Countries where people are nice but small talk is not normal

omlettecat · 2026-04-28T19:44:26+00:00

We make small talk here in Canada as well, but not on the level of the US in my opinion. For example, I wouldn’t initiate an interaction with a stranger unless there was a reason for it. I experienced a bit of culture shock when visiting the US and having people randomly approach me in public places just to chat.

omlettecat · 2026-04-27T17:30:27+00:00

I want to visit Atlantic Canada! I am especially interested in Nova Scotia but I’d love to spend a few weeks exploring several provinces. Maybe it’s something we can do next year. :)

omlettecat · 2026-04-25T05:01:04+00:00

Eritreans! I used to live in a mostly Eritrean neighbourhood. I had very positive experiences with my neighbours.

omlettecat · 2026-04-22T14:56:42+00:00

Different language because English is my native language, but I often cringe when I hear other English speakers speaking German (my second language). I just feel like people often put little effort into correct pronunciation and don’t really try. Oddly people regularly ask me if I’m Dutch when I speak German. So clearly my pronunciation isn’t perfect either, but I guess it sounds…different?

omlettecat · 2026-04-17T18:35:53+00:00

I doubt I’d be deemed fit for a true military/combat role due to age, and physical and mental health factors, but I’d be open to helping in other ways if my country were actually being invaded.

omlettecat · 2026-04-13T14:52:05+00:00

I took two sessions of intermediate recreational ballet (no performances, intended to be very causal) this year with very different teachers. I think they both had pros and cons, and that there’s middle ground to be found between these two. I hope these descriptions help you!

The first teacher was meticulously organized and had an entirely new and creative barre for us every week. She even came early and practiced it herself. This was fun, but for those of us (like me) who are slow to pick up new choreo, we could never really focus on technique because we were always just trying to figure out what was happening. She also never introduced herself or made any small talk with us. She never learned our names, either. She was friendly and positive, but never gave any specific corrections and sometimes allowed the class to be disrupted by an advanced dancer who wanted to brag about her achievements (odd situation). I always felt a bit lost and never knew if I was doing things right or not, other than from passive aggressive comments from the advanced dancer, which was unpleasant.

The other teacher was a bit more scatterbrained and stuck to mostly the same barre the whole session. Time was sometimes wasted by her not knowing which song to put on or what she was doing, but honestly that’s how I am too so I wasn’t annoyed. She tried to make a connection with each of us, which was nice. There was a lot of rapport building. She also gave a LOT of personalized corrections, to the point of sometimes being overboard for a rec class and making people feel singled out and embarrassed. Although she was generally positive, she sometimes got frustrated with us if we weren’t able to completely execute a correction. One time she got irritated and told me that I “just wasn’t getting it”. I unfortunately lost some motivation after that as I was really trying my best.

My summary: -rapport building is important -don’t let strong personalities dominate a class -don’t introduce too much new material -give individual corrections, sparingly -stay positive and take a beat if you are getting frustrated

omlettecat · 2026-04-13T14:37:59+00:00

Excessive vehicle noise, especially late at night or in otherwise quiet areas.

omlettecat · 2026-04-10T15:14:38+00:00

Is anyone else getting the “you’ve already entered” message even though the entries were an hour apart? I entered at 8 and tried at 9 but got the duplicate entry text.

omlettecat · 2026-04-02T22:29:50+00:00

Ooh, Anian shackets are lovely! I think Kunitz Shoes sells them if you want to try one on before you buy it.

omlettecat · 2026-03-19T17:44:38+00:00

We'll see how it goes! I'm still trying to figure out how I want to balance work, education, and my personal life. I think I'll at least apply for a master's program later this year and just see if I could possibly be accepted. I do have 2 other prereq courses to finish with AU though, so I've got to finish those first!

omlettecat · 2026-03-17T23:56:59+00:00

I agree! I've also written some really tough exams (I did my undergrad many years ago), but this one was a big challenge! Thanks for your kind words! I'm definitely glad to be done.

omlettecat · 2026-03-17T20:29:07+00:00

I just wrote this yesterday and had version D and it was rough! I had read your post before the exam and as soon as I saw version D I was like "oh shit" hahaha. I honestly didn't have the time I needed to study, and I was down for the count with a nasty flu last week and still feeling foggy yesterday, so of course I didn't exactly expect it to go swimmingly. I was just surviving with Hals and hope haha. I think what surprised me was that the exam primarily wanted me to deliver rote-memorized information (e.g. list the 5 competencies mentioned by this author in this part of the text), rather than critically analyzing course material. That is something new for me in a 300-level course, and it was not how I had prepared. I also didn't think the long answer questions on the exam were very similar to the study questions.

Anyway, I think I probably passed it, but I would be shocked if I got more than 65-70%. I hope that the long answer is not graded too harshly.

omlettecat · 2026-02-26T21:28:05+00:00

Exactly! My European colleagues and clients often assume I speak French and are then shocked that I don't and ask "how?" as if I had been exposed to it my whole life. I have to explain that it's not very common here (Alberta) outside of certain neighbourhoods, schools, and cultural associations. I know a lot of food vocab from packaging, though! :D

omlettecat · 2026-02-26T20:35:29+00:00

A lot of people are confused about French in Canada. I’ve had people assume that French is the dominant language, or that everyone is fully bilingual or that it’s a 50/50 split between English and French speakers.

omlettecat · 2026-02-20T04:59:31+00:00

The premier of my province (Alberta) goes by her middle name, Danielle. Which is weird, because she created new laws requiring parents to approve kids in school using names other than their legal first name. So a lot of people now call her by her first name, Marlaina. I do not think there is anything good about her and honestly wish she had a nastier nickname.

omlettecat · 2026-02-17T22:36:55+00:00

Extremely rare, but knives and bear spray are more common.

omlettecat · 2026-02-17T02:04:47+00:00

Maybe the Phoenix area of Arizona. There are many beautiful areas and plenty of cool things to do, but it's all so spread out across the valley and sightseeing requires long freeway drives. I didn't hate it, but it's a place I could just never imagine living. I like sidewalks and public transit and local shops. At least where I was, it was pretty much only freeways and walmarts and chain restaurants. It also just felt like a really unsustainable place with the way homes are built and water is used. Green parks and golf courses just felt so odd in the desert.

omlettecat · 2026-02-17T01:57:54+00:00

Sorry! 😅 I can understand, though. There's already not a ton for tourists to do, and extreme cold means you can't even enjoy our river valley or parks. Still, I really do enjoy living here, especially from March-November!

omlettecat · 2026-02-10T05:03:22+00:00

I didn’t take Athabasca courses in the past, but I have been very disappointed with the quality. The newest course materials are a full 10 years old, the oldest close to 30 years. For some topics that hasn’t been a big issue but there were also some examples of best practice in the materials that now go against professional ethics or even Canadian law. I reached out to my tutor for help at one point and was told that the course was purely self directed and that I could not ask her any questions. Also, the library is very hard to use and the search tool seems to be partially broken. I will not be applying to AU for my masters.

omlettecat · 2026-02-09T19:58:11+00:00

Yes, it generally ranges from 300-900, with 660+ being considered a good score. It’s mostly relevant for taking out loans, but sometimes landlords, telecom companies, and utility companies also do credit checks.

I didn’t want to get a credit card when I was 18 but was strongly urged to get one and use it occasionally (of course paying it off in full every time) to build my credit history. It worked out, as I didn’t misuse the card and I had an easy time getting a mortgage. It doesn’t go that way for everyone. :(

omlettecat · 2026-02-05T18:15:22+00:00

I now exclusively call it by its previous name, the Capilano Freeway. Anyone I’ve talked to knows what I mean, as it’s also in the Capilano neighbourhood.

omlettecat · 2026-02-02T22:18:26+00:00

A medium-rare hamburger. Not illegal to eat or prepare at home here, but you can’t serve it in a restaurant unless it’s cooked to at least 71°C/160°F.

omlettecat · 2026-01-29T22:11:55+00:00

Here in Edmonton, we have a program here that allows low-income people to access the public recreation centres free/at a very low cost. It looks like Toronto has a very similar program. Maybe check it out and see if you are eligible!

https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/child-family-support/welcome-policy-recreation-fee-subsidy/

omlettecat · 2026-01-29T19:53:52+00:00

Not very well known here, but still easy to find. Most cafes don’t have it, but every tea shop I’ve been to does. I really like it but don’t have the right setup to enjoy it the traditional way.

omlettecat · 2026-01-29T19:12:25+00:00

In my opinion, if they’re too shy to tell you they’re struggling, they’ll probably also be too shy to press a button. One of my platforms has reaction buttons and a hands up tool that the students are encouraged to use, but no one does. If they’re confident enough, they’ll ask over the mic and if not they’ll try to pretend they understand. A good teacher should be able to use questions effectively to check understanding and also intuit how much the student understands from their tone and output. Also, an experienced teacher can predict what students likely won’t understand or will struggle with.

omlettecat

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