Dare We Compare?

It’s Wednesday afternoon, and you all know what that means. That’s right! It’s time for a random list!

Okay, so that’s not a thing. But it should be a thing. The Wednesday Afternoon List thing. Can I get a WOOT WOOT if you’re with me?

This week’s list is — drum roll, please…

How Halifax is Different than Victoria

When you move to a new place, it’s the little differences that can really mess with your head. Like when I lived in Germany and couldn’t find fresh milk anywhere, or Whitehorse, where wine was $4 a bottle and vegetables came pre-bruised and mouldy.

These are some of the things about Halifax that are just plain strange.

1) Bus stops don’t have a red line on the curb. You actually have to look up and see if there’s a tiny little Bus-Stop sign on the telephone pole. And don’t get me started about the quality of both the transit service and their documentation (schedules, maps, etc). Forget about it! It’s almost enough for me to seek employment with the transit company, just so I can make it all better. I said almost.

2) Hockey. It doesn’t exist out here. When people go to pubs it’s to talk to friends. Not to get drunk and yell obscenities at flat screen TVs. How weird is that? Perhaps it has something to do with all the games starting near midnight, thanks to there being no teams in our time zone.

3) Despite the absence of hockey, Sidney Crosby is EVERYWHERE. Books. T-shirts. Posters. Cardboard cutouts in the vegetable section of the grocery store. It’s like he’s a local fella or something.

4) Tim Hortons dominates the coffee industry. Though Starbucks is starting to show its little green heads here and there. For those east coasters, please note that the opposite is true on the west coast. If you’re walking down the street and you happen to notice there isn’t a Starbucks in sight then you are most likely dreaming and can start to do cool dream stuff, like take off all your clothes and run around trying to fly while screaming I AM THE DARK KNIGHT!

5) 500ml containers of buttermilk are not available in the dairy section of respectable grocers.

6) Most respectable grocers have a liquor store in the same building. This = awesome. It totally makes up for the lack of conveniently sized buttermilk cartons.

7) Postal workers are crazily, insanely nice. Not that those in Victoria aren’t nice. They are the normal amount of nice one would want from someone working in a post office. The ones here are so over-the-top helpful and genuinely sweet that I leave feeling like I have a new BFF and should expect an invitation to meet their families any day.

8) People don’t give me a hard time for not working. Unlike some of my Victoria friends. Yes, DAVID, I’m talking about YOU.

9) Sushi is waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too expensive.

10) At the majority of respectable dining establishments, coffee is included in the price of your breakfast. This is enough to make me want to live here forever.

Photo Credit

Me & Sidney Crosby by Sarah Gignac

Sidney Crosby (Feature Photo : Elliot from Castro Valley, California, USA

This article was first published in Raggedy Threads in November 2010.