Sunday, November 05, 2006

Places, Words ... and the one thing my Country doesn't have - Canada

Hello everyone - I have fallen behind here so a joint post is being done to sum up the last 3 topics (and I'm open to being replaced by another Canadian as I find I just don't have the time to keep this up along with other offline projects I'm working on , and then there is my blog, and photography).
Places you should Know in Canada:
Our capital is Ottawa... so that'd be the first city you'd hear about. Then there is Calgary, Alberta - this is Cowboy Capital! Every summer there is Stampede - a summer event that spans 10 days, rodeo & fair to celebrate cowboys (preserving and promoting western values - is their theme line. The Rocky Mountains are a big draw to tourists - they are located at Western Alberta and continue on through British Columbia. Quebec city is one of the countries oldest cities - it shows a lot of history in its buildings - it is currently preparing to celebrate it's 400th year! Yellowknife seems noteworthy as it is the big city of the territories (most northern part of Canada). ... and yes, no doubt there is more worthy of noting - but I'm doing an abbreviated post to catch up on 3 topics today!
Words you should Know in Canada:
'eh - this means 'yes' , it is added on after a question often in conversation to confirm that one is listening eg: That was a good hockey game, 'eh?
Canuck - is a slang term to mean a Canadian
Chesterfield - is a word that means a couch or sofa
Pop - this is what a carbonated beverage is called (we do note that in many states they call it soda)
loonie - refers to the one dollar coin (pictured at left) , it gained this name as the loon is the animal whose pictureis featured on it.
Newfie - is the term for anyone from the eastern province of Newfoundland
Washroom - is where public toilets and sinks are, we tend not to say 'toilet' as it is a dirty or indelicate word.
Pogey - is a slang term that refers to being on unemployment assistance (government aide)
Toque - is a warm knitted winter hat. (Pictuered to the right)

And ... again, I've no doubt only given a sampling of Canadian words - but this will help you understand us! Here is a resource to look into for more.


One thing my Country doesn't have:
The one thing we do not have is ENOUGH warm weather! We want it, crave it and those that can afford it (and even not at times, thanks to the ability to accumulate debt) do head off to warml places like Cuba, Mexico and Hawaii during our winter.

-Posted by Desiree

2 Comments:

Blogger Mo said...

I love the term loonie as for us a loonie is an idiot! What you call loons we call "divers" and in NE Scotland a loon is a men/guy/bloke.

Re weather, we know a couple - he is Scottish, she is Canadian. They lived in Scotland till about 7 years ago. Then they decided to move to Canada. They missed Scotland and moved back here. Then the kids missed Canada so they moved back to Canada. Then they decided winters were too cold so they moved yet again (and hopefully for the last time)back to Scotland. They're now resigned to dark Scottish winters.

4:47 PM  
Blogger Jock said...

Hello Desiree,

I have a great friend from Montreal, and I really admire how you canadians FEEL the weather. Maybe it´s because you have all distinguish weathers, so you appreciate the changes: the flowers, the sun, the snow, the trees, etc...

That´s fabulous!!

7:12 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home