In Oh Canada...

source: canada-day.ca

It's Canada Day! So of course, I'm writing about it today! ;)

When I was still in Canada, I always talked about the Philippines. I didn't know if it annoyed them or not, but I couldn't stop telling my friends there about how beautiful my home country is. Funny, now that I'm back home, I talk about Canada -- A LOT. I'm starting to realize that even though I badly wanted to come back to the Philippines this year, there are so many things I love (and miss) about my other home as well... and here they are:

1. Canada brings me closer to nature. 

There are so many places in the Philippines that will make you feel very close to nature too. But the thing is, sometimes, you have to travel for hours and cross many seas before you reach those places, unlike in Canada. I live on the Mountain (Hamilton Mountain to be precise), so whenever I want to enjoy the view of the whole city in 3D, all I need to do is cross the street and go for a jog or walk on the mountainside, and voila! If I want a nice view of the lakes, the Lakeshore Park is also just a 5 to 10-minute drive away from home. 

In short, if you want to see breathtaking views, you need not search and go far.

this park is 5 minutes away from home

2. The air is clean because (duh?) there are trees everywhere.

I suffered from asthma for 20 years in the Philippines. Believe it or not, I stopped having asthma attacks in Canada. My theory is that, Canada's air is so clean that it filtered my lungs filled with 20 years worth of pollution (and I don't even live in a city with the best air quality).

I have such a big attachment to trees (maybe I'm a tree in my past life), and I love how the trees are literally everywhere there. We have about three to five in our yard. There are so many trees that, when it's autumn, they're so beautiful to look at.

3. You can do whatever you want (for as long as it doesn't involve breaking the law).

I'm free to do a lot of things there which one cannot do in the Philippines. For example, you can lay on the grass and enjoy the sun while waiting for your bus, or sleep under a tree after a jog and no one will care. I don't know why back home, people will start staring at you like you're some kind of a lunatic if you do all those things. 

4. There's easy access to libraries, meaning access to tons and tons of books!

I absolutely love reading, so just imagine how happy I was when I got my library card. You can borrow old books, new books, audio books, e-books; you name it. There are more libraries than Starbucks cafes in one city, which makes me proud. A library is a bookworm's haven. Saves me a lot of money as well. I know, I kinda sound fresh off the boat, BUT I DO LOVE BOOKS VERY MUCH. Hihi!

5. It's safer.

You can display your gadgets when out in public places (and even leave them for a few minutes) and no one will touch them (not everywhere, though). Back home, using a nice gadget in public places, especially at night, is like being asked to get mugged.

6. Canadians are very polite.

I'll admit, during my first few months in Canada, I found it weird that people always greet each other. I actually didn't know how to respond to strangers whenever they ask me how I'm doing. Back home, people just greet people whom they are friends with (or at least that's what I'm used to doing -- because I'm a snob ;P). I realized that sometimes when you're stressed, it helps when someone asks you how you've been -- even if the question is coming from a random person.

Canadians also say thank you to even the simplest, littlest things you do for them, which shows they're appreciative people as well. 

P.S. And I'm very sorry to say this, they also say sorry for almost about everything. 

7. Canadians aren't shy in complimenting others.

I love how they don't hold back when they want to say "you look very pretty/ good today." When someone tells you that in the morning, it just makes your day, right? And they really make you feel that they're very sincere about it (not that they aren't sincere), so you feel a lot more beautiful. ;)

Also, you receive compliments from everyone if you've done a good job. Here in the Philippines, if you had done something outstanding, some people would start saying bad things about you instead of being happy for you. It's what we call crab mentality. Instead of supporting you, others like pulling you down, so that you don't step on their insecurities. I'm not saying there aren't people like that in Canada, but they are few.

8. The roads are wide.

If you're a driver, you'll understand what I mean.

9. People give way.

In Canada, people hold the door for you even when they're in a rush. 

It's a big crime to cut the line. 

When someone's crossing the street, drivers give way to pedestrians. The pedestrians have the right of way.

In the Philippines, everyone just wants to be served first.

10. No bad hair days in Canada. 

My hair seldomly gets unruly in Canada.  There must be something in the water... If ever I have bad hair days, I can just hide under a nice hat or a knitted beret and I won't look weird.

11. There's no big, obvious gap between social classes.

Like seriously. Well, maybe, the rich in Canada have more cars and bigger retirement funds, but what I mean is that it's not really outright obvious that they have more money. If you work hard enough and know the value of saving money, it's not impossible to be able to buy your own house in no time, which is quite hard to achieve in the Philippines if you're not middle class or above that class.  

There are many other things I want to list down, but I don't want this blog entry to be too long. Teehee. I know some people might think I'm being a bit unpatriotic towards the Philippines, but my comparisons go both ways. I can speak equally about the positives and negatives of both countries. It just so happens that it's Canada Day today! So pabigyan niyo na ako. ;) To be fair, there's one thing I don't really miss about Canada:

shovelling! haha!