So here’s the thing. I know most people hate it when a new person moves to their city or neighbourhood and all they do is bitch about the differences between their current location and their previous location. Or they might not even complain about the differences, but are always pointing them out like “Back home we did it this way…” etc. It’s annoying. It’s whiny. It’s obnoxious. But it’s SO HARD TO AVOID!

I’ve tried to make a conscious effort not to spend too much time complaining or fixating on the differences. I’m trying to accept them and mostly it hasn’t been a big deal. I don’t know how well I’ve succeeded as the few friends I’ve made here are too well-mannered to tell me to shut my pie-hole already. 

The surprising thing to me has been that it’s not the major differences that are such a big deal. We knew to expect different accents, different political systems, different ideologies. It’s the subtle ones that throw me for a loop. The minor differences in language, the unexpected variance in breakfast cereal, the fact that I can’t find a big bag of flour at the regular grocery store and the fact that I have to constantly translate something as simple as talking about the weather because I still can’t think in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, those are the things that get to me and remind me I’m not living in my natural habitat. That and my purse is about 80 pounds lighter because American currency uses so little coin. All those drops can add up to one heaping bucket of DIFFERENT. I know. America is different. Shocking, right?  

And so, because I’m trying to channel a friendly and culturally sensitive persona here in my new habitat, I’m going to spill my guts here about the small things I keep noticing that I just need to point out to someone for no other reason than they are different! Imagine that! If this is going to offend you, feel free to drop by another day. But keep in mind, I’m not passing judgment here. Just pointing out things I’ve noticed.

• People say “trash” instead of “garbage”. I’ve never heard anyone here use the word garbage.
• Most people here say “soda” instead of “pop” although I know some parts of the states do use pop. But it feels weird to ask for soda. I think I say soda with a funny accent.
• The term “carriage” is used for shopping carts and strollers alike. It’s kind of a quaint term. I like it.
• Same for calling hot dog buns hot dog “rolls”. How to make a gross food sound classy. Ish.
• Target. Here’s the thing. Target is Zellers. Maybe with better baby clothes. But basically the same. 
• There are different names for the exact same product (ie. Becel margarine is called “Promise” in the states) or different shapes and sizes of packaging available. Or the product is completely different, as in the cereal debacle (see above).
• The money.  It’s no surprise that there is a different currency here. But I still get mixed up when I’m looking for one or two dollars and I have to look for bills instead of coins. So many years of training is hard to put aside.
• No one wears poppies on Veterans Day (Remembrance Day in Canada). I missed seeing poppies on people’s lapels. On the upside, we made a Canadian friend here who recognized us as countrymen when he saw our poppies.
• Different holidays in general. Or the same holidays but with different names. 
• When talking about school everyone here refers to it as “first grade” rather than “grade one”. Small difference but I always notice.
• Fahrenheit vs. Celsius smackdown. Also metric vs. imperial.
• Duvets are referred to as quilts.
• Foyer (fo-yay) is mispronounced as foi-ER.
• The absence of a second language being taught in public schools. This is a generalization. I suspect there are public school out there that do teach Spanish or perhaps even offer other languages. But unlike Canada where French is required, it is not here.
• Women call their purses a “handbag”. I think that’s cute.
• Something I think is a really wonderful practice around here is having the kids call adults “Miss” or “Mister” in a semi-formal setting. For example, in school the children refer to their teachers as Miss/Mrs./Ms./Mr. Lastname. But in an extracurricular setting like gymnastics class or library story-time or Kindermusik the children (and parents) refer to the teacher as Miss/Mr. Firstname. They use Miss for all women, regardless of marital status. If I were teaching a dance class I would be called Miss Shannon. I really appreciate this as it seems to teach the kids respect for their leaders and is a way of conveying the semi-formality of the instruction without taking it to the next level. I don’t know if this is an American thing or just specific to my little area, but I like it!

Well then! *clap clap* I feel much better for getting that out! If you made it all the way to the end, congratulations!  American friends, thanks for listening to me whine and not slapping me upside the head. Canadian friends, thanks for not telling me it’s my fault for moving away.  Y’all are fantastic!