Bored in Canada

[name withheld]

I'm from Toronto, Canada. I liked living there when I was a kid, and as a teenager, mostly, but as I got older I started to realize I really didn't belong there and had no interest in staying. Toronto was making me miserable. It literally drove me insane. I stupidly threw away a golden opportunity to move to Europe in my late 20s, with a beautiful girl (not Canadian) who wanted me to go with her. My life basically went off the rails after that. I hit rock bottom, recovered a little, then hit an even lower rock bottom a few years later. It took years for me to rebuild myself - mentally, financially, physically, etc. I worked out and became healthier than ever before, learned some new skills, and purchased a house during that time. As I stabilized and improved myself, it became clearer and clearer that Toronto wasn't for me. My reasons are similar or identical to the reasons other men have for wanting to get out of that place. I had to get out. So I sold my house, threw everything into storage, and bought a ticket to South America. I spent the Southern Hemisphere summer there, basking in the sun, meeting people, making friends, gaining confidence, learning to surf, and basically getting Toronto out of my system. I felt actually free for the first time in my life. Returned to Toronto in February where the weather was -20 and the people were even more frigid. I couldn't stay there. So I bought another ticket and went to Europe. For 2 years. Gained more confidence, became happier than I was even in South America. I felt completely normal - I hadn't even known what that felt like before leaving.

Toronto is soul-destroying. There's no freedom, no joy. Just about anything fun or interesting is illegal. The people are either slaves or drug addicts trying to escape the place without physically leaving. When you're there you're not living. I had been to a few other parts of Canada - Calgary, Montreal, a few other places, and found them similar, (Calgary worse on the soul-destroying scale, Montreal worse on the hostility scale) but assumed that since it was such a big country, maybe it wasn't all bad, maybe there was some place in Canada I could move to and start over, with slightly more freedom and more potential for happiness.

To sum up, I didn't have enough of a plan to stay abroad forever. I was overstaying tourist visas in Europe, I didn't want to get arrested and deported, I couldn't legally work there, so I decided to return to Canada. I picked a small town in another province, hoping it would be less bad than Toronto. Still had enough money left to buy a property to fix up.

It's just as bad here where I am now. No freedom. Ugly women. Even more boring and even worse weather than Toronto. People are friendlier, but that's about the only positive.

I knew it would be boring, but I tried to like it here. All I'm asking for is just a little bit of freedom. I vape. Not because I need to, but because I enjoy vaping when I'm bored. And I'm always bored in Canada. It doesn't make me feel sick like cigarettes did when I used to smoke. I can run, do sports, do any physical activity without feeling out of breath. It doesn't smell. It doesn't make me smell. It's not an offensive activity. Except they are banning vaping across Canada anyway, one province at a time. Ontario started it, of course, in January. Ontario and its capital, Toronto, are the epicenter of every nanny state law in Canada. Nanny state Ontario decides something should be illegal, all the other provinces follow its lead. Every other province either has copied the ban or is about to.

So yesterday was the first hot sunny Saturday afternoon the town where I'm living has had all year. It's only late August... I don't go out here, because the nightlife isn't worth the effort. But I did want to sit on a patio and vape while having a beer and enjoying the sun, on what was probably the only day I'll have to do that.

They served me a beer, and didn't say anything about my vaping. I wasn't hiding it. When I was finished they asked if I wanted another one. Since they weren't telling me to stop vaping, I said yes. They brought one over. As soon as I took a sip, another staff member came over and told me I couldn't vape on the patio. How annoying is that. I got angry and asked when did it become illegal (I hadn't noticed they had banned it, because I don't go out here and the news media in this province is garbage). He said July 1st. Of course, they would ban it on Canada Day. Canadians love banning things so much, they do it on holidays so they can celebrate the ban. He then 'helpfully' told me I was welcome to vape on the sidewalk outside. Even though I was already outside... and you can't drink on the sidewalk, that's illegal. If I wanted to stand on the sidewalk vaping, I would have just stayed home. After a screaming match with some of the staff, I paid them and left, only so they wouldn't call the cops on me. I'll never go to another bar in this town, there's nothing interesting about them anyway. Some of them might be tolerable if I could vape.

It might sound like nothing, but for me this is just the last straw. I'm not asking for much. But they won't even let me have that. There are too many laws here. I don't consider Canada to be a free country. When I was in Europe, I told people about the drinking laws in Canada. They didn't understand. It made no sense to them. I had to repeat myself to them until they got it. Even people in former communist countries thought the Canadian laws are outrageous.

Canada is insufferably boring, and people seem to like it that way, because they don't do anything about it. I made a mistake coming back. Yesterday drove it home for me, they will never let me have a fraction of the type of life I want here. I will leave as soon as I can do so again. I'll plan it out better next time so I can stay wherever I end up.

[Adama]

And in Canadia, if you aren't attracted to Asian women, you are out of luck, cause 99% of the women are Asian. Some Asian girls are hot though, if you can find a real trophy. Oops I forgot which site I was on for a second. I retract those statements.

Anyhow, yeah, it takes years to recover from the beat up self-esteem.

I don't blame you about the vaping, but rules are rules. No sense trying to argue. Just sit at home, drink beer, vape, while looking out the window.

Speaking of windows, in Europe you can shop for your hooker through a window, and they are usually lined up with dozens of women. You can order and drink a beer in McDonalds. You can sit on the sidewalk and drink beer while annoying passersby with your smoke.

Not in North America.

BTW, I am not saying anyone should go out and engage in any of those vices. I am just saying the choice isnt even there for people in North America. God told them to remove the homosexuals and the sorcerers out of the land, but I dont think he ever made any laws specifically about prostitution. It was against moral law, but He never commanded them to put a stop to it. Basically I'm saying that God's laws are actually less restrictive than Mans' Laws. When you need 50 Libraries of Congress and 10 Lawyers to interpret the law, then you've gone a little overboard with making laws. (Okay, I exaggerated with every number I posted here, but you get the message.)

[name withheld]

It's more like 10% Asians, not 99%. I'd be all over a hot Asian chick if I could find one in this town. But there are hardly any Asians here, none of them hot. it's all disgusting white women and disgusting black women, with the odd native or muslim thrown in.

Sitting at home drinking a beer and vaping, looking out the window, is pretty much what I do for social life here. It's more fun than going out. The people aren't interesting to watch. It was fun to be around people in South America and Europe. I remember feeling excited just being in public. I never feel like that here.

[KeepinItForeign]

Yeah I understand where your coming from.I live in small town in Canada and basically everyone here is souless.It's so hard to make friends even more so to get a girlfriend,since the feminist spirit is really heavy here.People are fake,unapproachable,hard to get along with.I ask myself why I'm still here?I guess money is a big factor though...sighh.

[MrMark1972]

Sorry to say that "I'm bored in Canada" as well.I live in the suburbs and I'm in my early forties and divorced without kids.Canadian society dictates that I should work 50-60 hours a week,pay enormous taxes,and spend my weekends shopping for garbage at the mall.
And if I want to date,society tells me that my choices are middle-aged fuglies with problematic kids.It's for the aforementioned reasons that I am currently selling my principal residence,wrapping up my real-estate career and trying my best to make a solid plan to visit the Philippines and/or Central America.BTW,just for kicks,we pay $4.75 per gallon for gasoline in my city...so my American bros don't feel so bad the next time you gas up LOL

[Yohan]

Bored in Canada? The only way not to be bored in Canada and to find some limited conversation with females as a young single man is to become a full blown mangina - if not possible maybe a hermit or a monk talking with Jesus in the Northwest Territories.

[Johnny1975]

I'll plan it out better next time so I can stay wherever I end up.

Do that. Plan it. Save as much money as you need, think about how to make your stay permanent, and try to figure out a way to maintain an income. Keep posting here and ask questions, get as much info and advice as possible. You've done it the spontaneous way, you had a good time, but you've ended up back where you started. Now it's time to make your move permanent. I think you can do it. It can feel good to complain and get it out of your system but it feels better to get closer to your goal. Put more effort into that. Just think of the day when you're finally on that plane looking back at Canada, and giving it the finger, never to return.

[cbcsurvivalist]

Toronto is arguably the most soul sucking province in all of Canada. I spend a majority of my life and now I'm just yearning to get the hell out of year. I spent a week in Vancouver and it was like night and day. The demeanour and attitude of people there was like a complete 180. People in Toronto are so cliquey unwilling to let anyone into their social circle unless you know one of them already. The cost of living is quickly getting up their to the same levels as Vancouver, plus the winters are f***ing cold. I've pretty much had enough of this POS province and intend on living in another province at the bare minimum. Also the women here have the worst attitude out of all the women I have met in my entire life. Hell I even had better luck with women when I went over to the States and its suppose to be really bad over there lol. You ain't seen nothing yet until you've tried your hands at Toronto women. Even though I had some success with the local female population here, the ROI is just not worth it. Its like playing on super hard/insane mode in a video game especially if your a minority. The only good thing I can see from it is as soon as I leave this shit hole, everything suddenly becomes easier.

[Will N. Dowd]

This 1992 Annie Lennox song "The Gift" represents my feelings about living in Canada and probably many other guys too.
The haunting music and lyrics speak to me about how I feel and make me realize so much about the place is just wrong.



Darling don't you understand
I feel so ill at ease
The room is full of silence and it's getting hard to breathe
Take this guilted cage of pain and set me free
Take this overcoat of shame
It never did belong to me
It never did belong to me
I need to go outside
I need to leave the smoke
'Cause I can't go on living in this same sick joke
It seems our lives have taken on a different kind of twist
Now that you have given me the perfect gift
You have given me the gift
For we have fallen from our shelves
To face the truth about ourselves
And we have tumbled from our trees
Tumbled from our trees
And I can almost
I can almost hear the rain falling
Don't you know it feels so good
So let's go out into the rain again
Just like we said we always would

[TruthSeeker]

You don't have youtube posted properly. Get rid of the "reload=9" and it will post properly like this:

[Will N. Dowd]

Thanks, but I erased the reload=9 and it still didn't post properly. Any thoughts as to why?

[TruthSeeker]

Because before "[/youtube]" you have a space. Eliminate that space and it will work.

[Will N. Dowd]

thanks again, but still doesn't work...ridiculous. Can you explain Winston?

[TruthSeeker]

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. Get rid of the ampersand (&) and it will work.

[Will N. Dowd]

Haha thanks...success! Third edit lucky.