Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, we hardly even blinked at the concept of traveling up to Canada for a day. Every year in High School we’d make a trip up there to march in the Victoria Day parade, and there were more than a few Saturday trips up there as well. I didn’t even live in a “border town”, it was a couple of hour venture up, but still close enough that you didn’t really even think it was a big deal. Heck, we got Canadian programming on PBS.
I mention this because when I moved up here, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never been a fan of the East Coast of the United States, and my biggest fear by a long shot was that I’d find the even more Eastern Coast of Canada to be the same. But from the quiet area that is the Pacific Northwest, I can say that Nova Scotia (specifically Halifax) is very similar in an uncanny number of ways. The people here are laid back, relaxed, enjoy life simply, and thirst for the latest advancements of the modern age with the same eager that I found in the Northwest. They love some good food paired with good beer, and even have a Beerfest that I’m elated to attend this year. In fact, the area is so much into their food that there is a Food Survey that locals take part in which rates the top of a variety of categories. Best part is? This is highly coveted! It can make or break a business, and businesses go all out showing their support for it. On the rare occasion we order some takeout, there’s always mention of “Vote for us on the Coast”, its big business, and it keeps the quality very high.
Ok, so it’s a shot of the back of people’s heads…
Geographically speaking, it’s very similar as well. Like the Puget Sound area of my familiar, there is water everywhere, and after living the last 14 years in what is considered “High Desert”, I finally feel at home again. It’s easier to breathe, it rains like my beloved Seattle, and the wind here is something to experience. It may seem like I’m going on about apparently trivial things yet there is nothing further from the truth. What makes a place feel home is how well you fit in with it, and all of these little things allow me to fit in here very well indeed.
And yet, there are some significant differences that need to be mentioned in order to preserve my sanity. First and foremost is the bagged milk. Yes, you heard me right, bagged milk. I was completely unprepared for this concept and it’s still very strange to me that, instead of heading to the grocery to pick up your gallon jug as you do in the states, I now buy 4 litres of milk in a larger bag which has 4 1-litre bags. I know, they’re almost the same quantity, but it’s still just foreign from a country that I have never viewed as such. Especially when I was informed that there are 2 tools one must have in order to handle these… Oh yes you can’t just use a knife on the bag, no they have a special Milk Bag Cutter device so that you snip the corner, and it can stand in your Milk Bag Jug. I completely appreciate the reasoning behind this container methodology however, as it produces far less waste and is supremely greener for the environment.
This will, without question, take me the longest to adjust to
Okay, enough with the milk.
Cellphones are another thing that I’ve found bizarre. In the States, I was able to completely cut the cord and use exclusively my cellphone as there were many advantages of doing so. You had nationwide long distance, voice mail, no roaming, a reasonable amount of minutes, and all in a rather affordable package. In Canada? Not so much. Take for example a package from Rogers (Yes, I know, you are either on team Rogers, or you are not. But they’re very popular, so bare with me):
Price: ~$53+tax
Minutes: 300
Data: 500mb
Features (Choose 1): Unlimited Messaging, Unlimited My5, Double Your Minutes
Ok, so that’s not terrible right? Problem: If you travel at all our of your local area? Yup, roaming. If I want to call my in-laws on Prince Edward Island, or brother-in-law in Ontario? Long distance. If I want voicemail? Pay extra. This holds true across all but one of the companies I’ve researched while being up here. Canada’s cellphone plans feel like what we were purchasing in the States back in the 90s with the addition of a small bit of data that your smartphone needs to operate. It is not even remotely an option to replace your home phone with a cell, and that’s just a bit more than sad. At least I’ve found a company that’s attempting to change that, and as soon as my permanent residence status is approved here, I’ll be signing up with Koodo. They’re offering the no roaming charges, free voicemail, and Canada wide long distance at least! (Yes, I’m plugging them, because they’re worth it Canada… they are worth it.)
Anyway, this has become longer than I was expecting, and I got side tracked a time or two, but the point is this: I love the warm feeling of similarity the area is providing me, and I’m learning to appreciate some of the differences. Now if I could just adjust my internal clock by 4 hours.
