One of the most memorable places I have visited was the Eastern part of Canada in 2011. The trip was scheduled for a month but was cut a week short due to my wife’s reoccurring illnesses. I have always wanted to go back and finish that trip, but the years have caught up with me so that is no longer a possibility. But, I can relive those times in 2011 with RJsMosaics and stories from my journal of those times. This is the first of several Mosaics yet to come.
I’m pretty sure my roots go back to Great Britain, so maybe that is the reason I have such a kindred relationship with things Canadian. They still have the basic sense of being British engrained in them. 🙂 The quote above is from Martha Atwood who is Canadian and the author of “The Handmaid’s Tale”.
When I heard the quote in the title from her, it made me think just how fundamentally different Canadians are from their southern neighbors. That is what this post is about.
Canada and the US share much common heritage. We were both British colonies, and of course, we both reside in North America. But in many ways we are quite different.
When we spent almost a month in Canada in 2011, it was easy to see that we were no longer in the US. For one thing, commercialism is quite downplayed and the general tone of its citizens is more laid back, so to speak. We simply never saw a strip mall filled with franchises as we do everywhere in the US.
The people themselves were quite friendly and wanted to know more about those crazy never-satisfied Americans. Canadians maintain much more of the British demeanor than we do. I kinda think that is a good thing.
But then there is the English/ French divide that goes much more in one direction than the other. Throughout at least Eastern Canada, every roadside sign or anything in public was in both English and French. Whereas in Quebec Province it was almost as if the English language didn’t exist. I think they get that French snobbery that they have from their other shared mother country.
RJ's Mosaics 