What I Love About Canada, eh? (apartment, houses, neighborhoods)
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no worries in 1992 my wife was posted to the Canadian Embassy in Moscow, i went with her
we lived there until 1994 before coming back to Ottawa, was a fascinating time, just after the massive political changes that had gone on under Mikhael Gorbachev
yes we were there during the attempted coup - tanks rolling down the boulevards and and attempted storming of their version of the White House. In fact one of my neighbors sons was injured in the attempt to take over the Ostankino TV tower
yes we were there during the attempted coup - tanks rolling down the boulevards and and attempted storming of their version of the White House. In fact one of my neighbors sons was injured in the attempt to take over the Ostankino TV tower
Interesting. I was there then, as well, just passing through to Russia's easterly regions. I had to watch the news footage on TV carefully for several days before departure, to make sure it would be safe, because I was taking a small group, and we had a meeting scheduled in one of the ministries in Moscow. I went back for several months each year after that, through most of the 90's. The society changed tremendously in some ways, after the crash. Many people were excited to be free to host foreigners at home or office, and spend as much time with foreigners as they wanted. Back in the old days, everyone was limited to just a half-hour chat, nothing more. OTOH, it was a very difficult time as well, due to the economic crisis resulting from the collapse of the prior system.
Was your wife a career diplomat? Had she had other postings? I had some wonderful interactions with a Canadian consular officer in Latin America years ago. It's another thing I appreciate Canada for. Unlike the US embassies, there was no security in the offices the Canadian embassy occupied. No fortifications. No barbed wire. They rented a floor in an office building, and you took the elevator up, as if going to any business office. Exiting the elevator, there was a reception desk. That was all in terms of admission procedure. This made a big impression on me. Frankly, I was stunned. Night and day compared to the building the US embassy occupied, which ironically was across the street from the Russian embassy.
Night and day also with respect to the arrogance of American embassy officials, who tend to be routinely rude to locals applying for visas. Though Canada isn't inundated with the same numbers of visa applicants as the US, dealing with long lines of interviewees all day/week/month is not any excuse to be rude, and to deny some of the applicants their rights.
The whole experience at the Canadian embassy caused the thought to arise in my mind for the first time ever, that I wanted to defect to Canada.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 09-16-2022 at 02:33 PM..
Canada has it's problems like everywhere, but it is still a fantastic place to live. I could list negatives, but this is about the good things.
Nature has been mentioned. Every country has nature of course, but here ( talking about Vancouver and BC ) it slaps you in the face.
Politics! No system is perfect, but ours seems to work well. I don't feel disconnected from government. I trust the voting system, especially after having worked in an election. I saw the safeguards with scrutineers etc. Having a non-partisan agency like Elections Canada is vital. This helps me when I don't like who is in power. I'm glad a PM doesn't have the power that a US president does, and that someone with no political experience can ever be PM.
All my dealings with government agencies have been pleasant including CRA, MSP and CPP. Mind you, I go out of the way to be nice.
Most things work and life for me is pretty smooth.
I feel content and I agree with their being a feeling of unity overall. I think the Canada forum sort of shows that. Most of us posters come from different backgrounds and have some different ideas on things, including politics, but I don't think we ever get nasty. Even I who lean left, have friends that lean right. We enjoy our conversations about politics...especially over a few beers. I think the thing that keeps the peace, is that even though we differ, the CORE beliefs are the same.
Was your wife a career diplomat? Had she had other postings? I had some wonderful interactions with a Canadian consular officer in Latin America years ago.
Sorry for delay i missed reading this, she had four postings Stockholm, Vienna, Brasilia and Moscow the rest of the time being spent in Ottawa
1 Canadian Tea - so much stronger and aromatic than most American tea
I have a question about this. A lot of the tea sold in the US is actually British tea. I haven't noticed that it's stronger and more aromatic than American brands, including American varieties of British tea. Now I'm intrigued to try Canadian tea. How does it compare to Brit varieties, I wonder? There's one US brand that does a "double Bergamot" Earl Grey, that's definitely more aromatic and flavorful than any Brit Earl Grey I've ever had.
Where do you buy your tea in Canada? Grocery stores? Tea shops?
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