Since I’ve spent a lot of time in these posts talking about how America is different from Canada I thought it was only fair that I talk about how Canada is different than America. Here are some random facts that many Americans have seemed surprised to learn about our home and native land:

1. Canadians don’t all speak  French despite the fact that it’s one of our official languages.  Most of us who grew up in Canada have some very basic vocabulary and conversational skills but are definitely not fluent. You want fluent? Go to Ottawa (capital city of Canada) or Quebec (the province with the highest population of French-speaking citizens). 

2. It is not actually brutally cold in winter in all parts of Canada. Where I’m from is definitely super cold. But it kind of annoys me when people say “Oh, you’re from Canada? You must be used to the cold!”. Cold is still cold! But. Some parts of Canada (read: the west coast) have very mild winters with little to no snow. It’s no California but it’s a lot nicer than many parts of the USA.

3. We really do have free healthcare (where free equals our taxes are higher to pay for our free healthcare – but most of us think it’s absolutely worth it).

4. Women get a whole year off for maternity leave. 

5. Canadians recognize/celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Veteran’s Day (we call it Remembrance Day) and many of the same long weekend holidays (although some of those are for different things, though they are on the same dates).

6. Officially, Canadians use the metric system but almost anyone you talk to off the street measures their height in feet and inches and their weight in pounds.

7. Canadians aren’t necessarily ALL hockey fans. At all.

8. We don’t necessarily have an accent that gives us away (ok, unless you’re a Newfie). At least no one has asked our family if we are Canadian and when told our nationality, many have responded with “Really? You don’t have an accent at all!”

9. Canadians implicitly trust our gov’t (generally speaking) and our media doesn’t make a big deal of their sex lives or personal history. I’m pretty sure the current Prime Minister has a couple of kids but their genders and ages are not something that has been in the media spotlight.

10. Saskatchewan is not near Calgary (seven hours away), Vancouver (17 hours), or Toronto (30 hours). It is a province. It is located here.

11. Canadian-made beer has a higher alcohol content than American-made beer. Yeah. We’re badass.

America, Canada, culture shock | 7 Comments »

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!

culture shock | 6 Comments »

Can someone please tell me why EVERYTHING sold in American grocery stores is teeny tiny??? It is pissing the hell out of me today. It’s like they are a nation of very small people who only consume the most dainty portions of food and therefore do not require food to be sold in trough-like sizes as us animalistic Canadians. At least that’s the look I get when I ask where the “big jars/bags/packages” are.

Margarine, at least in the brand I want to buy, comes in itty bitty little 425g containers. I used to buy the giant keg (maybe 2kg [4.4lb] of margarine and now we go through like 25 packages of margarine a week.

Cheez Whiz comes in microscopic little jars, not the normal mayo-sized jars.

I tried to find your standard 20kg (44lb) bag of flour at the grocery store and apparently the only place you can buy SO MUCH FLOUR is at Costco! They looked at me like I was asking if I could please purchase a metric tonne of flour because WHO ON EARTH USES SUCH A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF FLOUR??? Seriously? I had no idea until this point that people actually bought those miniscule 10 lb. bags of flour and now that’s the biggest bag they have? And honestly, who the hell buys less than ten pounds of flour? Who says to themselves “I need exactly 3 tablespoons of flour, no more and no less will do. I will buy the smallest bag of flour known to man.”

Yes, I have grocery rage. I know, it’s stupid to be annoyed about these things. It’s not like if I had the bigger sized of these three items I would be going to the grocery store less. But somehow while it is totally acceptable to me to have to buy milk twice a week, running out of margarine every week and out of flour every couple of weeks is bringing out THE CRAZY. I’m going to go ahead and blame this one on the post-Halloween sugar crash.

America, culture shock, the crazy | 4 Comments »

It’s been an exciting time to be living here in the United States.  Of course, the election campaigns have been going on here for a long time already, but being here in the months leading up to this election has been fascinating. An exercise in understanding the differences between Canadian and American cultures.

Here is my experience as an observer: America has trust issues. Please don’t hear me say that America is wrong or bad. Only a fool would make such callous comments, being a citizen of a neighbouring country, and although I have do have a sense of Canadian pride, I am very aware that Canada doesn’t have everything right. But here in the USA people seem not to be able to trust others to use the sense God gave them. I get the strong feeling I am not trusted to be be rational and reasonable.  This is why I have to sign significantly more forms here than in Canada when I take my children to the doctor, when I enroll them in school, when I set up a bank account or driver’s license – to ensure I won’t come back and sue them over a ridiculous technicality. The television is rife with commercials, news broadcasts and tv specials full of warnings and anxious, cautious language.

This is why, when I have listened to Americans discuss today’s election, they talk about their great fear over what will happen if the candidate they don’t support is elected into office. Not to minimize the very valid concerns American citizens have about who governs their country and how they do so.  I just find it very hard to identify with this crippling sense of fear.

As an outside observer I don’t get a say in what happens in today’s election. But there are many countries in the international community with a vested interest the outcome.  I dare say there are a LOT of Canadians hoping that Obama wins. If for no other reason than he didn’t talk smack about our health care in a nationally televised debate or have a seven minute telephone conversation with a fictional French president!***

Perhaps Americans have more reasons to be afraid. A major war, an economic tailspin, and no universal healthcare are all good reason to shake in your boots a little or to feel suspicious of people who claim to be able to make changes. While I don’t claim to fully understand (or even to be correct about) the feelings or attitudes I observe as a foreigner here, I do know that today is the day that Americans get to make a choice to move forward without fear by electing a candidate who has campaigned fearlessly and without perpetuating fear in this country.  

America, this is your opportunity to move beyond fear to confidence, beyond suspicion, to trust, and to take the next step out of your country’s childhood to become self-aware, humble and to lead with conviction. When people look back on this day in history they will say that this is the day America left fear behind. This is the day they elected president Obama.

***While I wouldn’t say that Obama’s health care plan is a copy of Canada’s for a number of reasons, and while I would be the first to agree that Canada’s health care plan DOES have a number of problems, let me refer y’all to an article from a July 2008 copy of Maclean’s magazine. This article states that Canadians pay half as much as Americans per person each year for both public and private health care.  The result? We live an average of 2.5 years longer than Americans! With those numbers I’ll take the Canadian health care system, warts and all!

American politics, Canadian politics, culture shock, media, medical | 1 Comment »

I just realized that a bunch of you posted on some of my last posts and that I never got the normal emails that LJ ususally sends to say there have been comments. I’m not sure what’s up with that but I’ll check on it.  In the meantime, thanks for reading! I was starting to think y’all had forgotten about me.

It has been a week and a half since I arrived in London.  I am finally starting to feel settled.  We have basically unpacked and I am slowly adjusting to my new habitat. It doesn’t feel like “home” yet. But it doesn’t feel as strange and unfamiliar as it did last week.  There have been some really wonderful discoveries this week and some interesting observations and some annoyances and negative things that I have learned about London. And now, let the randomness commence!

I found a beautiful park by the river here.  It is huge and has a nice playground, a spray park, walking paths that go for miles, and tonnes of Canada geese and ducks.  We went there last week with a new friend and the geese ate bread out of our hands. There were a lot of little goslings that were totally adorable!  It was a highlight of the week for me. 

Another highlight has been the Farmer’s Market that is near our house.  It is only about a five minute walk and it seriously is the best farmer’s market I’ve ever gone to. (Although I do recognize I have limited experience!) They sell all kinds of fruit and vegetables, meat, cheese, eggs, bread (and other baked goods), coffee, honey, really beautiful and cheap flowers, and all kinds of yummy things to eat.  We went on Saturday and only bought a few things but the prices were so reasonable I’m planning to start buying all my produce there. And we bought some fresh-out-of-the-deep-fryer apple fritters that were unbelievable!  I can’t wait to go again!  The walk was pleasant and I was so happy to find this gem in the ghetto!

There are seriously Tim Hortons EVERYWHERE here. There are two within walking distance of our house!  Does that seem excessive?  I think it’s an Ontario thing because even in my husband’s home town in northern Ontario there are a lot of Tim Hortons for the smallish population of the city.  I know it’s popular, but come ON people!!!  I feel like I will stick out like a sore thumb if I don’t walk around gently caressing my Tim’s coffee cup!

I met some really nice people this week. All of them are spouses of other Ivey students. They actually have “support group” of sorts for those of us who are here with our husbands or wives (although it seems we are mostly wives).  The group is called the Ivey Circle which totally sounds like a cult.  I am so going to give myself a secret name.   But the women I met are so nice. Some have been here since last fall as their husbands started in the October program and they have been very welcoming and full of good tips and encouragement.  Others, like me, have just arrived and are going through the very same things so it is nice to have a network of people to share my concerns and frustrations with.  A few of us had a small get-together over dinner the other night and at the end of the evening I felt that these women were old friends already.  I am truly looking forward to getting to know them better. 

Hubby has caved and bought a “milk pitcher” but I am still persevering in my quest for 4L jugs (Have I mentioned that I feel the frequent use of the word “jugs” is starting to make me feel dirty?).  I found one Macs that sells them but they didn’t sell skim milk, which is what we drink.  I keep hearing that some places sell them so I’m going to continue to search. But for now I’ve had to give in  to using the little pitcher.  I’m tempted to draw the anarchy symbol on it with a sharpie or “Down With Bags!”.  But that might annoy my husbands and Ontario neighbors. I’m trying not to whine about it, really. But it just enfuriates me so damn much!  Why is that?  I guess I just have to pick something to obsess over and milk bags won the day.

I have noticed that the gas stations here do not change their prices at the same time. Ever.  At any given time you can find gas stations that are a couple cents higher and lower than the average. I find this strange. Do you?

It smells like a greenhouse here.  It hasn’t generally felt too humid but when it’s warm you can smell flowers everywhere and it smells exactly like walking through the inside of a greenhouse.  Really nice.  I’ve got a bunch of perennials starting to bloom in my yard and that is kind of fun!

You would think the market would be saturated with “corner stores” around here. I know I mentioned it in a previous post but I really can’t believe how many of them there are around here!  There are also crossing guards. Not just by schools. In random places on busy streets.  I walked with the kids in the stroller today and a real, honest-to-goodness crossing guard in a flourescent orange vest stopped traffic for me!  He even blew on a whistle!  How awesome is that?

The biggest frustration of the week (other than the ongoing milk bag fiasco) is that I wanted to get groceries yesterday, Victoria Day, and do you think ANY grocery stores were open??? No! Of course not!  Apparently there is a bylaw in Ontario that prevents certain items from being sold. The corner stores are open but the liquor/beer stores are closed, all grocery stores are closed, Walmart is closed (except for their garden centre), and, although Shoppers Drug Mart was open, half the store was blocked off because there are specific products they are not allowed to sell because of some Ontario legislation. I know this because they had signs up apologizing for the idiocy of the whole thing.  I mean really, a closed store is one thing, but opening the store and then not allowing you to shop in all of it??? I needed diapers for crying out loud!  I was ready to start tunneling through the shelves to get to them, that’s how desperate I was!  I will definitely not make that mistake again.  I just assumed that it would be like Saskatchewan, where grocery stores open for shorter hours.  But, as usual, Ontario wants to remind the world that it is so NOT like anywhere else.  Boo.

I know there is more but that’s all I can think of for now. I promise pictures of the inside of the house are coming soon!  Really!

culture shock, moving, rants, renting | 5 Comments »

Well so much has happened in the past few weeks and I have thought about blogging every day but there always seemed to be too much to sum up in the time that I had so I put it off. Of course the next day there was even more. So now I’ve decided to give you the brief update with the pictures below.  Stop laughing. Yes, I realize there are like 187 pictures here.  I promise I’ll try not to be too long-winded.

So we took on the big job of packing up our things in Saskatoon.  I realized that it is very different when you are packing for a long distance move as opposed to within the city.  Just about everything had to be boxed and secured.  The kids enjoyed the craziness more than I did.  They thought the boxes piled up were great forts and climbing opportunities.  Until I packed up the toys.  Then Avery announced that she doesn’t like moving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few shots of the chaos that was our house. This is the night before the moving van arrived. It is a truly bizarre thing to have all your worldly possessions in boxes.  But it was a great chance to get rid of a lot of stuff. In fact, when I started unpacking here in London, there were still a few things that I was questioning why I felt compelled to bring them across the country.

We’re going to miss that house.  It was good to us.

As the movers packed up the van I ran a few errands around Saskatoon and hung out at McDonalds with my sister and some friends.  Karla took Kieran up into the playland climbing structure which he thought was pretty great.  I got some really nice shots of the two of them.

 

 

 

 

We asked Avery to help me hold up the “Sold” sign for our house and this was the result!  Cute.  But bitter sweet.  PS- If you live in Saskatoon and want a good realtor, Dennis is the best!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the van packed we said goodbye to some dear friends and hopped in our car.  We stopped for this final shot of our dear Saskatoon.  This move is particularly hard for me as I have lived here most of my life.  I love the prairies fiercely and it’s going to be hard to be away.  Especially not knowing if we’ll be back.  But I am really going to try to have a good attitude!

We made it to Manitoba that day and settled in to spend some time with my parents.  Colin stayed for 2 days before continuing on to London.  The kids and I had a great time relaxing and taking a break from responsibilities.  The kids enjoyed this swing in my parents’ front yard and going hot tubbing.  Kieran even got his first hair cut, courtesy of my dad and his clippers.  I thought it might freak him out but he thought it was hilarious and smiled and laughed through most of it.

After about 10 days I was ready to finally get to our new home and start our new life.  The break was good for me but I was getting antsy and it was time to move on.  We flew from Winnipeg to London on May 11.  Kieran was a big of a pain on the plane. He could have been worse but flying with an almost one year old is not my idea of a good time.  Avery was great.  I am blessed to have such an obedient daughter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a very bizarre thing to land in a new city that you’ve never even visited and suddenly be calling it “home”.  Someone on the plane asked me if I was from London and I was just about to say “no” when the reality dawned on me.  “I guess I am, now” I responded.  It definitely wasn’t a good feeling.  I don’t like the unfamiliar.  I don’t like not knowing where I am going.  I don’t like being so far away from all my friends and loved ones.  The only great comfort was that my hubby was there to greet me when I got off the plane.  He pointed out some highlights as he drove us “home” and I realized that my time spent pouring over google maps trying to find where different rental properties were in relation to the University was not a waste. I feel that I am quite familiar with a lot of the main roads and I can at least find my way to a number of important places (ie. grocery stores, malls, etc.).  The whole experience has been nothing short of overwhelming.  The unpacking is coming along and we are slowly making this house feel like home. 

The house we are renting is a very old house. About 100 years old, I believe.  We have never lived in what could be called an “old” house.  I have learned something important about myself in the days since I arrived here.  I am NOT and old house person.  I am most definitely a new house person.  I love the idea of an old house. But in practice I am thinking it is so not worth it.  If I were to buy an old house to renovate I would basically just totally redo every single thing about it. So why not build a new house in the style of an older house?  I know some people are into renovating and bless your little hearts, you certainly have my admiration!  But I think one year will be enough to cure me of any attraction I have to “character homes”.  The owners of this house are clearly not as anal as we are.  There are so many little things about this home that we would have changed.  Like some outlets and light switches have been updated while others haven’t, the cupboards on the island in the kitchen are missing handles, huge patches of chipped or damaged paint on the walls that needs to be touched up, 3 different types of carpet and 4 other types of flooring (hardwood, lino, laminate and tile – and we’re not talking a big house here.  It looks weird.)  The bathtub, as you might be able to see in this picture, has been repainted at some point (I didn’t know you could paint bathtubs).  The paint is now chipping off like CRAZY.  When our kids take a bath there are a tonne of little white paint-floaties.  I am thinking it is not going to be good for their health when they drink up the bathwater, which they both do, as if I only allow them to drink at bath time.  Maybe it’s just me. But really, something needs to be done about this. 

BUT. But we do have an adorable little backyard. MUCH smaller than what we had in Saskatoon, but that’s ok.  What you see in the picture above is pretty much it.  There are perennials all around the border and two pear trees and a bunch of rosebushes of some kind that apparently bloom like crazy for one week in June.  We also have a little deck.  We don’t get to use the garage for our vehicle but our landlords are letting us store some of our extra junk in there which is awesome.  All in all the house is mediocre.  The rooms are quite big, the ktichen doesn’t have quite enough cupboards. The 10 foot ceilings are pretty neat.  The bathroom is really tiny but at least there is a good shower head which goes a long way in my books.  Oh, and I had mentioned a few posts ago that our landlords were making us pay for our laundry but we have since talked to them about it and they agreed that they had not made it clear at all that laundry would be extra and it had, in fact, been implied by their ad that it was included. So they have given us permission to jack open the coin-operated-slot-thingy so that we can do our laundry for free.  Also, the lockbox on the thermostat turned out to be something that was there when our landlords bought the house and they hadn’t intended to leave it locked on us. So we have access to that.  I am very happy that they are being accommodating.  It is making me feel much less stressed out.

On my first morning in London I had a definite agenda.  We needed groceries. None of our canned/dry food was unpacked and my husband had been existing on the food he was given at school (some meals were included that first week) and basically a carton of orange juice and a pack of oatmeal cookies.  So off I go to the nearby Superstore thinking “Fantastic!  I’ll stock up at a place that will be fairly familiar!” 

Who knew Ontario is like a totally different country? 

There were things that I just could not find, for the life of me.  Boxes of frozen chicken breasts, large (20 pound) bags of potatoes, apple juice in something other than a big tin can. Yes, a tin can.  That’s practical.  Just haul out ye old can opener and let ‘er rip!  They don’t have those nice 1L tetra packs that we have in Saskatchewan.

And, of course, the crowning glory…Milk. In. A. Bag.  Yes, you read right. In a bag.  I’m trying not to be too judgmental here, but seriously? In a bag?  Who on earth thinks this is a good idea?  They do have regular cartons (which, by the way have those round spouts in the top where you have to unscrew the lid. Like maybe Ontarians can’t open a carton and use the spout the way the carton was designed to be used) but if you want a 4L you have to buy a pack of 3 of these bags which add up to 4L.  But if you wanted your milk in 1L increments why the hell wouldn’t you just by one or two litre cartons???  And there are special little pitchers you must buy to use the milk bags that are just the right size. But I refused to be part of this milk-bag nonsense. So I just used a pitcher I had at home (see picture above).  It doesn’t pour well.  I really just think this is a dumb idea. But I have been told by a number of people that your can actually get 4L jugs at some of the little corner stores, of which there are a LOT of around here. There are is one 2 blocks east of us. one that is one block east of us and one that is two blocks west of us.  I am skeptical that people actually use these enough to keep them in business but I am told that these stores sometimes have better prices on some grocery items than the big stores. In Saskatoon I only went to my local corner store if I was in a real bind for time because you basically have to sell your firstborn child to buy a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread. 

Anyway, back to the Superstore saga…did I mention that this little shopping trip took place on a Saturday?  Yes, I am possibly the most retarded person who ever lived.  I paid to walk through the maze of busy people, most of whom probably hold full time jobs (hence the weekend grocery shopping) who are in a hurry to get this done so they can make the most of their weekend.  It was insane.  There were cranky kids everywhere, my cart included.  I had totally forgotten it was Saturday and I am unlikely to make that mistake again.  If I do, someone should put me in a straight-jacket because I have clearly lost my grip on reality. 

But we did make it out of the store with some food.  I have been able to cook in my kitchen.  Superstore and I are taking a break from each other.  Maybe I will go back on a week day some time and see if we can come to an amicable arrangement.

It turns out that the neighborhood we live in is kind of the “ghetto”.  I really don’t think we would have chosen to live here if we had been in the city when we were searching for a place.   I thought the house looked really different, with lots of character (there’s that dirty c-word again) when I saw pictures of it. It turns out that it looks almost exactly like every other house in the area.  They are all old and many of them are rentals, exactly like ours.  They are divided into a basement suite, a main floor suite, and an upper suite, just like ours is.  They are all brick.  They all have front porches, they all have stained glass windows above their living room picture window.  It’s just like houses in the new neighborhoods all have their garage out in front.  But I guess that’s just the nature of humans.  Houses in a neighborhood get built at the same time and everyone wants to build what is “in fashion” at the time.  This pictures is actually a couple blocks from our place.  Some of the houses and yards are owner occupied and some are rentals. Some are very well kept and others aren’t.  Same as just about any neighborhood I suppose. 

Our next door neighbours own their house and have turned out to be quite nice which is a pleasant surprise.  In just a few days I have talked to them more than I talked to our neighbors in the three years we lived at our last house. In fact, I’m not sure I ever even saw the neighbors at our last house.  These people are outside a lot and have been over to visit and are just so friendly. I’m really appreciating that. At least I have someone to ask where I can find things. They also have an 18 month old daughter who thinks our yard is pretty much Disneyland, what with the slide and other toys.  So the kids will probably get along well.  The neighbors also own a dog. I’m thinking our kids will have to get over their fear of dogs by the end of this year. The dog is kept in their yard but she makes her presence known from time to time.  Either the kids will get used to big dogs or they’re going to need a hell of a lot of therapy.  I’ll let you know how that goes. 

Another interesting difference about London is that there are squirrels EVERYWHERE!!!  They are running across the streets and along porches and up trees and through the garbage (which is front curb pick up…don’t get me started on that!). It never occurred to me that Avery had never actually seen a squirrel until she flipped out the first day because she saw the biggest BUG she’d ever witnessed and this is on top of the fact that she’s currently cultivating a debilitating phobia of all insect life.  I thought she would lose her mind.  She seems to have gotten used to the squirrels and has relaxed since we explained that they are not classified as bugs. 

Despite all this she has still been willing to play in the backyard and go to the park which is only 3 blocks from our house.  Kieran enjoys the wagon ride and trying to eat grass and dandylions and sticks.  And I only had to stop about 59 times in the three blocks to put his hat back on his head.

 

 

Kieran has recently mastered the skill of pulling himself up to a standing position which, although cute, has become a bit of a nuisance.  If he is not basically asleep when I put him into his crib for a nap he stands up and wails forever.  He might as well have his tin cup to rattle against the crib rails.  This whole sleep thing continues to elude us.  What can I say?  It sucks.  You all know how much fun being tired is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that is our life up to the present. I will post pictures of our place once we are finished unpacking and organized.  I know this has been long. Thanks for reading!  Hopefully there will be more interesting posts in the future as I experience the real culture of Southern Ontario.  The biggest thing I’ve noticed so far is the goofy accent.  My Ontario name is “Shee-yannon”. 

So y’all, this is Shee-yannon signing off from the hot and humid city of London!

culture shock, moving, Ontario, renting | 8 Comments »