Ten Things That Canada Taught Me

Canada Flag

It’s the final issue of the Interrobang for this school year, and honestly, it’s gone by so fast. It seems like yesterday was the first day of class and it’s already the end of a fruitful year. While I’ve been writing about all these different Canadian things that catch my eye, I've often been asked "what has Canada has taught you?"
She’s taught me a lot, all in such a short time, and I list just a few below in no particular order:

10. Hockey is life: I’d be livid with myself if hockey wasn’t on this list. I grew up watching the very limited hockey that ESPN would broadcast back in India. I fell in love with the Anaheim Ducks and NHL 2002 back in the day, but to actually live in the country where it’s considered a pastime in the winter has been unreal, in a word. Cue the celly...

9. Poutine is heavenly: French fries with cheese and gravy: Poutine. Poo-teen for those still wondering how it's pronounced. I still remember the first one I had, back at Oasis, the school cafeteria if I may, back in October 2011. I’ve been hooked on the stuff ever since. Now, it’s been brought to my attention that too much poutine isn’t the best thing ever, mainly because it’s so fattening and unhealthy, but let’s be frank here, it’s delicious. And because it is delicious, I’m going to make the exception every so often. Mmm, gravy...

8. 12°C is warm weather: Back in Calcutta, India, our winters would touch 12°C. Sometimes, if we got lucky, it would drop to 9°C or so. It used to be freezing cold back then. The other day when my dad called and I told him 12°C was warm, he gasped. Now that I've lived here for seven months, I now know that is 12°C warm weather. Why even the other day when it was 3°C, I told myself it's warm, so I guess old man winter has yet to show me what he can do. Perhaps a trip to Winnipeg or Alberta might change all that, but until then, "To the beach..."

7. The Toronto Maple Leafs are really awful: Sorry, Leafs fans, but you know I had to. I knew you guys never made the playoffs since the lockout; I never knew it’s been such a long, unfruitful run. It’s tough on you guys, I can empathize, but this is something that I came across only after coming to the Great White North. And I love it. The odds of laughing at James Reimer, or the Phil Kessel trade, or the fact that the team is just god awful. Buck up, lads, you’ll be playoff-bound soon. Or not.

6. The Arkells are brilliant: The Arkells are an amazing band. And they’re Canadian. I’d never heard about them, and now they fill up my iPod. I’d say coming to Canada has really opened my eyes to a lot of great music that you would never ever hear of if you stayed in India. I’m disappointed with myself for not going to the Arkells show in London a few months back, but I plan to see them if and when they return to London. Until then, my iPod has to work overtime.

5. Without Tim Hortons, this country would be static: You really didn't think I’d forget Tim Hortons, did you? Without Tim Hortons, there is no Canada (if you permit me to exaggerate just a little bit). It’s true, though; Timmies are in every part of the country I’ve seen. After all, who doesn't like to grab a hot coffee and a donut, and oh need I mention 'Rrroll up the Rim'? 1 in 6 odds? I laugh at that Tim Hortons. Still, I'm hooked. And now, to grab myself a large double-double and roll up the rim...

4. Nickelback is not everyone’s cup of tea: Honestly, this one surprised me to a degree. I grew up listening to Nickelback, and when I came to Canada, I discover that they are despised in some parts of the country. I haven’t been able to decipher the reason so far, but rest assured I will try to put this mystery behind me. I set Rockstar as my alarm tone because it is so annoying. Everyone knows that, "Coz we all just wanna be big rock stars..."

3. Shovelling snow is a better workout than you’d get at GoodLife: For starters, I’ve never ever hit a gym in my life, so don’t count on me being an expert. What I can tell you is that shovelling snow is not fun. Every morning, in those sub-zero conditions, you go out and burn those calories. I did it for the first time ever this winter and it wasn’t pleasant. And you know what the best part is? You get to do it all over again the next day.

2. Bilingualism is in: This is one thing that’s impressed me so far. I’ve never been to Quebec, but I hear it’s a lot more French biased. Ignoring that fact, everything I’ve seen is bilingual. I see it as promoting cultural diversity, which I believe is a great thing. French-Canadian or English- Canadian is still Canadian, and that is the main thing. Merci.

1. ‘Eh’: Hilarious as this may seem, this is a word I’ve observed numerous people use, whether on the bus or in the halls of Fanshawe. The word seems to be a conjunction finding its way into many sentences, although I’ve seen it as a standalone word numerous times.Where did I first hear it eh? Only everywhere, and by everywhere I mean everywhere. And you know what the funniest bit is right now? I use it myself. Funny how that works, eh?

It’s been a great year in Canada and at Fanshawe. I’ve made so many friends and met new people. I love this country, to tell you frankly: the culture, the food, the people. It’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made in life. The country has grown on me and I can’t wait to be back next year.

Until then, Canaduh 1, 'Murica 0 

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=8423&sectionID=2&issueID=203
Image Credit: http://mobi-wall.brothersoft.com/files/640480/c/12814388987247.jpg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOm-15621bs

Thoughts Of An (Almost) New Canadian

O! Canada...

Normally I use this column to write about something Canadian that the country loves (or something that the majority hates). This week I thought about twisting it around just a little bit. The reason is simple: I've been here for five and a half months and it has been quite a ride.

I guess the best thing that has happened to me so far is hockey. No, not ice hockey, but ball hockey; 'Ball So Hard,' to be precise. Imagine the joy on my face walking into Sportchek to buy my first ever hockey stick. I'm told by many people that they've "never seen anyone embrace Canadian culture so much." It is strange when I think of it, but as an international student, I guess I find it contagious to a large degree.

Should I decide to put sport aside (although that would be very hard), there are still many things I love about Canada. Take London, for instance. I never expected the city to be this good. The people and even the college is amazing. It's always hard for someone to pack his bags and move to a new country alone, but fitting in to Canadian culture has been smooth so far. What's interesting to note is the banter I enjoy with friends in London, England. The constant question, "How's your London? My London is fine," goes around quite often. That's when I realize that I'm not from the city, yet I've adopted it as my own in a little over five and a half months. It's been homelike so far, this city, and I can only expect the future to be equally pleasant. Canadian culture is something I really want to experience, and though things like poutine and Tim's coffee are already crossed off my 'To Do In Canada' list, there are other things that I would love to try – I just don't know what they are yet.

I already know one of the things I'm going to try real soon (although chances are it will be next winter before I finally attempt it): ice hockey. I told you earlier, it's going to be hard to put sport aside, but going to the John Labatt Centre to watch the Knights play has been great. How great? I won't tell you, you need to experience that yourself.

I've had so much fun in this city and I've yet to set foot into a bar. I hear that is uncanny and unheard of, especially since I'm a student in the Forest City.

I may not know what's in store for me another five months down the line, but I can look back at the past five and a half months with nostalgia, and always be glad I made the decision to leave Calcutta, India and move thousands of kilometres away to the city of London, Ontario.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=8089&sectionID=2&issueID=196
Image Credit: http://www.eco.ca/Uploader/files/images/Newcomers-to-Canada.jpg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjLQ6uCw2g8

A National Obsession

I Think My Title Is Justified Already...

Hey everyone, my name is Victor and I'm a first-year Broadcast Journalism Student. This is the first of what I hope will be a weekly column on "An Outsider's View of Canada." Do feel free to give me your feedback.

I've been living in Canada for a little over four months now. I come from India, a country where hockey is non-existent. We do have a hockey team in the country, but they virtually do not exist. In India, cricket is a massive sport. In my opinion, it's the biggest thing to ever happen to the country. Winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup on home soil drove the country crazy. I used to often face a lot of criticism from my friends because I was never a huge cricket fan: soccer was always my sport back home. Interestingly, though, it was a similar story when Canada won the hockey Olympic Gold on home ice in 2010. The whole country was united in hours of celebration as Canada's beloved Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal. That game is still stuck firmly in my head; I remember staying up late to watch that game (at an unearthly hour because the time difference between Vancouver and India is 13 and a half hours in winter.)

It's events like these that led me to do hours of research. Like I mentioned, I've been in Canada for four months and I've already been to four hockey games (and counting) so far. That's more than the number of cricket games I've been to!

I used to always think that hockey was Canada's national sport, but it turns out that I was wrong! So what is it that makes hockey so special? To be very honest with you, I do not have a definite answer to that. I imagine, however, that it has something to do with the ice and the icy conditions that are so prevalent in the country.

I've never actually played a proper game of hockey, except for NHL games on the Xbox, of course. I have always called myself fortunate because I used to follow a little bit of hockey while I was growing up in India. It all started with NHL 2002 and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Yes, I can and will proudly call myself a Ducks fan. I know they aren't performing well this season, but that is beside the point here.

Coming back to the reason why hockey is so popular in Canada, I happened to stumble upon a website called thephysicsofhockey.com a few days ago. The Physics of Hockey website has a few interestin  points as to why hockey is such a national obsession. I won't mention all of them here, but a few of the points mentioned there have opened my eyes quite a lot. Like "Canada's number one export to the U.S.A. is NHL talent – that's ahead of timber," or something like "Hockey keeps the Canadian dental industry healthy." I guess it's only fair to mention here that the only reason why I had a small inclination towards hockey back home in India was the numerous fights that I witnessed on SportsCenter.

Hockey is quite the phenomenon in Canada, just like Don Cherry's suits, which have fascinated me time and time again. Hockey and Canada are like two peas in a pod: inseparable, as they always have been for several years now. I'm living with a Canadian family at the moment and it's hockey that brings them together on numerous evenings. What's even better is that their hockey night makes me feel like part of the family: it makes an international student feel at home. I'm glad that I grew up following hockey; it makes me a little more Canadian day by day...

Originally written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7835&sectionID=2&issueID=191

Image Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Team_Canada_fan_at_women's_ice_hockey_gold_medal_game_-_US_vs._Canada_at_2010_Winter_Olympics_2010-02-25.jpg
History Was Made Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R81fgWglOg&feature=related
Five Telecasts Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z0W1MUv_c4&feature=related