These are things about Canada (or more specifically, Waterloo) I didn’t know about until I got here (and some of them came as quite a shock, coming from a country like Indonesia):
- People say ‘hey, how are you doing?’ to each other, even strangers they pass on the street (like yours truly);
- People have their car headlights on, even on bright, sunny days;
- If you’re an eavesdropper and English is the only language you know, you’d be frustrated because a lot of people here talk to each other in languages other than English;
- You don’t get seat number with your movie ticket;
- If you go for a walk, cars actually stop to let you cross the street (that always makes me feel important, heh);
- Parking lots are huge;
- Canadian squirrels are less shy than their British cousins;
- Contrary to popular belief, Canadians don’t say ‘eh’ a lot (at least Troy doesn’t; I still have yet to hear him say ‘eh’);
- Gas stations (and supposedly parking lots) are the place where drivers go wild and abandon all driving rules;
- You can’t commit suicide on railway tracks in Waterloo because no train will ever pass;
- Sunny days don’t necessarily mean warm days;
- I could pass for Canadian, if only I didn’t wear a thick sweatshirt all the time (because real Canadians are cold-proof).
Well, that’s all I can think of for now. There’ll be more as I continue my Canadian adventure. Today is my one-week anniversary (if there is such thing) of my stay in the Great White North, and I’m loving it so far!