Well, I’ve spent just a little over two weeks in Canada, and I’m pretty much settled in. It’s weird to realize that it only takes two weeks to relocate to another country… but of course, moving to Canada from the USA is kind of like international relocation with training wheels. Everyone speaks English. Everyone’s nice. The cultures are basically the same.
The Boyfriend commented that if our countries had been created at any other point in history, the USA would’ve definitely annexed Canada by now. (Context: The Boyfriend is Canadian, and he asked that his pseudonym be capitalized.) They’re two of the most similar countries to ever share a border. So moving between them is a ridiculously simple process once you’ve acquired a visa. And even acquiring a visa isn’t that hard, guys. Having now done it, I can attest that it’s nerve-wracking and expensive and somewhat time-consuming, but it’s not particularly difficult.
Honestly, the weirdest part about being here is that the differences are so small that I get tripped up when anything is different, simply because I wasn’t expecting it. Example: the very kind cashier at Safeway had to teach me how to use my new Canadian debit card, because the machines work a bit differently here. Other example: they sell Halloween candy in BOXES here. You know how in the States, Halloween candy is always sold in bags (or in a few select cases, in a plastic pumpkin)? Here, about half the time, your fun-size medley of candy is going to come in a cardboard box. But I’ve heard that they sell milk in bags in Ontario, so maybe I should just be grateful that the milk is in cartons in this bit of Canada.
To be honest, the majority of my culture shock has been caused by food and retail. I keep googling things like “Is Trader Joe’s/pumpkin spice/Daiso/Pandora in Canada?” (Tragically no, yes, yes, and no.) I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time figuring out where to get my favorite food brands too, since the food market in Canada operates under laws that can vary pretty widely from the States.
One of the weirdest moments came when I was looking for European-style butter. After hunting for imported butter in two different grocery stores, I ended up going on a butter research mission and finding out a few things. First: it’s pretty much illegal to import butter in Canada. Second: the Canadian butter and dairy market is run by laws so strict that I’ve taken to calling it “the milk mafia.” And third: if you want good butter, you must go to Granville Island.
This actually turned out to be a good discovery, because I probably wouldn’t have ventured to Granville Island otherwise. (If you’ve been to Pike Place in Seattle before, just imagine something akin to that.) But as I walked past one little specialized food shop after another, I kept recognizing random things from the States that I’d been missing. Frozen veggie burgers? Yup. Pumpkin and tomato pasta sauce? Yep! Favorite granola? You betcha.
It was as relaxing as if I’d just meditated or gone to yoga class, because all of a sudden my questions about food in Canada had been answered. It seems like such a silly, simple thing. And I’m definitely not going to be shopping at Granville Island with any regularity (it’s expensive!), but when you’ve bought four different items in one week that you ended up hating because you didn’t know what things from different Canadian food brands tasted like, it’s such a relief to see all the things that you’re used to buying in the States. Just knowing: ok, if I get desperate, I know where the good granola is. We’ve got a backup plan.
Paradoxically, this is one of the reasons why I like traveling and moving to new places. The challenges that I face make me realize what I usually take for granted, like knowing which brands I like at the grocery store. I’m forced to problem solve, which makes doing everyday tasks feel like an accomplishment. All of a sudden, just getting through the mundane bits of everyday life is a cause for celebration: yay, I know how to use my debit card now! Yay, I know where to find butter! Yay, I figured out the bus system!
I never would’ve imagined that moving to Canada would prompt me to learn about the dairy lobby and how it’s influenced strong protectionist laws around the dairy industry. (Don’t get me started. I know SO. MUCH. About butter and margarine legislation in Canada now. It’s a whole thing. I feel like I should’ve written a research paper about this in high school, just to weird out my teacher.)
But honestly, despite how much I whine to The Boyfriend whenever I’m tripped up by something here, it’s also fun in a way. It gives me an opportunity to learn something new. I wonder what else I’ll learn about Canada that I can’t even imagine right now…
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