yup mscion, I live on an island , off a bigger island, that is off the continent,
I can commiserate with pichlo, but the difference between the two is millennia of habitation versus a century and a half out here...
Here, the greatest differences between us islanders on the west coast and the continental mainland is this.
The indigenous natives believed for a VERY long time that the islands here were the rungs of the ladder of heaven.
They treated the largest island (Vancouver Island) as their place of the dead. And their souls walked up the rungs of the islands towards their afterlife.
And they are correct.
On the continent ...(unless one lives up north of the cities...then one understands how the pace of life and doing moves seasonally...such as winter ...virtually everything shuts down ...so life moves according to the seasons...) MOST of humanity never stops. never slows.
The moment one reaches Vancouver Island, it is like in sci-fi films when one sees time dilation slow down, The impact on the body and mind can be felt ...directly....here.
And once one leaves Vancouver Island for the smaller islands ...like mine...that time dilation again slows one down even further...
Going further north and further from Vancouver Island to the other islands it becomes even more pronounced.
Some here in a pat way...call it "Island Time" or "Rural Time" on the continent.
Continentals think we are "this" or "that" or not prompt or not sharp or whathaveyou ...
But it isn't about any of those projected ideas of others...
Once they get here and experience it ...then they begin to understand.
We live at the mercy of the weather and waves, ferries sail or do not accordingly, one cannot say one "will" be on time, since it is out of one's hands to control.
So when folks here say they will come over shortly, it could be anytime they come, in a few minutes, hours or days.
The mad agenda of promptness on the mainland has zero effect or place here.
So one finds that rapidly ..it is a human pace that one is really adapting to out here.

The other difference between my islands and continental mainland is that there are LOTS more people on the continent ...putting a massive strain on their services, social, medical, etc.
Here our services are more timely and available and there is far less strain on our infra.

As far as other languages and peoples and such....even on the radio...there has always been a mandate for diversity ..so we hear lots of different languages ...


And lastly ...yes pichlo...
I believe in customs and age old traditions ..the beauty of the diversity of culture is important and critical....
as long as they do not impact and stunt the ability to provide essentials ...

.the mentality of superiority or special-ness which is meant to elevate above others, and the inability to change when it is wise and prudent to do so for survivals sake...
will in the end be the Achilles Heel of Britain which will bring her very low.
I do hope in the end such superiority issues end up being replaced with gentle humility and grace.