THE CANADIAN WAY OF LIFE

Canada is the second largest country in the world with a population of 36.71 million as of 2017. It has a total of 10 provinces with 3 territories and all vary in both land and water area. Canada is a bilingual country with French and English being the national languages. It is a very diversified and inclusive country.

When you think of Canada, some of the few terms that come to mind is friendliness and safe. I can attest to the fact that Canada is filled with friendly individuals and it is also a fairly safe country to live in. I find that Most Canadians in nature are friendly and polite. They are also approachable in the sense that if you are lost and not sure of the directions you can ask someone on the street for directions and it’s very possible that they can help you navigate your way around. In terms of safety, Canada is actually ranked 8th out of 162 on the safest and most dangerous countries ranking.

Canada is a country that allows you to be who you are for there is respect for Individualism. Canada allows you to be free to practice your religion, it is accepting and appreciative of the different ethnic backgrounds and races that constitute the population and it also offers the freedom of sexual orientation. 

learn more here :  https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-010-x/99-010-x2011001-eng.cfm

Ottawa:

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and it is in the province of Ontario. It is mostly famous for the parliament hill, the many government buildings, the popular Canadian Museum of Civilization, the famous Tulip festival that is held every year in May, the bizzar temperatures especially during the winter season and the famous Rideau Canal which is known as the longest skating rink in the world during winter.

What I like about Ottawa is the fact that it is easy to move around, with the main means of transportation being the O.C transpo, since the city is not as big as other cities such as Toronto it doesn’t take as long to commute from one destination to another, it is not as busy as other cities which gives a feeling of a more relaxed environment where you don’t always have to feel like you are always on the go, the standard of living is not as high as other major cities such as Vancouver and Toronto, there is a lot of beautiful architecture such as the château Laurier hotel and the parliament

Popular dishes and desserts that are a must try:

The most Popular pastry in Ottawa that is a must have is a beaver tail. This pastry is actually hand stretched to resemble the tail of a beaver and it comes in many different flavors and is best served with a nice hot cup of coffee, chocolate or tea especially during the cold winter days. Trust me once you try it, you will understand the obsession.

Another popular Canadian dish is poutine. It originated from the province of Quebec and it is a dish containing French fries, cheese curds and topped with gravy. When I at first heard of this dish, I was skeptical for I just didn’t understand how one can eat fries with gravy. The combo just didn’t make sense to me, until I tried it and I understood why it can work. The cheesy and saucy taste of the fries is just mouthwatering and the plus side of it is that you have a variety of toppings that you can add such as bacon, chicken, beef or even veggies. “Poutine festival” is a popular festival celebrated by many Canadians to express their love for this dish.

Popular slang

Just like every other country, Canada too has very popular lingo that many Canadians resonate with. For example most Canadians refer to a dollar as a “loonie” and a “toonie” for two dollars. At first I always used to get confused with these terms but eventually I adapted to it and I now even find myself using them in my vocabulary from time to time. And apparently the term loonie comes from the fact that the coin has a loon on it.