I moved to Canada seven years ago today, to the day. I wasn’t new to resetting my life and starting from scratch in a new city, but doing it in a new country was a first, and that too after leaving a stable job. India, the land where I spent 25+ years of my life, shaped so much of who I am, and the shift to Canada was significant. Sometimes we make the mistake of assuming what we’re used to is how the rest of the world works. That’s why travel matters so much and why moving countries can be transformative. No country is perfect, every place has its pluses and minuses. But seven years later, I look back with gratitude for how much this country has given me. So today, in this post I am celebrating the seven things I absolutely love about Canada.
1. Libraries: The one thing I love the most about moving to Canada is definitely the libraries. They are everywhere, spread out nicely among different neighborhoods and they offer far more more than just books. Libraries here organize classes for skills development, hold workshops for new immigrants, bring in speakers from diverse fields, the list goes on. Whether you want to book a study room for a focused study session or hold a small meetup with friends you can do it at a library. During my Master’s I spent most of my time in the multiple University Libraries. The Engineering and Medical Library, Woodward Library was the one where we used to book most of our group work sessions. It was my favorite spot on campus.
One mind blowing feature offered by the libraries here is the Inter Library Loan service. If a library branch or network does not have a book in their collection they borrow it from another library network anywhere in the province. All you have to do is make the request. I once had a book shipped from a different library network almost 400 km away! After moving between multiple cities, I now have library cards from three different networks.
2. Hiking and Walking Trails: Back in 2018, when I told a college friend that I was moving to British Columbia he said I had chosen the best province to move to in Canada and that I, as a hiker, would love it. After moving here I saw exactly what he meant. The hiking infrastructure is incredible. First off, there are many kinds of parks, from small neighborhood ones to massive national parks. And they have proper hiking trails which are maintained year round with proper signage and all kinds of amenities depending on the usage. Coming from a country with lower hiking infrastructure, this was amazing to see. My first few years in Canada, I was constantly impressed by how organized and systematically maintained the trails were. Now I am simply used to it.
3. Museums and History: As a history buff I love the fact that every city and mid-sized town here has a museum. The way local history is preserved and displayed for the public is commendable. I have visited all kinds of museums in my seven years here in Canada including Railway Museums, Power Station Museum, Sternwheeler Museum, Truck Museum, Flight Museum and even a Military Museum.
4. Amber Alert: The first time my phone went off with an alarm blaring and screen displaying an Amber Alert notification, I had no idea what was happening. I read the message quickly and frantically tried to turn it off, then immediately looked up what an Amber Alert was. What I learned blew my mind. I loved it! An Amber Alert is a message displayed on phones across a province or a region whenever a child is reported to be abducted. This is to ask the public for help in locating the child thereby saving valuable time. Many children have been saved through this system.
5. Traffic: Coming from a country famous for its chaotic traffic, Canadian roads feel like bliss. Driving here is smooth, organized and far less stressful. There’s proper signage, systematic signals, and almost no random honking. If someone honks, it usually means a serious mistake was made. Fun fact: I only used my horn maybe nine times in my four years of driving here.
6. Diversity of People: I love the sheer diversity of people living in Canada. During my seven years in Canada I have made friends and acquaintances from over 28 countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, the UAE and the United States.
Because of this diversity the food scene is incredible. I order food or dine at Lebanese, Persian, Afghani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Uyghur, North Indian, South Indian and Japanese restaurants. One of my go-to grocery stores is Persian. In Kelowna, where I lived for a couple of years, I used to regularly order Dhaka Kachhi Biryani from a Bangladeshi home chef.
7. Side walks and walking: I just came back from a 5 km walk in my neighborhood. With calm streets, sidewalks on almost every road, proper signage and pedestrian road crossings with signals, walking here is a breeze. I go for walks regularly, and even at work, my boss and I take short walking breaks.
Seven years in, these everyday experiences, from libraries to trails to the people around me, have shaped my sense of belonging in Canada. Here’s to many more years, inshallah!
PS: Link to a previous post where I wrote about my first impressions of Vancouver.