"Are you Canadian?"
Since publishing “So You Think You Know CANADA, Eh?: Fascinating Fun Facts and Trivia about Canada for the Entire Family,” I’ve been asked if I’m Canadian. I am not. I just really love Canada.
My first trip outside of the U.S. was with a road trip with my grandparents when I was 14 years old. We drove through and explored Wyoming, South and North Dakota, Minnesota and then into Ontario.
I remember loving all of the different landscapes with the Badlands of the Dakotas, the stone faces on Mt. Rushmore and being amazed at how many lakes we saw as we made our way through Minnesota.
But when we got to Canada, I remember it being a pretty big deal. I remember people being particularly kind and friendly. I remember seeing trash cans and fire hydrants painted with friendly faces. I remember seeing beautiful scenery and lots of it. We weren’t there for very long, maybe just a night or two and then came back into the U.S. to make our way back to Utah where we had started. It was a quick trip, but it left a big impression.
I grew up watching the Canadian produced TV movies, Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea with Meagan Follows and dreaming of visiting Prince Edward Island and seeing the gorgeous red sand beaches for myself.
Before James Cameron’s record-breaking movie, Titanic, came out, I had done a school report on it a year or two before. I remember being fascinated by the events and did as much reading on it as I could. I knew that Halifax, Nova Scotia was where many of the recovered bodies were taken to be identified.
I know it was a tragedy, but so many things went wrong, one after the other and I wondered why and what could have been done to prevent it. I also was fascinated by what happened as a result of the sinking of the Titanic.
A few examples include:
- The new way of identifying people in mass casualties and how that is still the method used today
- How it’s required by law that boats now have enough lifeboats for every person on board.
- The International Ice Patrol was formed after the Titanic sank to monitor icebergs in the North Atlantic and to warn ships.
Poutine - French fries covered in brown gravy and covered with cheese curd.
Throughout the years, I met and interacted with several Canadians. Each of them being kind, friendly, and the type of people I wanted to make my friends. I loved hearing them say familiar words and pronouncing them in a way that was new to me, but in a way that I loved.
I also loved that they had a few different foods that I’d never heard of and immediately fell in love with – poutine, their maple syrup candy and a few of their chocolate bars like the Caramilk and Wunderbar.
Earlier this year I read a book about writing a book and decided that I wanted to give it a try. I wasn’t sure what I would write about because I don’t consider myself an expert in anything. But the more I thought about it, I thought about how I love facts and trivia, I love to travel, and I love sharing new places and cultures with others.
Many Americans know someone who is Canadian, has visited Canada or is at least familiar with a few of their quirks. So it seemed like a fun place to start.
So I researched and read everything I could get my hands on. I drew on things that I remembered from my Canadian friends telling me and my trips throughout the years.
I loved Canada before starting this project, but I love it even more now. It’s a fascinating country, with lovely people, breath-taking nature, and all the fun facts and trivia you could ever hope for.
The book is on sale now
Check it out if you’d like learn more about the flapjack app that makes it easy to find the 200,000 free pancakes available during Calgary’s Stampede, the “Frozen Chosen” who live at the top of the world, or Canada’s UNESCO World Heritage site named “Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.”