Thursday, August 7, 2014

Same Same but Different

I posted these pictures on Facebook to show some similarities and differences I've noticed between Fresno and Edmonton.

#1- Costco here sells poutine!

#2- There's such a push to "go local" in Fresno... Not the case here- fruit comes from all kinds of places around the world!

#3- I haven't seen any Share a Coke bottles in Fresno yet this summer.  They're everywhere up here!

#4: Ok, bonus points: What's missing in this pic? (typical toilet here) Sorry, this stall did have toilet paper, but it got cut off when I took the pic!

#5: Water here usually comes without ice. If you want ice, you have to request it. ( In Fresno, I usually request water with no ice).


#6: LOVE the playgrounds in Edmonton. Every neighborhood has one that's open for anyone to use. In Fresno, most are locked up and accessible only to kids during the school day. Playground equipment like this one (it spins) would never be installed in Fresno- it'd be a lawsuit waiting to happen. (I'm actually going to do an entire post about playgrounds in a bit).

 
#7: Definitely haven't seen this in Fresno, but it's almost a necessity for Edmonton! (anyone from Fresno/Clovis know what this is for?)


#8: Do I really need a description?! Yum...

#9: Edmonton has a great public transportation system (Fresnans would be very impressed).




#10: I wonder what it would be like to teach in Edmonton... There are many options for schools, most impressively, the immersion programs (ex. Arab, Hebrew, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, ASL...) This school has Chinese immersion.




#11: Edmonton is covered in snow for most of the year (duh, an obvious difference). When the snow finally melts though, there are tons of potholes and always major road delays due to construction!


#12: When it's time to pay for your meal, your server will bring one of these machines to the table for you to pay with. Cards used here come with a "chip."


 #13: No doubt about it- Edmonton is a hockey town! Even in the off season, there is hockey talk on sports radio!



#14: Let's be clear- you'll never find this at our house! This is an example of how much more everything costs here! $14.99 for a 6-pack. Oh, another difference is you can legally purchase this at 18 years old!

#15: We can usually predict Fresno's summer weather, but Edmonton's is incredibly unpredictable!! (lightning, hailstorms, flash floods, etc)

#16: Language... Some commonly used differences: washroom/restroom, pop/soda, runners/tennis shoes... (Feel free to add others if you think of others!) Also, most things are translated into French here, not Spanish.

#17: Neighborhoods have 2 publicly funded elementary schools, and 1 of them is Catholic. I like that each neighborhood has a "league" to encourage community. Each community has its own skating rink in the winter. Also, in the summer, there are green shack programs at many playgrounds for community kids to come participate in fun activities.

#18: Jason calls Canadian money, Monopoly money because it's so colorful! The new bills have a clear plastic-y panel. Instead of bills, there are coins called a toonie ($2) and a loonie ($1). Canada no longer uses pennies- every amount is rounded!

#19: Edmontonians- correct me if I'm wrong- no shoes are worn inside the house! (or is that an Asian thing?) When I was a kid, we had to take off our outdoor shoes at school and change into indoor shoes. Anyone want to comment on whether that's still the case?





#20: When I first moved to Fresno, I had to learn how to pronounce certain words differently because I taught 1st grade/grade 1. That's why I don't sound Canadian anymore! I also had to learn how to spell differently!

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