Some challenging but annoying things, some embarrassing but interesting moments, and one fun fact.
English Level?
Let’s get started on this topic, which is the most popular question to ask when a person is heading to an English-speaking country. What English level is required for working abroad?
Case1: I’ve got a job offer
I would say you don’t have to worry about it as long as you’ve passed the job interview. You definitely need to use Listening/Speaking/Reading/Writing skills during an interview, which means your English level is authenticated by the manager. So, just relax bros! You’ve done a great job.
However, I still recommend you be aware of word groups associated with the particular subject you are going to work for.
Case2: I haven’t found a job
Just give’er, keep practicing and try to contact any employer and start an interview over the internet, this is the most straightforward way to evaluate your English level. The required Engish level in each position is different, some jobs have to connect with customers, which needs fluent English, but some jobs need professional skills might not need to talk or write too much, in this case, language isn’t necessary.
Case3: I haven’t had a job and I’ve already been on the flight (⊙﹏⊙)
Alright, based on my background, I got 760 on TOEIC Listening & Reading two years ago, started practicing speaking & writing skills in mid-2018. I can tell I usually can’t catch native speakers completely, normally can only understand 50% unless they talk slower or are trained to serve foreigners. It’s totally different from an English course or exam, most local people speak super fast, no one would repeat the sentence and you can’t expect a clear pronunciation. In addition to the speed, there are too many things I never heard such as location names, stores names, celebrity names, brands, and slang. Those are the toughest part for me. But don’t worry, I still can go shopping, go for lunch in restaurants, and work as a cashier. As long as you can catch the keyword and deliver the keyword to people, don’t be afraid of speaking, a poor English doesn’t matter at all.
TOEIC 760 is meaningless when living in an English-speaking region.
Goods and Services Tax
I’ve already heard that the Canadian government applies tax to most items and services, but it’s very easy to forget while looking at the menu with appealing food pictures or smelling an attractive aroma.
Someday, I brought 15 dollars to buy my first supper in Canada, it was in a Korean fried chicken restaurant. I ordered a small size of chicken strips which is CA$14.99, passed my only 15 dollars to the cashier with a friendly smile, waited for a receipt and my favorite dish. “Hurry, I am starving!” kept running through my head. I didn’t receive the chicken strips right away, instead, the cashier reminded me the total price would be CA$15.74. Oops, I was like “Uhhh…ehhh…”, the cashier look at me with a friendly smile. I asked “Do you have any other choices under CA$15?”, then, the best voice I’ve ever heard came out the moment, she said, “Sorry, all other choices are sold out but don’t worry, I’ve already keyed in your order, the chicken strips are being processed.” I won’t forget how kind she was as well as how much GST should I pay for each item.
The number shown on the menu is always not the final price.
Fingerprint
The dry climate and winter cause cracked skin on my feet, hands, and fingers, even though I’ve used body & hand cream. It doesn’t really affect my daily basis but one thing comes upon unexpectedly and annoys me a lot, that is biometric authentication.
It’s common to see people using fingerprints as screen locks on smartphones or laptops, so for me. The problem is my fingerprint changed after I move to Canada! I mean it is still a unique fingerprint owned by me, but the monitor just can’t recognize my cracked and dry fingers. Fingerprint authentication on my phone and laptop doesn’t work at all. So the new challenge is I have to find out the passwords I set and memorize them.
Appetite
I don’t think I “had” a big appetite, the weather in southern Taiwan is hot and humid, besides I used to work in an office, stick on a chair and stare at computer monitors all day, sometimes I don’t even feel hungry at lunch break, so I usually only eat a half bowl of rice, then go to grab some cool drinks like juice, green tea, or my favorite ice cream black tea. That’s the way to get enough calories for the following working hours.
However, after moving to Canada, my appetite changed. I just can’t stop eating, sometimes I eat 6 meals a day like a “Hobbit”, and start eating more staple foods, cheese, meat, milk, and chips, all high-calorie foods I can find. Below is all foods I ate for yesterday honestly.
Breakfast — 8 a.m. — 2 bacon cheese sandwiches with 8oz of homo milk
Elevenses — 11 a.m. — 1 banana bread and 2 maple cream cookies
Lunch — 1:30 p.m. — 1 BLTC and 1 cup of hot chocolate
Afternoon Tea — 3 p.m. — 1 rice cake and 12oz of ginger ale
Dinner — 6:30 p.m. —1 butter beef fried rice
Supper — 9 p.m. — 2 Tim Hortons donuts
Accents Everywhere
As title, most people don’t like to speak second languages in front of native speakers due to their accents, including me. Feel awkward, uncomfortable, and leads to shy or lack of confident. In some occasion I feel like I am standing naked out there when people ask the question “Where are you from?” after a short conversation.
But the fun fact is everybody has accents, and it depends on who you are talking to and who is listening. Once, I talk to my friend, Amy, I asked “I am curious about where do you come from, because I can’t hear any accent from you, your pronounciation is super clear to me. I learned English from American teachers and American podcasts, talking to you just like talking to my teachers and listen to the podcast.” She responsed “Oh! It’s so interesting that you say I don’t have an accent, when I traveled to Toronto and talk to Torontonians, they always say I have an accent! In fact, I am 100% a Calgarian.”
Canada is diverse, multicultural, and bilingual. I’ve met people that come from over 10 countries in one month, most of them are confident in expressing even though they have accents, they proud of knowing at least two languages. So if you are learning English comprehension skills, I would highly recommend you to focus more on expression and connections instead of a perfect accent and pronounciation.
Language is about understanding and to be understood.
