What is it like to come home to Canada?

[kool maudit]

I pretty much always had these. I think a few places in Mtl had baseboard electric but most had these, and I have them here too

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

That was really interesting. I can see how France might be like that. I also get your point about nature -- Stockholm is much, much better for the outdoors than Montreal or Toronto, and it's largely due to things like nature reserves, trail networks and things like this.

Most European countries also have a much more rural countryside than the more populated parts of Canada. Our countryside is full of scattered development like random subdivisions and estate lots all over the place. That contributes to the feeling that true countryside is hard to get to. And most of our small towns and villages are kind of depressing. Instead of compact, walkable villages we have hundreds of tiny Mississaugas. There are exceptions of course, but even our best small town centres tend to be surrounded by sprawl.

[drew]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

That was really interesting. I can see how France might be like that. I also get your point about nature -- Stockholm is much, much better for the outdoors than Montreal or Toronto, and it's largely due to things like nature reserves, trail networks and things like this.

Canada has "crown land". Once you know where to go, it's glorious. And free.
Wilderness camping obviously - but that's my kind of thing.

It's probably a bit hard to find good, uncrowded places in southern Ontario (and possibly southern Quebec) - but NWO is great, and within reasonable access to where I am.

[niwell]

Despite the incredible landscape nature was surprisingly difficult to access in South Africa compared to here. There are lots of amazing parks but safety was always a concern and it was never a great idea to venture off on your own. Takes a bit away from it when you have to figure out a group visit. There have even been incidents on the trails considered “safe” in Cape Town when someone decides to do it alone.

I love living next to High Park in Toronto - it’s a great place filling multiple roles and parts of it still feel very natural. And I don’t feel at unease walking there with the dogs even late in the evening. Except for tripping hazards in the dark. Weirdly enough I feel like there’s better access to trails in Toronto than our place in Napanee where you’d have to drive a bit to find any uninterrupted nature (lots of rural private ownership). And as mentioned Toronto isn’t that great for it in the big scheme of things.

[kool maudit]

High Park has got to be one of the most underrated parks in the country.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

High Park has got to be one of the most underrated parks in the country.

Mont-Royal and Stanley are tough acts to follow.

[MonctonRad]

This is a nice, fresh and enjoyable thread to read.

My longest time outside the country was in Washington DC for several months as a radiology resident doing a radiologic pathology course.

DC always felt a little foreign to me, although it was a little hard to pinpoint the main reason why. It of course was a lot more urban than I was used to, and heavily African American (although the ones I interacted with, including my landlady were uniformly very nice people). My course was at the AFIP (Armed Forces Institute of Pathology), which was on an active military base, and, the US military is a very serious institution. You had to mind your P's and Q's around there. DC just seemed older and more consequential than anything I was used to in Canada, especially hanging around the National Mall and the Smithsonian buildings downtown, as well as all the national memorials. This included the US Capitol and the Supreme Court buildings. There just seemed to be so much gravitas there - certainly more so than in Ottawa (I have spent enough time on Parliament Hill to know the difference), and, in some ways, even London in the UK. I have spent time there too.

In any event, it was a relief to get back to Canada. It just seemed so much more relaxed and laid back. I appreciated the instant familiarity on my return to Halifax (where I lived at the time).

[SignalHillHiker]

I've two buddies who spent a year in Prague, hated it, and returned home with the wide-eyed gratitude of refugees. They've since tried Malaga, and next Lisbon, and now when they come home I feel like I'm working their suicide watch. They are so over Canada in ways that are either specific to here (the inertia, the public transit still being a social service for the poor, the City charging 6x what Toronto does for a restaurant patio, the handful of suburban councilors whose inspiration is the Maritimes, etc.) or generally Canadian (the expense of everything, the difficulty staffing their business, the fact winter exists, etc.). They feel here now the way I felt living out west. It's sad to me, but hey, we only live once. At least they're now conscious of how they want to spend theirs.

I've never spent that long outside the country. Returning home after more than a decade on the mainland was my equivalent. And, to me, of course, it was very equivalent. I'm thrilled to have come home. Genuinely still smile with gratitude every time it comes to mind that I'm here.

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by Mister F

Most European countries also have a much more rural countryside than the more populated parts of Canada. Our countryside is full of scattered development like random subdivisions and estate lots all over the place. That contributes to the feeling that true countryside is hard to get to. And most of our small towns and villages are kind of depressing. Instead of compact, walkable villages we have hundreds of tiny Mississaugas. There are exceptions of course, but even our best small town centres tend to be surrounded by sprawl.

And yet the comparison is very flipped when you look at the US. Random subdivision after subdivision, breaking up the country but never close enough to be a town. Compared to say, Mississauga, where there is a very stark line of built up area on one side and open fields on the other.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

My course was at the AFIP (Armed Forces Institute of Pathology), which was on an active military base, and, the US military is a very serious institution. .

The US military vs the Canadian military is a study in contrasts in terms of seriousness on so many levels.

The police can sometimes be a bit like that too.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by drew

Canada has "crown land". Once you know where to go, it's glorious. And free.
Wilderness camping obviously - but that's my kind of thing.

It's probably a bit hard to find good, uncrowded places in southern Ontario (and possibly southern Quebec) - but NWO is great, and within reasonable access to where I am.

In Southern Ontario, crown land camping is pretty easy to do in the area surrounding Bon Echo Park, at the north end of Lennox-Addington and Frontenac counties. Most of the land there is crown and even on midsummer weekends its not hard to end up with an entire lake to yourself with a bit of hiking. One of the things I love about living in Kingston is that this area is not that far away.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

DC just seemed older and more consequential than anything I was used to in Canada

There are times in the US when, quite apart from marveling at their messy politics or difficulty with debit cards, you feel that sense of consequence.

I had that in New York once. I was an exceedingly minor figure, really a mere observer, in a meeting, and the events being discussed gave you that shiver.

"This is the United States of America." This is Rome. This is going to matter.

[kool maudit]

(It actually didn't matter that much that time but the moment was had)

[niwell]

Weirdly enough the only place I’ve gotten that kind of feeling was in Berlin. New York is impressive on a different kind of level but in Berlin it was immediately like “holy shit, so this is what an Imperial Capital feels like”. Just an impressive weight of history and monument on a different scale, regardless of how messy side streets full of graffiti may be.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

There are times in the US when, quite apart from marveling at their messy politics or difficulty with debit cards, you feel that sense of consequence.

I had that in New York once. I was an exceedingly minor figure, really a mere observer, in a meeting, and the events being discussed gave you that shiver.

"This is the United States of America." This is Rome. This is going to matter.

Whereas in Canada, precious little feels like it's "of consequence".

Even in Ottawa it's surprising how one feels the affairs of the country often aren't taken that seriously.

Ottawa is sort of like the CFL of politics. Except that it's actually the main playing field on which our collective future is being decided.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by niwell

Weirdly enough the only place I’ve gotten that kind of feeling was in Berlin. New York is impressive on a different kind of level but in Berlin it was immediately like “holy shit, so this is what an Imperial Capital feels like”. Just an impressive weight of history and monument on a different scale, regardless of how messy side streets full of graffiti may be.

I don't normally associate New York with all that, and sometimes I forget that its the US at all -- it's its own thing. But that day, I left to walk down Broadway and damned if I didn't notice how many of those big old deco ziggurats were flying the stars and stripes. "This is theirs. This is the big pile of coins under the dragon."

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

"This is the United States of America." This is Rome. This is going to matter.

Very well put. DC feels exactly like that.

London can feel like that too. I most noticed it exploring Westminster Abbey, and seeing the tombs of all of the luminaries of the Empire all together in one place - Newton, Darwin, Rutherford, Dickens, Kipling, etc. It really made you think that you were in the presence of greatness, and, in a place that really matters.

Canada’s Walk of Fame, not so much......

[MolsonExport]

Great thread, and great idea for a thread. Will comment when I have some spare time.

[kwoldtimer]

I have returned to Canada five times over the years after living abroad for periods of 2 to 4 years. Each time, I have been struck by how simple and comfortable life in Canada is compared to much of the world. On the world reality scale, we're living in a bit of an amusement park. Coming back to Ottawa four of the five times just reinforced the feeling - it is an extraordinary quality of life, if you are not looking for drama.

[Truenorth00]

The longest I've been away was in California. Landed back in Ottawa right in the middle of winter. This time with a spouse and a kid who was seeing snow for the first time.

I think something to keep in mind is not just your personal perspective. But how much a changing family perspective can drive your view. I left Ottawa in 2012. Came back in 2019. Tons of changes in there. Meanwhile, my wife had never seen Ottawa before. And coming from London, ON, she was actually shocked at how big Ottawa was. She was genuinely fascinated by it. And I got to sort of experience Ottawa through fresh eyes.

Things we noticed moving back from California:

1) How much more the job market sucks in Canada. It's much more competitive and your coworkers are all very guarded.
2) How much healthcare sucks.
3) How much worse our family support services are, especially in the military.
4) How much better public transit is (than the US).
5) How much more expensive everything was.
6) How much less we worry about authorities here. From security on base to beat cops.

Most interesting shock? We get out of the airport and it's been a long day of travel. It's late. But I'm happy to be back in the homeland and feel that my patriotism should be indulged with a Tim's. So we drive to the first Tim's outside the airport. I ordered my usual and the minute I tasted it, I nearly spat it out. Turns out I had lost the taste for Tim's while away. I regained my citizenship when I found out that I hadn't lost the enjoyment of poutine.

Alternatively, everytime I come back from Europe. On business or vacation though, I got through a few days of mini depression. I realize how ugly our cities are. And I don't just mean downtown. Average subdivisions can suck. Getting around is so much more difficult. From the lack of intercity rail to the lack to cheap flights to worse transit. The food. Everything from poor produce quality to so much crappy fast food.