Notable Differences

Besides not getting my fingers and toes warm enough, there are other noticeable differences in my surroundings since returning to Canada. For one thing, Where are all the bugs?

Take the kitchen for example. There is no struggle for dominance over uninvited critters! You can leave the sugar uncovered and never see a single ant. Yes, my friends in the tropics, not one ant approaches the counter. At most, a lone fruit fly may show up if there's a really old banana sitting out. (All the fruit is generally inaccessible to them being in the fridge.)

So, now, this is a good thing. I mean, it's a great thing that I never have to scope out the bathroom for a cockroach before entering. There are none. There are not even small cockroaches, much less the stretch-limos we're used to seeing in Malaysia. And forget about seeing a cloud of termites all over your living room floor, dropping their wings like dry leaves that dissipate into every crack and cranny.

That's not happening. Not here in Calgary. No bugs!

For that matter, neither are there any snakes nor lizards scooting around. And definitely, no RATS. Believe it or not, it is said that Alberta has eliminated all rats from their province! Go figure THAT.

What we do have here are basements. These are rarely if ever seen in the tropics. In the cold North, a house must have a basement. That's to anchor the house solidly through the freezing and thawing of the ground, something that's not a problem in a consistently warm climate.

Sidewalks are also something we take for granted here. If you happen to spend time as a pedestrian, you'll appreciate the pristine condition of Albertan sidewalks. You'll also appreciate the consideration of drivers here who will immediately bring their cars to a dead stop should you even look like you might be heading out onto the road.

Something that has impressed me here is the rich blue colour of the sky. It's just a lot bluer than in other places for some reason. And the clouds are fluffier, too, it seems to me. No kidding!

And, last but not least are the autumn leaves! The trees just burgeon with red, yellow, orange and gold at this time of the year! Pretty!

Calgary Accomodations

Just as a personal reflection, I'd have to say that Calgary is "dry". I mostly notice it at the skin level. After having lived for the past two years in Malaysia where water sits on the surface of one's skin 24/7, probably one of the first things I noticed after arriving here is that my skin is not wet anymore. In fact, it's cracking up! I became a little obsessed with finding natural hand creams, face moisturizers and body lotion.

The second thing I took note of is the "cookie-cutter" housing. (Watch out cuz I think I'm going to get a little negative here and quite possibly over exaggerate by expressing my own opinions.)

Because the landscape is mostly flat with only a little gentle rolling to it, entire housing developments can be seen with the naked eye from quite a distance. And they all look the same.

Ok, to be fair, I have to specify that these are recent housing developments. You can go back as far as two decades and find that the same-looking siding was used on hundreds of attached homes as well as the same roofs, windows and doors. Talk about cookie cutter. And every home situated in the same neighbourhood has the exact same layout inside.

I prefer random.

Ha! My grandsons like to use that word "random" in ways that I never would have imagined. And, in many cases, it sounds like they're using it to describe something that was either annoying, disgusting or generally unpleasant. (What does random mean, anyway?) To these kids, things are either "random" or "cool" and it seems they can't be both. Right?

However, when it comes to housing, I prefer something unique. Let's use that word instead. You know, a home that looks like it's a bit different than all the others, in a neighbourhood with houses that are all a little unique in some shape or form. Either the front door is a different colour, or there are different shaped shutters besides the windows. Possibly an awning or front walk stands out as being (God forbid) different.

Perhaps the housing that has sprung up so quickly in Calgary attests to the "big boom" that made Alberta famous for having the strongest economy in Canada. In essence, I believe it still does have. The oil industry is still alive and well and enticing newcomers from all over the country and the world.

And, as long as there are people willing to rent or buy a house that's identical to their neighbours', these type of dwellings will continue to proliferate. And any exceptions will just be "random".