posted Monday, May 20, 2013 at 9:44am
Tired of the regular rants on here about Vancouver people being cold/unfriendly etc. I lived in Montreal for years and have traveled extensively around the world, and while I agree that it can be difficult to make friends here, I also think that it is unfortunate that people make such blanket statements about an entire city.
After moving back to Vancouver, I've also had difficulty meeting people. And I had the complete opposite experience in Montreal. I could meet someone during the week and be sitting at their family's dinner table by the weekend. I miss that. But allowing this city to turn you into a jaded, negative individual who makes blanket statements about a city's people, really only perpetuates the problem. I refuse to stop smiling at people passing by just because they often don't smile back. I refuse to stop offering my seat up to older/disabled individuals or mothers with kids on the bus/skytrain just because I regularly see people selfishly stay seated. I just think that allowing your experiences to turn you into a jaded and negative individual only adds to the air of the city that you complain about. Sounds cliche but be the change and refuse to give up. Change your attitude first, and maybe others will follow. Putting out positive energy eventually will get you some positive energy back. I know because I have continued to smile regardless of others, and I notice a number of smiles coming back my way. It starts with you!