Welcome to Ottawa.

So it’s been a month already and I AM FINALLY posting my first blog about Canada. I’m not really sure where all the time went. Let’s just say this past month has been somewhat surreal. Regan and I spent the first 2 weeks couch surfing with some friend’s downtown. The first week they took us curling. Google it and you will realize it is that weird ice sport that you probably laugh at when watching the winter Olympics. We also went to our first ice hockey game. But don’t be calling land hockey ‘regular hockey’, the Canadians may get offended. We eventually found a little studio to call home in Centertown. P.s don’t mind my ‘z’s’, my spell check is American :)



Home Sweet Home



Snowplowing the yard

University life is surprisingly similar…with a few changes here and there. For example, they are really into their sports. We went to a Carleton v Ottawa U basketball game (these two universities are rivals) and it was insane. Im talking body paint, full body morph suits, the works. Carleton won of course.

 Since I don’t live in residence I don’t really get to see all of the exchange students. I do stumble across them in classes and at events, such as the basketball game, every now and then. It can be quite refreshing to hear an Aussie accent!

In terms of Ottawa in general: I’m in love with the snow and the ease of access to everything around the city. Although, I have noticed a few strange things about Canada or perhaps Ottawa to be more specific.

1. You can’t get a monthly phone plan if you don’t have good credit. If you have no credit that counts as bad credit. But you can’t establish good credit without getting a product that will give you credit such as… a monthly phone plan…. I’ll just take a prepaid thanks

2. We are still not sure if the carton that says ‘cream’ is actually cream or if it’s just ‘full cream’ milk (which is not cream) you dig?

3. The cheese is always orange unless its mozzarella or from the gourmet section.

4. Two bus tickets = One bus ticket. One bus ticket never equals one bus ticket. If you have one bus ticket you pay the difference between the ticket price and the regular fare in order to equal… one bus ticket. You’re not following are you? Neither am I.

5. You have to buy cheque books. You don’t just get them for free when you open a bank account.

6. Everybody prefers cheque!

7. Now my American spell check is trying to tell me that cheque is spelled ‘check’

8. Everyone drinks beer. Literally… everyone. Except me.

Oh and we live next to a crazy lady named Maria, who happens to own a B & B. The only reason we know her name is because we looked up the B & B on trip advisor. Every time she sees us coming she literally turns her back and pretends she didn’t see us. Its really quite weird. How someone like that can run a B&B I will never understand. On the plus side they have oreo icecream in a container available at the supermarket, shops are open late, kebabs are cheap, and we spent an amaaaaazing weekend in Mt Tremblant for SnowJam. Seriously one of the best weekends of my life. We still have our VIP wrist bands stored away in a little box for memories sake.

Until next time..whenever that may be :)