This article is from the Toronto Star.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/09/24/how-toronto-compares-to-new-zealand-from-pests-to-junk-food.html
It is written by Olivia Carville, a New Zealander who has been living in Toronto for a year now.
As a Canadian who lived in New Zealand for a little while, I can TOTALLY relate but from the flip side.
1. Tipping: Yup, we do it in Canada and the States. It is definitely nice not to have to think about tipping. You would think the service would be abysmal, but it isn't! The kiwis are still nice to you. Now, maybe they aren't asking you about your drinks or your food immediately...so it's not quite the same...but it's not bad.
2. Driving on the other side of the road: Yup, definitely an adventure. And even when you return to Canada after driving kiwi style for a while it's still an adventure. It's especially funny when you want to signal and the wipers go off...even funnier when it's a sunny day with no rain in sight.
3. Caesar: Hey, I learned something new! I didn't know that this drink was primarily consumed in Canada. Although I've had them, they are not my drink of choice. They don't make me cringe though!
4. Moving at -25C: Ha! Yes, it does get quite cold in Canada. But you know what...at least we are warm inside our houses! The number of poorly insulated homes in New Zealand is astounding. Even more surprising is how modern these homes looked. I missed insulated housing and HVAC systems dearly while living in NZ.
5. The accent: This New Zealander gets her accent mistaken for Aussie, and often has to spell out her last name (not a difficult, or uncommon one). I got asked if I was American a lot. People could not understand me when I said "desk." I feel her pain.
6. Toronto city life: Cold. Impersonal. Dressed-up dogs. Netflix. vs. Jandals to work. Jandals - you might be wondering what these are. In Canada, they are known as flip flops. Someone once told me that it stood for Jesus sandals. Anyways, these are all descriptions of the writer's Toronto life. In contrast to Toronto life, New Zealand life is more about lifestyle and less about the rat race she is talking about. Definitely different.
And now we move on to her real list of differences! :
7. Pests: Possums vs. Raccoons - I've seen many raccoons in Canada, but I did not see that many possums. I also lived in Canada for a lot longer, so that might have something to do with it.
8. Chips and Sauce: Fish and Chips vs. Poutine - I personally love both. LOVE!
9. Living: Flats vs. Apartments - no experience with this one.
10. Water: Pacific Ocean vs. Lake Ontario - I think I like the ocean more since it's more exotic for me. But I think it's awesome that Lake Ontario is an awesome source of fresh water.
11. Pie: Mince pie vs. apple pie - I tried a few meat pies in New Zealand, but maybe I didn't try enough of them because I never got hooked on them. But apple pies...yummm
12. Sports: Rugby vs. Hockey - It's true that there are a lot of die-hard Leafs fans around, but I feel like the kiwis have us beat in terms of enthusiasm for their national sport.
13. Sweets: Lollies, Goody Goody Gum Drops, and Pineapple Lumps vs. Pudding, candy and doughnuts - I have only tried the pineapple lumps she mentioned. I was not a fan. Doughnuts are soooo expensive in New Zealand. It's nice to come back to Canada and be able to have one of the many different flavours of donuts around...for $0.90 vs $2.50
14. Travel: Farm bikes and cars vs. subways and streetcars - She mentioned gumboots! Gumboots are basically those knee-high rubber boots. They are worn on farms, and other messy environs. Anyways, the main mode of transport is/are farm bikes/cars. In downtown Toronto you have your subways and streetcars. If she ventures out of the downtown core during rush hour she might notice tonnes of cars, especially on the highway.
15. Christmas: Beaches and BBQs vs. Snowflakes and mulled wine - It is a huge difference. Celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer felt quite odd. One other thing to note is the amount of commercialism associated with Christmas in North America. There are Christmas items out for sale in late September! Decorations are out usually just after Hallowe'en (she doesn't mention Hallowe'en, but this is also a major difference in the two countries. It is a big party in the T-dot...not so much in NZ).
There are so many other little differences to note, but this article was a good throw back to living in New Zealand.
