I have never done one of these before, so forgive me in advance! RSS feeds are available, but if you do not know what that is, just check back here nightly, as I will try to keep this blog as up to date as possible! I will also post pictures too!
I received my final instructions today, and just have to finish packing, and then I will be all ready to head to the land flowing with maple syrup and socialized medicine. I'll make sure to let President Obama know how it is. Just to let you know some of the preperations that I had to go through, I received an e-mail detailing some key points that I should know;
Canadian Cultural Tips:
Provinces have Premier’s instead of Governors (Our premier is Ed Stelmach).
The Prime Minister of Canada is Stephen Harper.
Words that end in ‘or’ in the US now often end in ‘our’ (color becomes colour) and some words that end in ‘er’ now often end in “re” (center becomes centre).
‘Eh’ is a commonly used expression, but you can’t just put it anywhere in a sentence. Learn it and love it.
ATM and ABM are the same thing, some banks just prefer to say “bank” instead of “teller”.
We celebrate our country on Canada Day – July 1st.
Many words are pronounced differently (again, been, process). If by the time you leave you have a Canadian accent, you win a prize.
Edmonton things to know:
Perogies are like a dumpling and they are everywhere.
Poutine is French fries with cheese and gravy on top. It sounds a bit off, but trust us, it’s good.
Wayne Gretzky
Our CFL (Canadian Football League) team is the Eskimos (commonly called “Esks”).
Whyte Avenue is 82nd Avenue and it is a very happening place to be, day or night.
Oil is our major provincial resource.
Our NHL team is the Oilers.
We have the world’s largest mall, cleverly named West Edmonton Mall.
Alberta beef is a nation-wide delight.
We can have snow in any month of the year, though lately we’ve had relatively mild winters and hot summers.
We are the most northern large Canadian city.
Saturday is Hockey Night in Canada.
Canada has two official languages – English and French. French is much stronger in the east, though.
Alcohol is very common in social interactions, especially in Alberta. It is very open and people are relaxed about it.
We are four hours from Jasper and Banff National Parks. They are renowned for their skiing and beauty.
We have both 10-pin and 5-pin bowling.
Distances are in kilometres instead of miles.
Fahrenheit = 9/5 Celsius + 32 (It’s easier to just double the Celsius and add 32. It’s reasonably accurate.)
Perogies are like a dumpling and they are everywhere.
Poutine is French fries with cheese and gravy on top. It sounds a bit off, but trust us, it’s good.
Wayne Gretzky
Our CFL (Canadian Football League) team is the Eskimos (commonly called “Esks”).
Whyte Avenue is 82nd Avenue and it is a very happening place to be, day or night.
Oil is our major provincial resource.
Our NHL team is the Oilers.
We have the world’s largest mall, cleverly named West Edmonton Mall.
Alberta beef is a nation-wide delight.
We can have snow in any month of the year, though lately we’ve had relatively mild winters and hot summers.
We are the most northern large Canadian city.
Saturday is Hockey Night in Canada.
Canada has two official languages – English and French. French is much stronger in the east, though.
Alcohol is very common in social interactions, especially in Alberta. It is very open and people are relaxed about it.
We are four hours from Jasper and Banff National Parks. They are renowned for their skiing and beauty.
We have both 10-pin and 5-pin bowling.
Distances are in kilometres instead of miles.
Fahrenheit = 9/5 Celsius + 32 (It’s easier to just double the Celsius and add 32. It’s reasonably accurate.)
A Canada vs. USA Comparison:
Canada, United States
University, College
‘Z’ is pronounced Zed, ‘Z’ is pronounced Zee
Tim Horton’s and Second Cup, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks
Marble Slab, Cold Stone
I will phone you, I will call you
Loonie and Toonie coins, One dollar bill/coin, Two-dollar bill
O Canada, The Star-Spangled Banner
Feel as if you know everything now? Good...if I learn anything else, I'll post it here...
That's all for now...I'll post again on Thursday night, after my flight and dinner with the Director and his wife!
copy cat! ;) I started a blog from my Galveston adventures too :P
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