Oh...Canada

Or, "Stop Hugging Me, I Don't Even Know You."

Vegan, allergy free American Thanksgiving in Canada

Being back at COA wasn't quite what I had expected.  This past term was the most hectic I've had, so it was quite a relief when it ended and I had sent my samples for my senior thesis to the lab and turned in all of my assignments.  I spent the first part of break on Prince Edward Island, an island about the size of MDI but in Canada which, as it turns out, makes all the difference.  There is something about Canadians stuck on an island, they're pretty much always happy, and everyone you pass on the street says hi.  Going to the store takes extra time because everyone has to stop and chat, people drop their kids off at hockey arenas for the evening because they know nothing bad is going to happen, and people that know a friend of a friend hug you even though you have no idea who they are.  And it's not bad, it is a bit strange, but I guess it's kind of what I expected MDI to be like, but the combination of tourists and hippies and families and scientists on MDI have a bit of friction.  Everything seems a bit simpler here, everything moves slower and the tension that hangs in the air, even in Maine, is absent.  So although I like to poke fun at our neighbors to the north as much as the next American, I do appreciate being able to escape to their country for a relaxing break once in a while.