The Great Canadian Language Barrier

I’m now over four months into my Vancouver adventure, and I can already say that there are some things I’ll never get used to. My unsuccessful interactions with the Canadian service industry is one of them. I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason I’m asked to repeat myself every time I order a coffee/coke/sandwich/other food and drink is because the person asking for my order is so distracted by the fact that I have an accent that they stop listening to what I’m saying. So they ask me to say it again. Every. Single. Time.

The situation got so hilariously ridiculous that three of my Canadian friends created some cue cards for me to flash instead of speaking my regular orders. We soon realised that the English-Canadian language barrier doesn’t stop at food and drink, and before I knew it I had a comprehensive set of 41 unique cue cards. Here are a few of my most used translations:

Bin = Garbage
Chips = Fries
Crisps = Chips
Lie in = Sleep in
Lemonade = Sprite
Wellies = Rain Boots
Line = Queue
Hockey = Ice Hockey
Toque = Beanie
Poutine= Chips, cheese and gravy
Loonie = 1 dollar coin
Toonie = 2 dollar coin
Hydro = Electricity
Pop = Fizzy drinks
Take off = Go away
Trunk = Boot
Hoser = Loser/Idiot
Concentrate = Squash
Cilantro – Corriander
Canuck = Canadian
Movie Theatre = Cinema
Apartment = Flat

This Is What We Live For: Vancouver’s Obsession with Hockey

Those of you with the misfortune to be friends with me on Facebook or to follow me on Twitter will be well aware that I have developed somewhat of an addiction to hockey. In particular, the Vancouver Canucks. To avoid any confusion at the outset, I’m not talking about the kind of hockey I used to play on a muddy field with the other girls at grammar school. Far from it. Think more large bearded men with oversized jerseys slamming each other into screens, ice and each other.

There is more to hockey than fighting of course. Sometimes there’s even a puck involved. Stereotypes aside, when watching my first hockey game in our local bar I was surprised to see how much more there is to hockey than fists and fights. It’s a super fast game and the players are incredibly talented. So much can happen in a minute, thirty seconds or even 10 seconds, and the tension felt by fans in the final moments of a crucial game cannot be explained with words.

At Rogers Arena for the last home game of the season. Go Canucks Go!

Although the UK heat wave and the Royal Wedding are trying to convince me otherwise, I seem to have come to Vancouver at a great time after all. The regular NHL (National Hockey League) finishes in April and is immediately followed by the playoffs, which end in the ultimate East vs West competition: The Stanley Cup final. The playoff structure is complex to say the least, and involves seeded teams competing in up to four series, each of which is decided by best of 7 games. And there’s me thinking that the second leg of a football game was unnecessary. I never fail to be impressed with the dedication of hockey fans as teams in the playoffs are in action nearly every 48 hours for up to 6 weeks, and that’s after finishing a regular season of 82 games in 6 months.