FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My nomadic globe-trotting has brought me to
Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I made it through my first winter without much problems,
especially since the past winter was quite warm. I live in Montreal and attend McGill
University.
After my first semester in
University, having familiarized myself a little more with the culture, I have not honestly
discovered much difference between Montrealites and Americans, let alone the rest of
Canada. Yes, of course there are differences, but compared to the differences across most
countries, Canada and USA seem to be much more part of one homogenous mass (and no, Canada
is not the 51st state of the US, and I certainly have not seen giant Canadian bunnies
around). All jokes aside, the differences I have discovered are at best subtle, something
Canadians are not so aware of. Yes, I have noticed the usage of "eh" quite often
since I came, but now I seem not to hear it that much. I actually like the sound of it,
sounds quite friendly. There is no real Canadian accent, other than slight Brit-like
sounds of some New Brunswick accents ('aoot' instead of 'aut' for any
word with 'out'). But,
yes, there is a bit of resentment towards the US for the loss of a distinct culture and
identity to the mass heap of congealed culture south of the border. The
more distinct
Canadian culture I have seen is that of the Quebecois and perhaps the natives. I know very
little about the latter, but I have seen some Inuit art that just looks really enchanting.
In terms of culture, it is
certainly not a major change. There seems to be very little to distinguish a Canadian from
and American. The differences are perhaps a little more apparent here in Quebec, which is
overwhelmingly French.
Canada the land itself
seems to be amazing. It was stupidly named Canada (from a native word Kanata meaning
Village). In perhaps a strange way, the word fits the country. I picture Village are rural
and better connected to nature, and that is the perspective of Canada I seem to get from
my relatively short stay here. Maybe I am interpreting things too much, but I have noticed
a marked difference in Canadian money versus US money. Most of the Canadian coins and
bills have some natural scene in one side, some sort of animal. The flag itself embraces
the maple leaf, I cannot think of another country (with the exception of Lebanon)
of the top of my head that I know has something natural (earthly, so stars do
not count!) in their flag.
In my stay here, I want to
study this country further. I love getting to know more about different cultures,
climates, and geographic locations. In fact one of my stranger reading habits is reading
Encyclopedias & Almanacs, especially statistics about different countries, and little
abstracts about countries.
Getting back to Canada, I
hope to see Polar Bears, Seals, Phenomenon such as Aurora Borealis, The Inuit & Eskimo
cultures, fiords, & countless other things. After my first winter, instead of wanting
to go to a warmer place, I want the opportunity to explore the cold deserts of Canada,
Northwest Territories, and more of the French culture in Quebec. Canada is definitely much
more than Glacier land. What more can you expect of 30 million people spread over land
larger than the United States.
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