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