Does Saskatchewanian = crazy?

Lately I have been feeling more Canadian than usual, or more Saskatchewanian to be exact. Which coupled with my readings lately on the finer details of the realist outlook on international relations, has got me thinking a lot about identity questions and the concept of 'othering'. What makes up our individual identity? What leads people to believe themselves the same as some, and different than others? Nationality? Ethnicity? Geography? Language? History? Values? Experiences? Why do we feel the need to categorize and differentiate ourselves from others? Is it intrinsic in our natural process of self-identification or is it a byproduct of the societal and theoretical structure in which we live? What makes people prefer to donate to charities "at home" rather than donate to international charities and organisations? Is it calculated? Based on need? Based on a pre-existing preference of charities? Or is it simply because we feel this inherent pride, unity, and empathy for "our country"that we do not feel for others. That we make a clear difference between "us" and "them".

This is where it gets complicated for Canadians. The million-dollar question always is, what makes us Canadian? Seriously though, how do you provide a uniting definition for citizens of a multicultural country built on a bilingual framework? How do you aptly describe a country that is so massive, that it is frequently divided in to 6 large sub-regions, that each have their own unique geography, climate, history, and even dialect?

Well, one thing that definitely makes you stand out as a Saskatchewanian, other than the fact that you bleed green, is your tolerance for changing temperatures and "extreme" cold. Honestly, growing up in Saskatchewan, I didn't think that -30C was considered "extreme". Cold, yes. But you just had to make sure to bundle up. -40 and -50 maybe, but -20 and -30?? People here, and not even just the Europeans and Belgians, but people from all around the world, are getting out their thick winter jackets, boots, their mitts, scarves and hats (not 'toques') to brace the cold. It was about +8 today, and currently at about 12:48am it is +4 and I am still sleeping with my window open! (Must be the Grandma Zoé in me coming out).

This is very much a new concept to me that THIS is "cold". I checked out the temperatures for Stockholm when we will be there in November, because everyone keeps telling us that that time of the year it's freezing there. I relayed the information back to Andrew and Olivia that the seasonal average is from -3 to +3, and they have already started bitching about the cold. Everyone (aside from myself) has plans to stock up on warm winter clothing, some longjohns, thick mitts, and the whole nine yards.

I mean, I know we're a little crazy in SK for braving the occasional -50C with windchill, but is it not a little ridiculous that -3C is considered really cold?? Or is that just us..

For all you non-SK people, don't believe me? Check out one of these articles:
The Starphoenix (Saskatoon): Irkutsk! It's colder than Siberia
Environment Canada: The Coldest Place On Earth

And the winner is...

2 things I do not like about Beligum:

• The postal service; it has taken 22 days and counting for my student loan papers to come from Canterbury, UK. Which means that I still haven't gotten the chance to send the form back to Canada for them to process it. Which means, that I still do not have any money... 
• Bureaucracy; to do anything here, you need to fill out a form (or seven) and it will take 6-8 business days to process. You miss one appointment, and you have to re-start the process. As what happened with my registering with the commune. I wasn't here when they came to verify where I live, so they crossed my name off without saying anything. A month later upon my inquiry, I was told I had to restart the process. After 3 hours on the phone with different people at the commune and at the Police station, I finally managed to avoid restarting and got an appointment for the following week to settle it.

Things I love about Europe (that may or may not have anything to do with Belgium):

• Laws concerning alcohol consumption (or lackthereof). Because the country wasn't settled by uptight puritans *cough* North America *cough*, they aren't as anal about regulating every aspect of the sale and consumption of alcohol. As a result, the taboo is taken out of it, and you get less binge drinking and more casual drinks. You also get alcohol at every grocery store, convenience store, restaurant, and food cart on the street. You can have tables on the side walk with no need to extend a complicated liquor permit. You get people wandering out chatting on the street in front of pubs and bars without the need to crowd people wanting fresh air in to a smokers room. And best of all, you get no "last call" at 1:30am because the liquor permit expires at 2am; the average bar closes at 6am, and smaller pubs will close when there aren't any more people left inside.
• Greater freedom of expression and an encouragement to voice those concerns, especially in the forms of protests. Since school has started (not even a full month), I have seen/involuntarily been in 3 different mass protests. By mass protests I mean some major closure of a street, transit system, or company, well over 500 people gathered of marching, and any number of riot police in action. While I do appreciate and admire these protests, it makes it difficult to properly rely on things like public transit, as every time there is a protest, the buses and above ground transportation cannot pass. 
• Gender parity and acceptance of diversity; While Belgium and Western Europe as a whole are still not quite at the equality levels of Iceland, they are definitely above and beyond North America. This applies to gender equality, sexual orientation, and acceptance of diversity and multiculturalism. People may point to France's ban on burkas to say otherwise. However, have these people ever compared the level of diversity found in France compared to say, the Prairies? As an exampe, today there are over 80 different nationalities all coexisting in Brussels.
• Advanced technology; It is true that while consumer technology such as TVs, computers, iPods, etc. are cheaper in North America, every day technologies that change everything from the way we go shopping, to the security levels of computers and cards, to an eye exam at the optometrist are much more advanced here. In Canada we're just starting to see the mass implementation of chips in debit and credit cards, while here they barely know what to do with a card that doesn't have a chip. Most debit transactions are also done instantly, rather than have a minute wait time at the till. At home banking is done with either a security module on your computer or an at home chip reader to prevent fraud. 
• Going get your eyes tested and new contacts in North America requires an appointment, and minimum 45 minutes for the 7 different machines and tests, before finally getting to see the Dr, him playing with his charts, before finally fitting you with contacts. Here, I walked in to Grand Optical, told them my situation (that my roommate threw out my contact box so I didn't know my prescription) and within 10 minutes I was out. The woman who greeted me at the front desk smiled and simply brought me back to her little chair and table in the back, had me look in to this machine to check my eyes, and within 2 minutes the machine spat out my prescription and sizing for contacts. After explaining the nuances of my prescription with a level of precision and clarity I had never had before with any optometrist in Canada, she went and got a sample pair for me while she ordered the right ones in, and by the time I had put them in my eyes, she had already checked the prescription of my glasses to confirm that they matched my old one. 

Things I love that are particular to Brussels:

• "Networking" - In an orientation seminar to finding a job or internship in Brussels after and during out studies, we were told that 20% of jobs are on the internet, while the remaining 80% are on the hidden market that can be accessed only by word of mouth and meeting the right people. To meet the right people, you have to network. Networking is so important in Brussels, that we are encouraged to spend every Thursday evening (or mini-Friday), and every opportunity we can networking. Which means that we aren't just going out for the 4 different Happy Hours at Place Lux every Thursday, we're "networking". We aren't just going out for drinks at 3 in the afternoon in the Centre, we're "networking". Because in Brussels, many of the people working here are either expats, meaning they have a home and family elsewhere in the world, or/and they're young professionals, who have a life outside the office. The best ways to meet these people is either at a conference or a summit organised specifically to bring them together, or at a bar where they hang out or go for drinks after work. 
• The international environment; related to the first point of networking, it is amazing the people you meet and the opportunities you have living in Brussels. I have one friend who met, and is now seeing, this international surgeon while she was on the metro. Another friend ended up talking to and getting a business card from this guy that works at The Hague while we were out for drinks at Place Lux. Another who ended up meeting and picking up the German Nobel Peace Prize Winner as part of one of her duties as a volunteer at a particular Summit. Another who ended up meeting and setting a date with this fabulous international lawyer on a plane. They spent their evening "networking", getting introduced to all his important business contacts, and taking a private tour of the city in his BMW. I could go on and on. 

In Brussels there is an important international events happening just around the corner at all times. Walking to a cafe one afternoon several of the streets were barricaded off with police and their barbed wire fences. Apparently the Asia-Europe Meeting for Climate Change was going on next to where we wanted to get coffee, so the shop was closed. Or the Summit that Kent students had an opportunity to volunteer at the hosted dozens of important international academics and figure heads such as the Nobel Peace Prize Winner. 

Doing a Masters Degree that is dedicated to as much hands on practical application as possible, that is located in the most international city in Europe, and that has workshops dedicated to networking, CV refining, and getting an internship, I'm excited to see what the future holds.