5 signs you're in Canada

Mostly things are pretty normal around here and I almost forget that I'm in a different country. Then, suddenly, something unexpected happens to stir me back to reality. I'd like to share 5 of these "you're in Canada" moments from the past month:

1. We went to the movie theater and along with all the regular preview trailers, there is an ad for the local transit union. Yes - unions are still strong here!


2. Similarly, listening to the radio I heard an ad for Ontario goat cheese, paid for by the government. I tried to find a snippet of the ad online and couldn't, so you'll just have to trust my (faulty) memory on this one. I remember both being surprised that cheese was being generally advertised and then thinking, "Mmmm cheese, local cheese....."


3. How much does it cost to send a letter to the US? It should be simple, it takes one $1.05 stamp. Then I got all confused trying to match the price of the stamp with the price I paid until I realized that you have to pay TAX on stamps! It was a good dose of what Boyd and I describe as a Canadian "would you like tax with that?" moment. 


4. I went to my first dental cleaning using our new insurance! Our free provincial health care doesn't kick in until the end of the month (90 days after arriving in Ontario) but dental care is covered by Boyd's work plan which began on July 1st. Here you pay for the dental work upfront and then the insurance company reimburses you. However, unlike in the US, my reimbursement was deposited into my bank account less than 24 hours after my appointment! Nice.


5. Last night we went to see the movie Argo. It's based on a true story of 6 American embassy workers in Iran in 1980 who escape the invasion of the embassy and are hiding in the Canadian ambassador's home. The CIA devises a plan to make covers for them as Canadian film makers to get out of Iran. (That's a pretty rough outline of a GREAT movie!) Anyway, there was a perfect moment when one of the Americans is trying out his cover as a Canadian and adds, "eh?" to the end of his sentence. The Canadian audience at the movie had a good laugh at that one - "silly Americans making fun of us." :)