By Hesti Steenkamp

I recently had the incredible opportunity to experience Canada first-hand. Me, myself and I. Not only as a well-deserved getaway but also to form an impression of the country and its people. It is different to experience a place yourself. No postcard or stock photo is completely true to reality, and you have to experience that kind of cold personally! In addition, I have never seen snow before, so it was a bonus to plan my visit for the winter.

I would travel via Frankfurt (I was very impressed with the SAA flight) and Montreal to Halifax, Nova Scotia. In Montreal, however, a snowstorm was waiting for me. My flight to Halifax was cancelled three times due to bad weather, and in such cases the airline does not provide for hotel accommodation for stranded tourists. I was trapped for almost a day at an airport where most people were not very friendly and didn’t even speak English.

I was ready to throw in the towel and just go home when I met Iris Inkpen. She is a granny from Newfoundland, a province with people known for their kind-heartedness and generosity. Apparently, she regularly picks up broken-winged birds and she took pity on me. We shared a hotel room after the airline moved all passengers on our last flight, just before midnight, to the next morning. She paid for the room although I did not expect her to do so. ‘I have to use the room anyway. Next time you help someone else again,’ she said politely. I was stunned! But so grateful. When we finally got on the plane and took off, we happened to find out that we were sharing a birthday. I wrote down her details so that I can contact her again later, and I still think about her.

Halifax is an island off Canada’s east coast. I stayed with friends. Louis and Debbie live on a picturesque smallholding with a forest in their backyard. The weather was moderate for February – the temperature ranged between -2 °C and 2 °C during the day but dropped to
-17 °C at night. However, the house inside is wonderfully cosy! Most homes in Canada have a basement floor and this is where I slept.

I soon realised that my shoes were not snow resistant and on day two invested in a pair of waterproof snow boots that keep your feet warm even at temperatures of -40 °C. I did not slip on the smooth ice so easily with them and didn’t want to take them off again! Some mornings the snow was about 10 cm deep and if your car is outside, you must wipe it clean before you can use it. The streets are scraped and salted early in the morning but your driveway is your own responsibility. Everyone keeps it clean – they just do it.

I could really see what a family’s week looks like in Canada – where they shop, what kind of products are available in stores, the school bus etiquette, how garbage is sorted (a bin for recycling, one for compost and one for general junk) and that a tumble dryer is an absolute necessity. I also attended two church services. I visited Peggy’s Cove on the coast, the Titanic cemetery and the waterfront where I enjoyed a Tim Hortons doughnut and coffee. Tim Hortons is a Canadian institution and sometimes there is a branch at every corner.

From there I went to Winnipeg in Manitoba, a province that is situated more or less in the middle of the country. The town where our family will live, Altona, is about an hour and a half south of the capital. The hotel I was staying at is centrally located, so everything is within walking distance. It’s significantly colder there than in Halifax! Although it did not snow during my visit, there was thick snow and ice on the road everywhere because it was too cold to melt. The down jacket I borrowed from a colleague was a blessing, and you wouldn’t venture outside without a toque (it’s a cap in Canada), a thick scarf and gloves. The daytime temperatures ranged between -20 °C and -5 °C and the nights were even colder. However, the weather did not deter me! I met a lot of people, all very nice, and look forward to engaging in the community.

Some interesting things about Canada

• At first, it was a challenge to drive on the right side of the road, but you quickly get used to it. It helped that my rental car was automatic, and the heated seats (and steering wheel!) were a bonus.
• There is a plug on every wall of every room, even the bathroom. It makes a lot more sense than the elongated extension cords we need in South Africa.
• Pedestrians always have right of way. When you start crossing a road (at a legal pedestrian crossing, of course), the traffic stops immediately.
• There are garbage bins everywhere in the malls, and you must throw your junk in the right bin for recycling.
• Rooibos tea is available everywhere.
• Taxes are not included in prices on store shelves, and taxes differ from one province to another.
• There are no walls or fences to be seen, not even around schools. Many people also do not have curtains in front of their windows.
• Canadians don’t talk about ice hockey – it’s just hockey. If you refer to the other variety, it’s ‘field hockey’.
• The speed limit is slower than in South Africa – 50 km/h in neighbourhoods and 100 km/h on the highway. Speed fines are double near schools.
• You have shoes for inside and shoes for outside, and when you enter someone’s house, you take your shoes off.
• Everyone struggled to pronounce my name…