Am I Canadian yet?

Hard to believe sometimes that I’ve been here now for over 8 months – although at other times it feels like a lifetime. As we’re now truly in the summer, we’ve got a bunch of visitors due over the coming months. It’s made me wonder if after this amount of time in Canada I’ve picked up any Canadianisms. There are definitely some signs that I have...

1. I have caught myself thinking in a Canadian accent (Awesome)!
2. When in company I excuse myself to visit the washroom, although at home I still go to the toilet!
3. Rather than grabbing a lift, I’ll catch a ride home, or get the elevator.
4. If we make a trip out east we’ll be visiting Nu’fun’lan’ or Newfie: not Newfoundland.
5. We fill up our car with cheap gas, not petrol.
6. I’ve learned that telling someone to get on the pavement when a car is coming, could lead to a nasty accident – The pavement is the road: it’s a sidewalk that runs alongside it.
7. Driving for 5 hours to get to your weekend retreat is a ‘short drive’ into the mountains.
8. I can talk about the guy in our street with the semi without giggling.
9. I no longer ask the guy next to me if he’s just been out for a fag. I now know he’s not gay, he was only out for a smoke.
10. I’m seriously considering buying a checked shirt and a cowboy hat and will wear them with pride.

I’m seriously considering buying a checked shirt and a cowboy hat and will wear them with pride.
So there are signs that I’m picking up habits from those around me but I’m quite happy that when our visitors arrive they will now I’ve not lost my teuchter roots;

1. I don’t end all my sentences with ‘eh?’ ‘you know’ or ‘aye’ work just fine, thanks.
2. If I’m sitting on my ass I’ve acquired a donkey. Otherwise it’s my arse that goes on a chair, or my bum if I’m being polite.
3. 2400 is two thousand four hundred. Not twenty four hundred.
4. I weigh 7 stone. Not 119 lbs (yeah right).
5. I don’t talk about the size of my or anyone else’s fanny! (see number 2).
6. I think the gas is cheap!
7. ..but not so cheap that I drive from the Co-op to the liquor store at the other end of the car-park (parking lot).
8. They know us by name in the liquor store.
9. If I’m cold I put on my jumper or a cardigan... not a sweater.
10. It is, and always will be the Hokey Cokey – Although the Hokey Pokey sounds like a kinky version l’d like to try...

2013 so far....

Firstly apologies for the long wait for this installment of my blog. It is good to know that people are 1) reading it, 2) enjoying it, 3) missing it.

I’d like to tell you that I have lots of information to share, but the truth is I don’t…we are really settling into life here in Calgary and as a result there’s not so much new and exciting things coming up.

We have had Christmas and New Year however and I suppose that is worth a mention.  We took the decision to spend Christmas in Las Vegas. One of the benefits of living in Calgary is that it opens up the rest of Canada, USA and Southern America, Vegas had been on both of our bucket lists, so we thought this the perfect time to visit.

Ice Skating in Prince's Island on 2nd January 2013

Christmas over and we welcomed in 2013 with more of a fizzle than a bang. We spend a lovely Hogmanay at our friends’ house where we had some great steak pie, went ice skating and watched the local firework display. Back at home we decided to see what spectaculars the TV had to offer to bring in The Bells. Well, we quite literally had no idea if it was New Year or New York! We were watching a Washington TV station, play a recording of the New Year as it reached Times Square NY, NY. Now Washington operates on Pacific Standard Time (PST) which is GMT -8hrs, while New York is Eastern Standard Time (EST) GMT -5hrs, Calgary however is Mountain Standard Time (MST), GMT-7hrs. So, at midnight, we were watching times square as it had been at11pm, when the actual time there was 1am!

Quite frankly we had no idea what time it was…! Oh how I miss Jackie Bird, Ally McBain and Phil Cunningham!

 Far too quickly and it was back to the routine – for Stuart that was work and for me, it was more trying to find something to watch on TV, but that was soon to change when I rejoined the workforce!! It really is quite surprising how good it feels to be interacting with people again!  Stuart is also widening his social network and attended the Calgary Burns Supper where a number of Calgary’s notable ex-Scots get together in ‘skirts’ to eat entrails, drink Whisky and talk @#$#!  A fun night was had and Stuart has made a few more connections.

In the evenings I’ve signed up to a 9 week bootcamp class, (I’m really noticing the altitude in that class – phew!) and 9 weeks of skating lessons.  After Stuart’s attempt at the outdoor rink at New Year (which lasted all of 2 minutes) he was, how should I put this…… somewhat anxious of how he would cope on the ice…. But he has managed to stay upright so far, although the look of concentration on his face as he does so is a picture! I really should try and get a photo of him!! Of course I am a natural – our instructor really doesn't believe that the only time I have skated in my life was for an hour at New Year – he has suggested I take the class instead of him! This will of course never happen as I can’t control my laughter as people do those cartoon style falls (it’s a nervous thing!) – Anyway watch out Jayne Torvill!

So, tomorrow it’s off to cheer on Scotland at the Rugby – we will of course be watching this live in the pub and enjoying a pint or two… that kickoff is 9am our time is not going to hamper us – Oh No!! the pub is going to provide breakfast!!

Finally, a special thanks to a certain little lady back home who came to my rescue following my ‘slimline’ tonic appeal, her generous food package will keep this little lady happy for a whole evening!! xxxx