canadian and proud of it

After only a couple of days in Canada, I have come to the conclusion Canadians are as patriotic as Americans. I doubt you'll find a Canadian who will like the comparison. I doubt you'll find a Canadian who likes Americans. But there it is. Today the troubles of Hurricane Irene seemed a world away as the sun shone on southerwestern Ontario. After another lazy morning I decided to walk into town to take a look around. I also wanted to get a Canadian cell phone. So I walked the 3km out to Rogers, one of the main providers in Canada. From what I've heard, they are the Canadian equivalent of Telstra: good coverage, bad service. It didn't take too long to get sorted. As I walked through the suburbs, I noticed a lot of Canadian flags. I saw the same thing yesterday on our ride to Port Dover. It's just not something we do in Australia. I guess we wear the print on clothes and thongs though - wasn't that a heated debate earlier this year?!

The town has a downtown area, but the establishment of major chains outside this area has decentralised the town. The Rogers store was in the 'new' area so I walked back into 'downtown'. I had lunch at a small cafe and worked out I'm not a fan of dill pickles. I fear this is going to go about as well for me as trying to avoid corriander in Vietnam. I also got mistaken for a Brit. Mick told me later it's common. It's like an Aussie trying to pick the difference between Canadians and Americans.

I got back to Mick and Lyn's after a couple of hours walking around and without getting sunburnt. I then spent the next couple of hours studying and completing the Serving it Right exam. It's the British Columbia version of the Responsible Serving of Alcohol certificate and it's compulsory if I'm going to work somewhere that serves alcohol. I don't need it just yet but I figured I might as well get it out of the way.

That evening, choosing between pizza and a barbecue for tea, I chose the latter. It seemed like a touch of home. After eating way too much, Mick and I chilled on the couch watching House before I called it a night.