Acclimatization

I think I’m finally starting to become acclimatized to the North.  When I first got here I was bundling up in 12 layers every time I left the house.  Now I don’t wear my ski pants unless is colder than -25, I’ve switched from a hat to ear muffs for temps warmer than -15 and I don’t wear my big huge gortex mittens unless it’s -25 and instead just wear a pair of knitted red Olympic Mittens that I didn’t deem warm enough when I first got here.  I also started out by wearing huge clunky Sorrel boots every time I left the house but since it’s so cold here, and stays cold, I really didn’t need the waterproofing of those boots and now I just wear a pair of Ugg knock-offs which I’m pretty sure were about 7$ at Walmart.  I had never ever wanted a pair of real Uggs because in PEI girls would walk around in them but have wet feet all day since the puddles were unavoidable, even in the dead of winter.  The dead of winter in PEI means a lot of snow, but even more slush, which is definitely not conducive to wearing fabric boots. They seemed like the silliest invention ever considering they were winter boots but not waterproof.  Now  that I’m here and realize that not all winters require waterproof boots, I am beginning to see the appeal of a warm pair of boots that are light weight and easy to walk in.  I might have to invest in a pair of legit mukluks before the end of winter.

Other than how to dress appropriately for the weather, I feel like I’ve learned a lot up here!

1.)    “Down South” means Edmonton, not Florida. This is important since it’s used in conversation all the time and I was under the impression for my first week here that everyone went to Florida regularly and had family there.

2.)    Eating polar bear liver will kill you because it has toxic levels of Vitamin A in it.

3.)    Tuberculosis is still very prevalent up here.  About 80% of people test positive for the Mantoux test indicating that they have had exposure to TB and are carriers of it.  If I make it out of here without exposure to TB I will be considered lucky, especially since I am working in Public Health and in the Hospital.

4.)    My coworker is Stompin’ Tom’s cousin and was also in the show “North of 60”.

5.)    It is commonly believed that rabbit is a Canada’s Food Guide Serving of Vegetables (not meat and alternatives) since rabbits eat vegetables exclusively before being eaten themselves

6.)    You can wear real fur without fear of having red paint thrown on you by some Peta supporter. In fact, it’s encouraged because it’s soo much warmer than synthetic.  I’ve seen fur lined hoods (like in my Canada Goose Coat), I’ve seen fur lined coats and I’ve even seen a full seal skin coat and mittens ensemble.  No one looks twice or judges you for wearing it either.

7.)    Out at the ski club (aka a mere 15km from town) there are wolves and lynx and black bears.  I figured there would be wolves, but LYNX!!  How unreal is that?  I hear they are incredible rare to spot, but we saw lynx tracks along the ski trails last week.  So rad. Pictures of them remind me of our old cat Sid for some reason. The ski trails are lit at night (which is almost always) and these cats are primarily nocturnal.  I wonder if any late night snowshoers have ever gone missing from the trails…