Thoughts & Things

25 Canadian Things That Culture Shocked My Irish Boyfriend

As I have previously mentioned, I am in a long distance relationship with a wonderful man who is from Northern Ireland. He is currently visiting me here in Canada (he has been here since Late May, and will be here until the end of July), and since he arrived he has found that there are many things here that feel incredibly foreign to him (as things tend to feel in a foreign country). Many things that have given him a bit of a culture shock have been things I honestly didn't even spare a thought for. He has provided me with assistance in creating a list of things that shocked him in coming from Northern Ireland for a visit in southwestern Ontario, Canada.

1. Bagged milk.
2. Corndogs being called Pogos.
3. Pogos being readily available in many places.
4. LGBTQ+ acceptance being widespread.
5. Root beer is delicious.
6. The visual design of houses is different.
7. Cars drive on the right side of the road instead of the left.
8. The driver's side of the vehicle is on the left instead of the right.
9. Houses having basements is normal here.
10. "Walkers" chips there are called "Lays" here, and offer different flavoured selections.
11. Menthol cigarettes are illegal.
12. You can't smoke on bar/restaurant patios.
13. Bongs are available for sale in many convenience shops.
14. Banks charge monthly fees to users to keep the account running.
15. Paper money is actually plastic.
16. Coin money is just plain different.
17. Poutine is delicious.
18. Sex clubs and strip clubs exist.
19. There are sex shops with clean and friendly environments.
20. Cashiers are super friendly.
21. Taxes are not automatically included in prices.
22. Harvey's is a fantastic fast food place.
23. The summer heat is too much for his Irish skin.
24. Electronic crosswalk signs having timers.
25. Nerd specialty shops are widespread and popular.

(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Eighty-Seven. Eight days of leave taken total.)