Jordan Archer
Canadian Correspondent
When it comes to culture and lifestyle Canada is not that different to Australia. But on a day to day basis you find yourself noticing little things, whether differences or similarities, that make you smile or laugh quietly to yourself, so here is a list of such things that you wouldn’t really think about as being important, but it makes the whole experience more interesting.
Everyone here has an iphone or a Blackberry. Before coming to Canada I thought Blackberries were mythical fruits.
Everyone gets their coffees from a store called Tim Hortons. There is quite possibly one every 100 metres. There’s even one in the lobby of my building!
I checked in my class yesterday, there were 30 people and 15 Tim Hortons cups. Everyone else must have thrown theirs out in the break.
Guess what? Technology in tutorial classrooms and lecture theatres don’t work here either.
On cars the orange indicator lights are always on, and flash when someone is turning. The number of times I’ve nearly been hit!
Tipping is pretty much required. Waitresses will scratch out your eyes if you don’t give them enough.
Everything, from signs to chip packets, has the same things written in both English and French. Just in case I’ve had enough of English for a day.
At pedestrian crossings there is a countdown to tell you how much time you have. Three seconds? I can make it!
The building in which I live doesn’t have a 13th floor. But technically the 14th floor is the 13th anyway. Does that make them just as unlucky?
I live on the 7th floor, so shouldn’t my life be overflowing with good luck?
Tax is not included in prices, and it’s 13%. Think an $800 DSLR camera is a bargain? Well it will come to over $900 in the end.
What don’t they have in Canada? News Corporation newspapers.
If you see that a show is on five days a week, it means it’s the same episode, five times.
There are 60 channels, and most of the time there’s nothing on, which is good, seen as the last thing I came here for is the television.
If the guy manning the entrance to the subway is sleeping on the job you can get in for free! Believe me, it’s happened!
They still have Pennies here, like in the dark ages. My wallet is full but all I have is 30 cents. Bummer.
The Subway (sandwich bar) slogan here is ‘Think Fresh, Eat Fresh’. And all the ads have a monkey. I still don’t know what he has to do with sandwiches
Curling. Worst ‘sport’ ever. And it’s on every sports network. Groan.
Yes, you can actually just hail a taxi from anywhere.
I still don’t know how many diseases live in the Hot Dog stands. I’m not game to find out.
The looks we get when we say the word ‘thongs’.
They all think Fosters is a great Aussie beer. Seriously misinformed. I don’t drink and I know that.
Kids can ice skate before they can walk. And they’re better than me.
There is an amazing place called Big Slice Pizza. The name is self-explanatory!
Everyone asks if we’re British or New Zealanders. No, we quite clearly aren’t.
Canada is not in a drought. Fact.
The Toronto Hockey team is called the ‘Maple Leafs’. Yes, leafs.
The sun shines here, even if it’s -10 degrees. And get this, anything in the positives is a heatwave!
Yes, everyone here does say ‘Eh!’
Okay so this list could possibly go on forever, but my guess is you’ve got the idea by now. What’s interesting is that these little things that amused me at first have become the norm after a couple of months. It’s going to make coming home a very different experience because I’ve become so used to the little things that make Canada different.
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