Moving
to Canada was one of the biggest changes in my life. At the same time I could
not agree that it was the hardest decision I’ve made so far. I needed a change
and the opportunity was too good not to be taken.
But
what did I actually know about this country? And no matter how much you try to
explore and prepare yourself, there is no way you can avoid a certain
phenomenon called “culture shock”. And before I move on about the surprises
and differences, there is a video I recently saw on youtube channel, and I
really liked what this lady was saying, so you might be interested in seeing
it.
They
say Canada is half-breed of Europe and America. With my South-European
background and humble European traveling experience, I haven’t seen much of
Europe in Canada. Maybe the reason for that is in the fact that I am currently
living in Alberta, and for some European experience I should move a little bit
more western, to BC maybe? So in order not to make any mistakes and accidental
insults, I should limit my comments to the city of Edmonton and impressions I got
here. A vast expanse of space is the first thing I noticed here. Huge highways,
huge cars, not just cars, pickup trucks… Coming from a land where 80% of the
population had Fiat 500 as their first vehicle it was a massive change for me.
In the province rich with oil it is more than normal that most people will be
oriented to having one or more vehicles. So everything is adjusted to this way
of life. There are many drive thru fast food restaurants and cafés, but a few
of them have outside gardens. Somehow, the excuse of cold and winter doesn’t
seem good enough for me to cover this coincidence. There are a lot of
running tracks and bicycle lanes, but I would like to see more of them
incorporated in the urban fabric. Public transportation for some reason seems
very chaotic to me? Maybe the catch is in the “orthogonal state of mind”, but I
just don’t seem to be able to figure out the public transportation network.
LRT line (yes, there is just one, so no chance of losing yourself there) should
definitely be expanded. Maybe I just still haven’t discovered some super cool
and effective smartphone app for getting around in public transportation? The
good thing is if you get lost, you can always ask a complete stranger on the
street. Yes, Canadians are very friendly and helpful people. And beautiful
skies, sunsets and sunrises are some of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen
in my life. If you add to it the fact that it is completely normal thing to see
squirrels, deer and white rabbits in the middle of the city, than even if Alice
in Wonderland is not your favourite fairy tale, you have to admit there is
something special about this place.
View to Muttart Conservatory - 4 pyramids botanical garden of Edmonton
The view to Edmonton downtown and Macdonald hotel from High level bridge
North Saskatchewan River covered in snow
Beautiful sunrise in Fort Saskatchewan
Churchill square at night
Buffalos in Elk National Park
Whyte Ave - one of Edmonton's most famous attractions
Arty shop window celebrating spring and Easter
Garneau theatre - a historic movie theatre in 109 Street
Timms Centre for the Arts, located on the University of Alberta campus
