Things I Love About Canada (#SFATW September)

Souvenirs From Across the World is a feature created by Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books! It was created so all of us bloggers could get more acquainted with one another, sharing “our countries, cities, cultures, traditions, writers, authors” through blog posts, and then (if you want to) getting paired with another blogger and sending one another souvenirs through the mail!

The main goal of Souvenirs From Across The World is to create a link between all bloggers, from everywhere, and to share a bit of the diversity that makes everyone unique on the blogosphere.

Since hearing about the last #SFATW feature a few months ago, I’ve been excited for the second round so I could give it a go! This month’s theme is ‘Things I Love About [your country/city]’, and I’m happy to share some things I love about Canada/Ontario!

1. The Outdoors

This probably isn’t specific to Canada, but I genuinely love how much we value spending time outside, preserving natural spaces through provincial parks and trails and heritage sites. Both my adopted hometowns (the one I go to school in, and the one my parents live in) have so many lovely walks, beaches, and breathtaking views. My school even has a river running through campus, and if that’s not awesome, I don’t know what is!

5AM kayaking at the provincial park I camp at every year

White trilliums are the Ontario provincial flower; they grow wild and it’s illegal to pick them!

2. The Snow

Although there are definitely times I curse the snow, and wish for summer (usually when waiting for a bus in -30 degrees weather) I really do love it. I remember in my first year of uni, there were a bunch of international students living in my building, and when the first snow came around, they all went out and played in it like kids, in total wonderment! It was so humbling. Of course, two days later they were all wishing it didn’t exist, but it really is quite magical. Some of my favourite memories are blanketed in snow. I’ll take the cold over the excessive heat we’ve been having lately any day.

Me, on a road trip with a friend, standing on a snow covered field (with lake Ontario in the distance)

My campus in the winter (that’s the river running through the middle!)

My campus again, this time with the view from the library

3. Apple Picking

This is more specific to where in Ontario I actually live – there are apple farms everywhere! In the fall, it’s a family tradition to go apple picking a few times, making applesauce, apple  pie, and apple crisp! 

4. The Road Trips

Because Canada Ontario is so big (you could drive 5 hours and still be in the province), we end up going on a lot of road trips, which I love! My family and I have driven east from Ontario as far as P.E.I. (which is absolutely stunning!) and north to the very top of Ontario, and we’ve gone south into the U.S. All that’s left is to go out west (and probably more to the north), which I my brother and I plan to do once he finishes high school!

This was taken when we went out east a few years ago, on the boat while whale watching (AND WE SAW A POD OF BLUE WHALES, WHICH ARE MY FAVOURITE)

The flower pot rocks in New Brunswick!

There are just so many beautiful places in Canada! Ben Brown (a Youtuber) also made this absolutely breathtaking video of western Canada, which you should definitely check out!

5. The People

Okay, okay, so Canadians have a pretty cliché reputation around the world, and while we don’t all ride polar bears/ski to work, or play hockey, or apologize every other sentence, I find most Canadians to be genuinely nice people. Of course being Canadian doesn’t guarantee kindness, but I love walking down the street and smiling/saying good morning to someone, or having a casual conversation with a complete stranger.

 

Image Credit: Miyuki Satake, Shutterstock

 

And most people are very accepting of difference. There’s a lot of diversity here. This is probably my smaller town roots getting nostalgic, but there’s a sense of community that comes with being Canadian. You can meet another Canadian in a completely different country, and it’s often like talking to a neighbour.

 

That’s my list! Check out the #SFATW schedule here so you can participate too! Happy Wednesday!