The Tweedles

Sunday, August 16, 2009

I'm too Canadian even for California.

A few posts ago I mentioned that I want to move to Vancouver, and that sentiment hasn't changed. The more time I spend here the more I realize that I am just too Canadian to live here.
I find it's the little things that demonstrate this.
*I say sorry, not sari, and I know I've pointed this out before, but I get called out on it a lot. It's old.
*I feel that parenting styles differ in America and Canada. (to be fair Adam assures me that it's the same everywhere...) What I mean is that there is honest to goodness preschool for infants here. In my very large mother's group I am in the very small minority for not enrolling Trixie, and of some of the people who haven't enrolled their child, it's because they can't afford it. I just feel that Trixie is better off with me, and even though these preschools are parent participation (meaning the parents are there, it's not a day care) I don't feel that Trixie needs to start learning pre math and pre reading now. If she were enrolled this fall she would be in level 4*, where they start pre reading and pre math. At level 7 you have to have previous preschool experience. I feel that this is totally unreasonable for children, and especially children of stay at home moms! I feel that this is a very American experience. (I could be wrong!)
*I'm a socialist. Apparently that's a bad word down here right now. So much fear mongering. It's driving me crazy. I especially love when people equate socialism with communism. My head doesn't explode at all! (I won't even start on how I think that pure communism** is the best option....)
*I am so sick of the heat, and it's showing no signs of ending. Granted this is a Bay Area issue, not found everywhere.
*I'm scared of the school system down here. I was raised in a Canadian school system, so was Adam, it worked well for us. I would like to raise my children in the Canadian system. Right now where we live is in one of the worst districts in the area. The school where Trixie would go to if we were still living in this house, routinely sends kids into jr. high 3 years behind academically. Private school for kindergarden is about 20K a year.
*I like the metric system.
*I miss seeing the Queen on my money. I am a staunch Commonweather. (totally not a word, I know)
*it's pop not soda.
*Tim Horton's is too far away.
*I hate having a co-pay when I go to the doctor. (although we do have amazing insurance.)
*I like the Canadian vaccination schedule better than the one down here. (which I've totally disregarded.)

Oh and I am sure I could come up with a plethora of other reasons, but Adam has a great job with a great salary. I have dreams that Google will open an office in Vancouver, but alas, my last reason for being very Canadian is our much more pacifist nature and much better regulation in our financial industry. No crazy war to suck up all of the money and send the country and much of the world into a tailspin, not to mention the crazy lending practices down here, wrecking the financial industry. Oh recession, you have inadvertently hurt me.***

*this was at one particular preschool, although many are about the same.
**the kind of communism that Marx envisioned, the kind that can't work because most humans are greedy greedy bastards by nature.
***It hasn't hurt us too badly, pretty much just not letting us move home 'cause there won't be an office opening anytime soon in Vancouver. Well that and now Adam has to walk across the quad to get fresh ice cream in another building.

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