So I’ve been waiting for a parcel from my parents. I’ve been waiting since July 25th. Everyday I get my hopes up – even if I won’t find the parcel on my steps, maybe a pick-up slip will be there!? and then: no. nothing. zip. zilch. I’ve been getting a little bit annoyed and that was furthered by the fact that I also ordered something from Costco about two weeks ago and that has already arrived! So that’s what inspired this post (or possible series of posts): the good things in Canada and the bad…
The good: readily available TV
I was always a bit of a TV addict and back in Germany that was tough, because the shows that air here throughout the year take months, sometimes years to get to German TV stations – they are dubbed which takes awhile. So I would have a little “tv-calendar” that would tell me when shows originally air and then I’d download them all! And because of the time difference that meant my morning was packed with watching new TV episodes… this made exam-weeks that much harder on me 😉 But now!! Oh now I live in paradise! I get to watch all my shows live and even though the number of programs I watch has gone down the hourse spent on watching are probably still the same, because there is A LOT of programming! So I find myself glued to the couch because of a “Come Dine with me Canada”-marathon or “Say Yes to the Dress”-Bride Friday! G. insists I have a superpower that lets me find the worst programming on TV every time I turn it on (and of course I think he has that same superpower 😉 ) but I don’t even care! Sometimes I need to endulge in mindless television: house renos done by professionals in 30 minutes, people that aren’t aware of their outrageous spending habits or brides looking for that perfect dress. And honestly, if there is no new episodes of “Nashville” what is there to watch? Also, thanks to all the time zones everything is on TV at least twice. Once in Mountain Time (so starting 4pm TV gets good) and then again in Pacific Time – in case you missed a show or you know, couldn’t decide on a channel cause they’re airing two good shows at the same time!
The bad: the postal service
I started in on that already, but let me be clear how much it enrages me: ARRRGHGHGGAAGGHGH! There. When you ordered something in Germany there was a chance you would have it in your hands the next day. Postcards usually arrived before the person made it back home from their holidays and official letters never took as long as the estimated time would let you believe. But here? No such luck. I understand Canada is a lot… A LOT bigger than Germany, but still why does my letter that I want to send from A to B have to go to C first because their “mailing center” is there? That doesn’t even make sense. Sometimes letters send for people in the same city end up in Vancouver at some point (which is 5 hours from here!). It has also happened that parcels were just left in front of my door: Now, we live in a Trailer Park, so that means ‘outside on the front steps for anyone to take’. It took 3 months to hear from Immigration (and that’s not the point btw – I understand that they are busy), they sent me a letter July 31st that arrived here on the 7th! That’s a whole week of… it just roadtripping around? I don’t know. It should have sent a postcard considering the glacial speed it was going, but of course that card would have arrived after the letter was already here.
Can you guys agree with some of this or are you laughing at me rn because mail delivery in your country is like playing the lottery? Also, who watches ‘Nashville’?? ;D
M.
Into a Void 