In a Den of Canadians*
I have long made a hobby of trash-talkin' Canada, but truth be told, I had never before visited our neighbor to the north until this past week. Upon arrival, I found it to be...a lot like America. This was somewhat disappointing and somewhat disorienting.
When traveling to a foreign country, I always expect said country to feel foreign. However, things in Canada pretty much look the same, sound the same, work the same. Turns out they drive on the right side of the road, shake hands in greeting, put their pants on one leg at a time (or so I assume. I did not actually observe a Canadian getting dressed). I didn't once hear an "Eh?" while I was here. I did hear a "Cheers!" (instead of "thank you") but it was an isolated incident. With the exception of their currency and occassional bilingual (French/English) signage, there was little to remind me I had traveled across an international border.
No, any culture shock I experienced while visiting Vancouver was not so much due to Canadian culture, but rather west coast culture. From architecture to attitudes, pace, fashion style and a preponderance of outdoor gear stores, west coast culture seems to be a salient aspect of Vancouver life. And never before have I realized how strongly I identify with the east coast. Could I trade in my J.Crew catalogue for a Patagonia catalogue? Eh? Answer: Not sure quite yet.
*Borat reference. High five!
1 comment:
I can tell you that the eastearn Canadians say Eh, I had one do it to me in a grocery store once. Other Canadian discoveries, when we were driving from Seattle to Prince Rupert, we consistently had canadians wait till we were near an intersection and then they would cut us off and drive insanely slowly in front of us. Oh, and they have weird signs for falling rocks: http://www.elve.net/rrotcnd.htm. It didn't help that the first time I drove in canada was also the first time I realized that my car did not have kilometers on the spedometer.
As for west coast living, I think you're chill enough for it!
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