Michael Ashe: Differences Between American And Canadian Culture

Introduction
If we look closely at the cultures of other individuals, we would realize that we are a lot alike in many ways. Canadians and Americans are very similar in regards to culture. This paper will explain how my husband Michael Ashe feels that there are very minor differences between Americans and Canadian cultures. Michael values his family and friends, he has had high points and low points in his life, he has religious beliefs, an education and career, as well as his interests just as many Canadians do.
Family & Friends
Firstly, Michael moved to Canada in March of 2014 from Indiana, United states to live with me here in Canada and he had adapted relatively quickly to living here because Canadian culture is very similar to American

culture. Michael values his family and friends just as any American or Canadian does.

His mother’s name is Kim and she lives in Texas with her husband Steve, and her son Steven. Michael speaks to his mom very often since they do not live close by, but it seems as though that has made them closer because they make an effort in communicating. Michael mentioned in the interview that his stepfather Steve was more of the father figure type than his actual father because he was around more often to show him how to do gender role tasks that males usually do such as mowing the lawn and how to fix a car. In the textbook it explains gender roles as “constellations of rights, duties, attitudes and behaviors that are culturally associated with each gender (Bonvillain 2013: 254)”. Michael mentioned in the interview that his stepfather taught him how to become a man. Michael’s father’s name is John and he lives in Lowell Indiana with his wife Carmen and their son Ryan, and

daughter Caitlyn. He is not as close to his father because growing up he would only see him every other weekend. Michael mentioned in the interview how much he used to love hanging out with his friends and his brother Steven when they were young children. They would always play sports together, play video games when it was too late to be outside, and eat at Taco Bell very often. Since family and friends are very dependent on each other’s time and closeness in many cultures, these points show that Canadians and Americans are very similar.
High Point
Secondly, Many individuals regardless of their culture welcome new experiences as well as meeting new people.

Michael decided to move to Canada when we met through the online social media website called Twitter at the end of 2013. When we started talking it was like fireworks because we felt as though we have known each other for years. We knew that we wanted to be together even at the beginning of a long distance relationship. Every night for about four months we would video chat and then he finally came to visit in March 2014. He has found Canada to be his new home and sees this as a high point in his life because he has finally found stability after moving around a lot while growing up. Michael does not see many differences between Canada and America. The only differences that he saw when he got to Canada were that we use kilometers and Americans use miles when driving. The other difference he saw was that the signs and some people in Montreal are French but it is still possible to find people that will be able to communicate in English. Michael learned Canadian culture very fast through enculturation. In the textbook it shows that enculturation is “the process of learning one’s culture through informal observation and formal instruction (Bonvillain 2013: 24)”. This is exactly how Michael learned how to live and act in Canada because he would ask me often what a word means in French when we would pass a sign on the road and eventually learned what the signs say without

having to tell him. This exemplifies that Americans and Canadians are very alike because we are all trying to make sense of the world around us and we like to try new things because we never know what positivity that it may bring.
Low Point
Thirdly, It does not matter what culture we belong to, we all must endure the loss of loved ones at some point in our lives. Michael has lost both his grandmother and his grandfather in 2015. This particularly affects him negatively because he was very close to them while growing up. Michael was unable to attend their funeral or even see them one final time in their final days because when immigrating to Canada through sponsorship, it is absolutely necessary that the applicant remain in the country they are attempting to immigrate to because if not it voids the application. This exemplifies that Americans and Canadians are very similar because we all must say goodbye to loved ones at one point in our lives no matter what culture we belong to.
Religion & Beliefs
Next, Religion and values is important to Michael, although he would not consider himself to be a very religious person. His mother’s side of the family is Baptist and his father’s side is Christian. Michael stated in the interview that when growing up, he was in religious studies for the Baptist religion while he was living with his grandmother. In the textbook it shows us that rituals are “activities, including religious speech, ceremonies, and behaviors, that are demonstrations of belief (Bonvillain 2013: 375)”. Michael did follow religious rituals during this time because he would learn the prayers and practice them every night before he went to sleep. He enjoyed it, but he did not have a chance to complete the classes because him and his family moved to another location where it would not be possible to keep attending those classes. Even though Michael does not practice religious rituals today, he still believes that it has had an impact on him growing up and still believes in spirit beings. His family had beliefs in religion, but because his family did not really practice religious rituals and make religion an important factor in their lives since the shift in religious beliefs has declined over the years. This point exemplifies how Americans and Canadians are very similar religious beliefs because the importance of following religion is less prominent within both American and Canadian cultures in today’s society but it still has a small impact on certain individuals regardless of their culture.
Education & Career
Further more, Both Canada and America are very similar because they are countries that are made up of people who focus on education and aspire to have good careers to lead better lives. When Michael was in high school he worked part time and during the summer break at the Radisson hotel as a banquet server. When Michael was growing up he was a little uncertain as to what he wanted to do as a career. When he saw the movie Twister, he was set on becoming a meteorologist because weather really intrigued him. When he found out that he could not get into the meteorology program in college because his GPA was too low, he was devastated and unsure as to what he wanted to do. When Michael completed high school, he decided to venture into recording arts. He went to a school named Full Sail University in Florida to obtain his recording arts diploma. The program lasted from June 2006 to June 2007, and then he moved back to Indiana and started working at the same Radisson hotel he worked at previously but for a company called Markey’s Rental and Staging as an audio & visual technician. He really enjoys what he chose as a career because he has always loved music and feels like he has always had interest in anything having to do with music as well as production. Being a musician himself, he felt as though this is a career that he will never get bored with because there is a world of possibilities out there and different types of work he can do with his qualifications. Coming to Montreal was the best decision career-wise for Michael because it is a major metropolis with many possible career paths whether it is working on events, video games, or even movies. Michael, similar to any Canadian, hopes for success in his life as well as his career.
Interests
Next, We can say that there are similarities between both Canadian and American cultures when we look at their common interests. People who live in Canada are stereotypically very interested in hockey, and America is stereotypically very interested in football. Michael stated that football is his favorite sport because it is always so high paced and when going to a game, the atmosphere is very fun and exciting. It can be said that the reason why we attend hockey games is for the exciting atmosphere as well. America and Canada are also very similar because Canada actually is influenced by American pop culture. Michael listens to a lot of the same music as Canadians do. He really enjoys the bands such as Fall Out Boy and many of the music that is played on the radio today.
In conclusion, America and Canadian are very similar culturally. Michael considers himself as both American and Canadian because He values his family and friends, his religion and beliefs, his education and career. He also has experienced high points and low points in his lifetime, and has many similar interests that Canadians and Americans do. Before we decide that a culture may be too different for us to understand, we must look at how much we are all alike because we may be able to learn something new that will widen our horizons and realize that we are all very alike despite where we originally come from.