{"id":16041,"date":"2016-07-04T13:53:05","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T11:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/?p=16041"},"modified":"2025-05-31T11:11:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T15:11:31","slug":"expat-miss-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/expat-miss-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Expat: What I Miss from Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

To celebrate Canada Day, La Presse (a Montreal newspaper) asked Canadians expatriates to send a list of things they were missing the most from our country. I answered, but my text was not published as\u00a0the journalist was overwhelmed with contributions (see article in French<\/a>)!<\/p>\n

That gave me the opportunity to publish it here on Sur a Boeing Bleu de Mer<\/em> where I can add a few pretty pictures. While reading my list, you might\u00a0find it tinted with nostalgia for Qu\u00e9bec. Canada is a big country from which I have seen relatively little (Qu\u00e9bec, Ontario and New Brunswick). One day, I hope to perfect my Canadian culture and get know the Rocky Mountains as well as the Great Plains or the Canadian Shield.<\/p>\n

\"camping_parc_mauricie-2973\"
The last time we camped at La Mauricie National Park, I was sick. Unfortunately, I took only a few pictures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Going Camping in One of Our National Parks<\/h2>\n

These parks are fully equipped for campers, but you still feel surrounded by wilderness. My favorite is La Mauricie National Park<\/a>\u00a0where\u00a0I often camped in my youth. The prices for a camping spot have drastically\u00a0increased since the 90s, but\u00a0the scenery\u00a0remains breathtaking.<\/p>\n

If my body had\u00a0been strong enough this summer, I would have liked to visit the park, once again, for a completely wild adventure: canoe-camping in the back-country.<\/p>\n

\"Tire
Delicious maple toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Real Maple Syrup Sold in Tin Cans<\/h2>\n

\"canne-sirop-erable-pur\"Nowadays, maple syrup can be found in any French grocery store. Is it as good as the one found in Qu\u00e9bec? Nope. They sometimes contain additives and they are\u00a0sold in clear-glass bottles which is not a great idea for a product that is sensitive to light. I buy real maple syrup in tin cans when I travel back to Qu\u00e9bec, otherwise I do without!<\/p>\n

\"Ruelle
An alley with fresh snow in the neighbourhood of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Snowy Winters<\/h2>\n

I might have cursed winter in the past, perhaps even called the snow \u201cwhite shit\u201d, but I now realise that winter is part of my identity. I dearly miss the cozy atmosphere after a snow storm and full moon winter nights. One day while I was at my in-laws in the French Alps, my sister-in-law caught\u00a0me lying in the snow and watching the starry sky \u2026 she thought I was weird! However, I am well aware that Canadian winters are not like those of yesteryear and that there are fewer snowfalls these days.<\/p>\n

When I dream of moving back to Canada, I see myself in Yellowknife, Whitehorse or buying an outfitting business in Northern Qu\u00e9bec. As Robert Charlebois sang:<\/p>\n

I will return to Montreal
\nIn a large sea-blue Boeing
\nI will return to Montreal
\nTo marry winter
\nTo marry winter<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. Bureaucracy that does not drive you crazy<\/h2>\n

\u201cSo to get my residence permit, I need to send you a telegram copy of my great-great-great mother’s\u00a0national custom certificate\u00a0on the sixth Thursday following the first full moon of the summer, and later come back to sign the form with the blood of a virgin?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Akira,
Akira is a Canadian dog, he moved to France with me in 2008<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. My Family in Qu\u00e9bec<\/h2>\n

They are\u00a0simply irreplaceable even if I get\u00a0lots of love from my in-laws. I miss Quebecers’\u00a0sense of humor, always ready to play a prank or to tell a joke. Fortunately, in this modern era it\u2019s easy to keep in touch with Facetime and free long-distance calls.<\/p>\n

6. The Sound of Wind Rustling through the Trees<\/h2>\n

Apparently, I can get weirder than lying in the snow alone at night. It\u2019s hard to explain, but wind passing through trees does not make the same sound on this side of the Ocean. Maybe it’s because of Canadian tree species reprensented\u00a0in our forests?<\/p>\n

\"Lac
Where I cut my foot on a bullhead fish at Lake Berthier, Lanaudi\u00e8re region<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7. Spending Time Close to a Lake<\/h2>\n

What a joy it was to take a boat, paddle away from the shore and to dive into fresh water! The lake of my childhood had a slimy floor, was\u00a0rich in algae and its depths were obsidian black. Despite leeches and bullheads, I prefer swimming in a lake than in the sea \u2026 except when it comes to snorkelling.<\/p>\n

I dream of one day renting a cottage by a lake with singing bullfrogs in the evening\u00a0and beautiful sunsets over a water mirror.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To celebrate Canada Day, La Presse (a Montreal newspaper) asked Canadians expatriates to send a list of things they were missing the most from our country. I answered, but my text was not published as\u00a0the journalist was overwhelmed with contributions (see article in French)! That gave me the opportunity to publish it here on Sur […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[26,821],"class_list":["post-16041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle-en","tag-canada","tag-quebec-en"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/stade_olympique_montreal-5250.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16041"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29372,"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16041\/revisions\/29372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boeingbleudemer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}