Canadian restroom graffiti:

Imagine a square sticker with a cute fluffy sheep on it. The stickers says "Don't be a Woolly Bully. Never wear wool. PETA." In marker an arrow above the sticker points to: "So I should wear cotton grown with pesticides?" Below that it says, "Organic cotton takes 3x the land space."

I love Canadians!

PS It still doesn't beat "Never buy drugs from a dealer who drives a Kia!" Now that's practical advice anyone can use.

A Revelation: Canadian Politics Are Interesting!

I'll be the first to admit, as an American we have a very Amerocentric view of the world. I've always known this, but it is so much easier to see now that I'm living across the border to the north. There is so much similar between the US and Canada that it's difficult sometimes to remember that I'm in a different country, especially when I see streets dotted with Wal-Marts, Home Depots and McDonalds among others. When it comes to politics, however, it's a completely different world. I don't know anything about Canadian politics. I hardly knew that Stephen Harper was the Prime Minister and I didn't really know much about the structure of the government. I'm still in the process of learning, but the learning is interesting.

I will say that the Canadians know so much more about American politics than I'd guess many Americans know. One of my classmates already proposed the idea that John Edwards may have had more ability to create a stronger shift left in the US Democratic party than Obama or Clinton because they both had to make concessions to reassure people as a result of their respective minority statuses. The first thing I thought was, "You know who John Edwards is?!" Canadians not only know who are elected leaders are, they know who was the third place finisher in the US Democratic Primary! Crazy! This is just one example of a series of conversations I've had since I've been here.

Today I went to an anti-prorogation rally on Parliament Hill. "Just what the 'bleep' is prorogation and why would anyone be against it?", you might ask. Well, besides being somewhat difficult to pronounce, it is a very controversial political move. In this case, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided to suspend Parliament from now until March, meaning they get a couple months off work. As a result all bills pending in Parliament, 37 if I recall correctly, are expunged and will have to start over from the beginning when work resumes in March. This is the second time Harper has suspended Parliament, the last time being December 2008. At that time he was facing the possibility of a no-confidence vote from Parliament. This time he was facing questions about Canada's role in the ultimate torture of Afghan detainees. The stated reason for the suspension is that the government needs time to come up with the next phase of the economic action plan.

One reason this is so controversial is that the Prime Minister is not directly elected by the people. He is chosen by the party with the majority members in the House of Commons, which is one of two branches of Parliament. The House of Commons is popularly elected. By suspending Parliament, the not-popularly-elected Prime Minister gets to stop all work being done by the popularly elected portion of the federal government. Tricky, huh? Can you see why there was a rally against it now?

I probably got some of that wrong. I'm still learning, but it's pretty interesting. If you are still with me at this point, you probably think so, too. That, or there is nothing better to do.

Well, that's my Canadian civics lesson for the evening. I don't yet have an entire grasp on their health care, but I'll let you know.

Cold is a relative term.

People in my classes like to ask me how I'm adjusting to the weather. When I respond that I've discovered I kind of like walking around campus outside instead of the tunnels, they are all quick to interject, "It's not that cold yet." It always seems like there is a hint of joy in striking fear into the heart of unsuspecting visitors. I imaging it's a little like asking visitors to Austin how they like the weather in the middle of the summer. I can't say I haven't felt a twinge of satisfaction in saying, "Oh, this isn't hot," when someone complains of a 95 F degree day (practice with me, that's 35 C).

That being said, with the right layers and accessories the cold is not so bad. I took an hour long walk outside today in the park across from campus and I never really felt cold. The temperature was about -10 c (15 F). Thanks to the neck warmer I found at the used clothing store, I can even keep my nose warm. I kind of like breathing the air outside. It's invigorating. I've posted some of the pictures I have taken over on Facebook if you want to see more.

Classes are good so far. I had to reassure a classmate that it was okay to criticize the US in front of me, because it's possible I might agree with what she has to say. I've got lots of reading that I can find plenty of ways to avoid. I have also rediscovered the regular nap. How is the world did I work 5 days a week for all those years without a regular nap?

Ice Skating for the first time.

So I don't have any pictures, primarily because I'm pretty sure I would have busted my camera if I tried to take it and ice skate at the same time. I did, however, ice skate. There is an outdoor rink across from campus here in Ottawa. I rented some skates and met with a group of students from the Graduate Student Association. I can report that I made it around the rink at least 4 times with only one fall. The only fall came when I was trying to practice the proper stopping method. I guess falling down is one way to stop. I had a good time and met some really nice people.

Classes have started and I'm swamped with reading already. If I total all the writing assignments in all of my classes, I probably have about 100 pages worth of writing to do. Yikes! The good news is all of my classes are very interesting, so it shouldn't be hard to pay attention.

Don't worry, though. I am planning on taking advantage of all the activities I can while I'm here. There are several meet & greets this week along with a tour of Parliament and later this month there will be a snow shoeing trip. The best advice I've gotten since I've arrived is "embrace the winter!" I find that I spend much more time walking outside now that I'm here than I ever did in Austin. I just walked back from ice skating tonight and it was refreshing, even though it's -6 C (21 F) outside.

On the walk to the skating rink, I witnessed a debate between people from 3 different areas of Canada about what type of cold was the worst, a dry cold or a wet cold. I had to laugh because what I was thinking must be what others think when Texans argue about a dry heat versus a wet heat. I was thinking it's pretty freakin' cold!

Modes of Transportation

Getting around in any new place can be a daunting task. It's only made more complicated by ever falling snow and frigid temperatures here in Ottawa. I also am relying solely on public transportation. Looks like a recipe for fun to me!

My primary mode of transportation here on campus is by foot. I've mentioned the network of tunnels that connect every branch of the campus. It makes it easy to get around campus without having to layer up in all the warm weather gear, but they are often stuffy and uninteresting. I decided it was time to use the other network for getting around campus on foot...outdoor sidewalks! Turns out you can get from point A to point B around here much faster than in the tunnels. It also turns out that it's not that bad walking around outside. In fact, it's quite nice, especially now that I've found the right combination of layers.

I've seen joggers and even cyclists moving around outside. A guy on my floor was coming back from an hour-long bike ride at about 9 am this morning. He said he's a competitive cross country skier and cycling is the best way to stay in shape when he can't ski. These insane individuals have almost inspired me to go for a run outside. Another few days of running on a treadmill may just cause something to snap. We'll see.

My second mode of transportation is public transportation. There is a train station on campus and a bus stop. Today I took the train to go grocery shopping. I learned two things. Grocery shopping without a car sucks, and never go to the gym before you take the train for groceries. The walkways are all mushy with brown slush from people walking on them, so in between the store and the train as well as the train and the residence, there is nowhere to set the groceries down and rest. My shoulders and arms are so tired. Now I have some essentials that I hope I can make last a good long while.

I don't have class tomorrow, so I plan on taking the bus downtown and having a look around. I plan on taking some pictures then. In the near future, I also plan on utilizing other forms of transportation such as via toboggan, ice skates and snowshoes. I'll let you know how that goes.

I made it!

I have arrived in Canada for my Winter adventure. Classes start tomorrow, but there aren't many people around yet. It's been snowing since I arrived yesterday. I've seen at least 4 inches of snow accumulate on my windowsil since this morning.

Today I wondered around campus in their crazy network of tunnels that connect all the buildings trying to find all the the places I need to go tomorrow. I have to say, the tunnels are a nice way to get around. It's been pretty brutal the few times I've been outside. The current outdoor temperature is -8°C (that's about 18°F). I'm getting the hang of those conversions. The tunnels are lined with murals painted by the different floors of each Residence Hall. They are all pretty creative and most of them are pretty funny.

Classes start tomorrow and I've got several errands to do on campus plus a couple of orientations. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday I will catch the bus and take a look around Ottawa.