Things I miss about Canada

I've been in Australia now for about 5 months. In that time I've managed to get work and make some friends. I've also had time to really miss things about my home country. In no particular order I present them now:

1. Snow and cold - Yes this sounds strange for those of you suffering from too much of it but Christmas in blazing sun and heat just isn't the same for a gal who grew up in the Great White North. Christmas Day is for sitting in your warm jammies, sipping hot chocolate and eating lots of fatty foods (turkey, stuffing, potatoes etc.). NOT for sitting in shorts, perspiring and wondering when the hell it's going to cool down again. They don't really play carols here either, which is simply a travesty.

2. Clothing Stores - No, Aussies don't all walk around naked for a lack of stores but they're just not what I'm used to. The styles are slightly different (though nowhere near the trauma of Japanese styles) and prices...well I've discussed that before. I was somewhat surprised that bigger name stores like Gap, or H&M hadn't made it here. I suppose I should just stop bitching and find some places I'll like.

3. Canadian Book Prices - Although I complained about paying more than Americans did for books it's nowhere near the exorbitant prices Aussies pay. Your average paperback in Canada is, let's say about $10. Here you're looking at something like $27 for exactly the same book. Don't even get me started about hardcover. For one, it's basically a bigger, thicker paperback (not a real hardcover) and two, the cost is astronomical. Basically if you want to be a reader here you either need to go bankrupt or have a library membership.

4. Hashbrowns - They have the McDonald's type hashbrowns here but I'm talking about the diced/shredded versions that you could easily pick up in any supermarket in North America. I loved eating these for a snack or lunch/breakfast. Actually I probably would've eaten them at every bloody meal if I could've convinced my husband he liked them too. Why why why don't they have them here?? I was heartbroken when I went on a supermarket hunt to no avail. *sob*

5. Right side Driving - We bought a car here in September and I'm pretty used to driving on the opposite side but 29 years of right-side driving doesn't go away overnight. I'll still find myself hopping into the car and then realizing there's no steering wheel in front of me. Or I'll nearly crash because I'm exiting on the wrong side of a driveway. And roundabouts, whew I finally got the hang of them but they were my mortal enemy for a good month. On a related note, I also miss being able to turn right/left on a red light. They don't do that here.

6. My family and friends - I said it was in no particular order. In past posts I've gone on and on about it being more difficult to make new friends when you're older. I stand by it! I want my social network from home to be transplanted here then I'd be supremely happy (except for the hashbrowns).

7. Ice Cream Sandwiches - What gives? Aren't these a staple during the summer? Ice cream on a stick and Eskimo Pies just don't cut it. I've only managed to find one brand that makes them and one supermarket that stocks it.

8. 8.5" x 11" Paper - Apparently the rest of the world uses A4. It's not really a big deal but I can't use clipboards and binders that I've brought from home. Why can't everyone use the same thing, be it letter or A4?

9. Frivolous Magazines - Such as People, Entertainment Weekly and Us. I like to read crap, so sue me. Actually it's more of Entertainment Weekly I miss. Oz has it's own equivalents of People and Us. Strange since I never paid it much attention when I was home.

10. Produce in a supermarket - I'm not saying there isn't good produce here, it just isn't found in a supermarket. After a few months of being dissatisfied, I discovered that most people seem to buy their greens separately at produce-only stores. I'm used to produce-only stores being of the organic variety at home but here they're the norm (and not necessarily organic). Usually a produce store is found very close to a supermarket.

11. Unlimited Internet - I've never had the problem of having the amount of internet I use be capped. In Korea you get crazy speeds and no one seems to care how much you use. In Australia, this is not the case. Internet prices are inflated and you're closely monitored with how much bandwidth you take. When we hit our limit our speed is severely downgraded until the next billing period starts. I've heard it's owing to the distance and the difficulty of wiring across the ocean or bla bla bla. In Canada, I paid less than half the montly price I do now and there was no cap. Quite frankly it sucks and to me it's archaic.

I originally had the list at 10 but remembered my beef with internet, thus it's now 11! (Wow, that was an exciting aside Yuri!) I could go on but I won't as I'm realizing this sounds more like a bitch-fest than I intended it to. Oh well! Cheers everyone!