are looking for cheap workers. A very large proportion of construction workers in London are from Eastern Europe. You will often here Russian spoken when you walk past building sites, since as well as there being Russians, Estonians and Latvians, for example will talk to each other in Russian.

You are right. However, I think I hear more Chinese here than anything else. And the Middle Eastern population is building up as well. When my grandparents came here from Italy 30/40 Years ago it was Italians who were the "new" ones. However, what I don't understand is that my grandparents came, but some of their family members (aunts, cousins, etc) stayed in Italy. I'm sure they lived all in the same place and the same goes for many Italian families living here.

I don't think they came here for money because my grandparents came in debt. They did not have an education because in Italy they worked in the fields-- and they left school when they were 9 or 10 years old.
It's hard for me to ask them, however, because there is a slight language barrier between us.

It depends about the social conditions in the countries at the time. Like there was mass emigration from (Western) Ukraine to other countries, mostly to Canada and the USA. I'm sure as a Canadian, you are aware of the large Ukrainian community, esp. in Toronto. I believe in the 20th century Brits mainly went to Australia, New Zealand, or Canada (more so than the US), probably becuase these are Commonwealth countries and therefore easy for us to move to.

I have a question for you love.angel. What is your view on the monarchy. Do you think Canada should be a republic, or remain as it is now with Queen Elizabeth as the Queen of Canada. If I was Canadian, I wouldn't really want some old crankey English biatch who lives thousands of miles away to be my head of state. Yes she has no power, but officially she is the Canadian head of state.

Originally Posted by TATY

It depends about the social conditions in the countries at the time. Like there was mass emigration from (Western) Ukraine to other countries, mostly to Canada and the USA. I'm sure as a Canadian, you are aware of the large Ukrainian community, esp. in Toronto. I believe in the 20th century Brits mainly went to Australia, New Zealand, or Canada (more so than the US), probably becuase these are Commonwealth countries and therefore easy for us to move to.

I have a question for you love.angel. What is your view on the monarchy. Do you think Canada should be a republic, or remain as it is now with Queen Elizabeth as the Queen of Canada. If I was Canadian, I wouldn't really want some old crankey English biatch who lives thousands of miles away to be my head of state. Yes she has no power, but officially she is the Canadian head of state.

It's funny how much goes in around where I live that I do not know about. I never knew about this whole Russian/Ukrainian community until recently. I specifically live outside of Toronto, so in my town there are not many Russians/Ukrainians. There were only about 5 people in my high school that would speak Russian to each other-- everyone else I assume was born here (but of Russian background).

However, when I started dating my boyfriend and he is from Ukraine, we went to return some movies for his dad at this Russian movie store, and there were so many Russian places around there! I had never seen that. Basically in Toronto (as you may have heard), there are specific districts where mostly everyone of one nationality lives. There is "Little Italy", "Little Greece".. etc (that is what people here actually call them).

As for the Queen Elizabeth thing-- I recently turned 18 so was just able to vote in the last election. Before then, I never paid much attention to politics because it did not interest me. Therefore, I do not have some strong opinion about this situation. However, I did learn in Gr. 10 (like you said) that the Queen does not have any power anyway. It's just a "title" because we are literally still part of the monarchy. I would rather Canada have some connections to other countries because I've heard we don't have the strongest army. If terrorism decides to attack us next, we need some back up.

Originally Posted by love.angel

As for the Queen Elizabeth thing-- I recently turned 18 so was just able to vote in the last election. Before then, I never paid much attention to politics because it did not interest me. Therefore, I do not have some strong opinion about this situation. However, I did learn in Gr. 10 (like you said) that the Queen does not have any power anyway. It's just a "title" because we are literally still part of the monarchy. I would rather Canada have some connections to other countries because I've heard we don't have the strongest army. If terrorism decides to attack us next, we need some back up.

Try googling the term "Doukhobor;" they're a Russian sect that has a sizable contigent in Canada -- they sort of remind me of Russian quakers...

And, just to offer a completely unsolicited and pompous opinion, I think the whole queen bit is a load of crap. What the hell has British monarchy done for anybody that's truly beneficial in the past 50 years? Canadians unite; overthrow your imperialist oppressor! And as far as defense (or defence if you prefer ) goes, I don't think that having the queen is going to make you or break you. There's always been, and likely will be for a long time to come, a positive relationship amongst the Commonwealth, right? And besides, there's always that whole NATO thing... and Anne Murray/ Brian Boitano hitting clean-up.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Try googling the term "Doukhobor;" they're a Russian sect that has a sizable contigent in Canada -- they sort of remind me of Russian quakers...

And, just to offer a completely unsolicited and pompous opinion, I think the whole queen bit is a load of cr@p. What the hell has British monarchy done for anybody that's truly beneficial in the past 50 years? Canadians unite; overthrow your imperialist oppressor! And as far as defense (or defence if you prefer ) goes, I don't think that having the queen is going to make you or break you. There's always been, and likely will be for a long time to come, a positive relationship amongst the Commonwealth, right? And besides, there's always that whole NATO thing... and Anne Murray/ Brian Boitano hitting clean-up.

I have heard of Doukhobor before, now that you mention it. However, it was a few years ago.

I'm still scared for my country. People here like to joke about terrorism because it has never happened to us-- I am disgusted by people like that. I can't even imagine what we will do if something happens. If anything does happen, it will either happen in Toronto or Ottawa, so I'd like to think that we will receive some form of help. If the government decided to "kick out" Queen Elizabeth, I don't think Britain would be very happy.
That's just my opinion.

It seems as though I will be leaving the forum because it's too addictive and I don't have the time right now to learn Russian in between all of my mathematical calculations.

I'll be back in a year or more when I take the Russian course at University. See you then, probably with a different username though, because I assume mine will get deleted when it is unactive for a long period of time.

Thanks to all that helped me!: Dimitri, Rtyom, TATY, Barmaley, basurero... and others.

Ok... this was just so that everyone knows and nobody asks me another question on this thread because I will not be back to reply to it.

Paka! Da-sveedanya! (Russian keyboard doesn't work on my school computer).