Canada: An Unexpected Final Destination

Canadian Health Care: At Least We're Covered

2011-09-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Many of you have probably at one point in time heard me raving about the greatness Canada's universal health care system and how excited I was to finally to be eligible to partake in it. I've been eligible for benefits for about a year and a half now, and although I'm extremely grateful to be covered at all, I have unsurprisingly discovered that the system has its own unique set of problems. But

The Beginning of a New Blogging Era (I hope...)

2011-08-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

"I should write in my blog." That statement has been echoing in my head for the last 6 months; however, it's been almost 10 months since I wrote a respectable post for this blog. It's not that I have nothing to write about--I just haven't felt like writing. When I experience something that inspires me, my brain automatically starts composing a post in my head and will not stop until I spew what's

The Making of a Snow Angel: The Movie

2011-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Starring: Gail GromaskiDirected by: Jeff CreamerFilmed by: Jeff CreamerSpecial Effects Provided by: Jeff CreamerLocation: Jeff's Mom's Backyard, Vanderhoof, British ColumbiaFilm Date: December 28, 2010

Canadian Holidays: Thanksgiving & Halloween

2010-10-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

I often get asked if Canadians celebrate certain holidays the same way Americans do, so I decided to start blogging about holidays in Canada as they come about (instead of writing a big blog post about all of them at once, which would probably be massive). There are a lot of commonalities between many US and Canadian holidays in general; however, there are also differences in how and when these

Canada's "Think Pink" Quarter

2010-10-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

How cool is this? Jeff and I just came across a Canadian quarter with the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon printed on it, and I, of course, had to investigate. I had to steal this picture from the CBC (sorry, please don't sue me) because my camera wouldn't pick up such small details, but I just had to share it, especially because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, both in the US and

The Difference is in the Cookies

2010-10-24T12:27:00.002-07:00

"Do you guys know where I can find a good Girl Scout?" I asked my American coworkers one day out of the blue. At the time, I was having a mad craving for some Carmel deLites (aka Samoas) but had no idea where (or should I say, from whom) to get them. They turned from their desks to give me the usual "Is this girl serious?" look, but then we all started doing research on how to find a local Girl

LGBT Rights: Canada vs. the US

2010-10-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

Since I moved to Canada, I've often wondered about differences between the US and Canada's laws when it comes to protecting their LGBT populations but never really researched the topic in depth. On the surface, it's amazing to me that even though the countries appear to be so similar in numerous ways, same-sex marriage has been recognized in Canada at a federal level since 2005 (at a provincial

Bowling the Canadian Way

2010-08-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Jeff, my Mom and I went bowling last weekend, but it was much unlike any bowling my Mom and I have ever encountered in our lives. "5-Pin Bowling" is a version of bowling that is exclusive to Canada. Apparently, most bowling alleys in Canada have it or have a combination of 5 pin and 10 pin lanes. Some crazy Canadian from Toronto created it in 1909 in response to some that complained that 10 pin

WTF Washington?!?!

2010-04-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

This all-vegetarian restaurant called "Veg Express" just opened about a block away from where I work in work in Washington. If being all-vegetarian wasn't unique enough, my co-workers told me that the restaurant is just a trailer in the middle of a big parking lot with no tables or anything around it. Deciding that I had to see this, I went to investigate, and this is what I found:I was like, WTF

Hockey Night in Canada Starring....Jeff & Gail!

2010-03-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

You may see some familiar faces in the upper right corner of this clip of the Abbotsford Heat hockey coach going ballistic... ;)

Olympic Torch Arrives at our House

2010-02-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the crappy quality of this video, but I think it still captures the spirit of the event quite well. It was so awesome, it brought tears to my eyes.

We did it!

2010-01-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I officially became a permanent resident of Canada. In other words, I got my "green card!" I was pretty nervous about it as I just wanted it to be done and I was worried that they'd find something wrong with the paperwork or with the car or whatever. Surprisingly, we spent maybe a half hour total actually at the border--the other 6 hours that we were on our mission were spent moving my

Crossing Over

2010-01-03T08:25:00.001-08:00

Well, the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: I have everything I need to land as a permanent resident in Canada. A few weeks ago the immigration folks asked me to send them my passport (thank God I had gotten a passport card too when I renewed), and they put a visa in it and sent it back. Now all we have to do is get my crap out of the storage space we rented in Washington,

Identity crisis

2009-11-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

Today I got mistaken for a Canadian by a Canadian because of my accent. WTF? I guess I've been picking it up, and my co-workers in Washington have been noticing it too. Why can't I ever get something sexy-sounding, like a French accent? No offence to Canadians, Cincinnatians or Michiganders, but I feel like I've gotten the shaft in terms of sounding cool. On the other hand, I've learned over the

Drive at Your Own Risk

2009-10-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

The crime rate in Vancouver is in general pretty low for a major world city; however, the greater Vancouver area is one of the world's capitals for auto theft. In fact, the nearby town of Surrey is considered the "car theft capital of North America." Therefore, you are planning on visiting Vancouver or the surrounding areas and driving a rental car while you're here, be sure your doors are locked

Immigration Update

2009-10-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

We were just sent the final bill to complete the processing of my immigration application, which we promptly paid online the same day, so my permanent residency card could come any day now! Hurray! It's been almost 5 months since they received the initial application, so hopefully we'll stay within the average processing time frame of 6-8 months. Although it will be awesome to finally be granted

"Green" taxis

2009-09-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

I don't think this is solely a Canadian thing, but the other day Jeff and I passed a cab that was a Toyota Prius!I couldn't believe it! Jeff said that they're quite common these days. Cool eh?(FYI: I didn't take the picture above, but it appears as though it's in Vancouver due to the area code.)

WTF Washington?!

2009-09-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

I've decided to change the name of my Washington posts simply for the reason that the title above is way funnier than "Washington Weirdness," and I aim to entertain. Anyways, the subject of today's post concerns my impression that WA hasn't entirely left the 1960's. Evidence to support this claim includes:1. Washington has a "bug" problem.It's amazing the things you notice while driving. No, I'm

Gail's Guide for Customs Survival

2009-08-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

Having now crossed the US-Canada border 54 times, I'm starting to learn what to do and what not to do when crossing. This may not be so interesting or useful for most people, so, if you are one of those people, feel free to stop reading anytime--I'll understand. But for me and those like me, these methods become a source of survival in terms of saving time and, most importantly, sanity. So,

Washington Weirdness

2009-08-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Although the State of Washington is obviously not in Canada, the only reason I am going there is because I live but can't work in Canada; therefore, I think it's ok to include stuff about it in this blog (I blame Canada for deflecting attention from itself).Anyways, it probably be more fitting to call this new segment of my blog "Washington Uniqueness," but that doesn't sound nearly as good

Cell phone madness

2009-08-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Is it less expensive to:A) Call a Canadian cell phone that's being used in the US with a US cell phone that's being used in the US;B) Call a Canadian cell phone that's being used in the US with a Canadian cell phone that's being used in the US;C) Call a Canadian cell phone that's being used in the US with a US cell phone that's being used in Canada; orD) Call a Canadian cell phone that's

Not chasing butterflies

2009-08-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

I recently obtained a marketing manager position at a small IT company in Bellingham, Washington. Although Bellingham is only about 27 miles away from Abbotsford, it takes me about an hour to drive there, mainly due to driving on all back roads, some of which have speed limits of only 25-35 MPH.Before I go any further, I would just like to clarify that I feel immensely lucky to have been

Discovering Canadian Oddities: An Ongoing Occurrence

2009-08-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Canadian Oddity #6: Naked Bike RideThis particular oddity isn't exclusive to Canada, but it takes place in a lot of major Canadian cities, and Vancouver is no exception. Apparently hundreds of cyclists strip down to their birthday suits and ride around the city to protest oil dependency. Last weekend, Vancouver cyclists were also protesting the fact that there aren't enough bike paths in the city

Discovering Canadian Oddities: An Ongoing Occurrence

2009-08-06T05:29:00.000-07:00

Canadian Oddity #5: Provincial Independence DaysEach Canadian province has it's own sort of "independence day" in which they celebrate when the province was formed. Monday happened to be BC Day, and most folks (including Jeff) had the day off. Can you imagine there being a New Jersey Day, a Michigan Day, a Texas Day, etc.?

Immigration Secrets Revealed!

2009-07-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

I've kind of been at a loss of what to write the past few weeks, but today it dawned on me that I'm totally forgetting probably one of the most noteworthy and unique experiences I'll have in this country: immigration. Jeff and I have been dealing with this process for so long now that it just seems like a normal part of our lives, hence my neglect of addressing this issue earlier. I get a lot of