I shouldn't be surprised that Canadians are more eager to travel and see the world. Look at the history. A large majority of Canadians have ancestors who left their homes to travel large distances in order to settle in Canada. Even in Canada it is not uncommon for families to move around, usually for economical reasons. Yet I have met a number of Central Eastern Europeans that wouldn't even consider living in a different city in their own country.
After 14 months of being abroad I can relate to them. There is a deep human need to feel like one belongs in a community. People need to form relationships with others and connect on a personal level. These formed relationships are generally held in higher esteem here in Europe than in Canada. For instance, my friend Sebi would tell me when visiting that he is still trying to build up his relationships with his friends from the time he spent away in Croatia.
People conscientiously focusing on the importance of relationships in Canada is not so common and it would be a little odd for me to hear someone say in Canada that they are looking to build up relationships with the people they know. I think we tend to hold the opinion that friendships just happen in Canada while here there is a more focused effort on building them.
This perception also translates into the way people work with one another. There is a much higher importance placed here on getting to know the people you are working with whereas in Canada, most people would be comfortable working with others even if they didn't know them well. In fact, many Canadians frown upon mixing their personal life with their working life. Life is much more compartmentalised than in many other parts of the world.
I am generalising a bit in this writing but that's the way I have seen things over the past year.
After being away I am very much looking forward to returning home and staying for a while. A tree cannot grow tall without planting deep roots.