The first time I travelled to the U.S., I figured we wouldn’t be that different. And honestly, in a lot of ways we’re not — mostly. But there was one moment that made me realize just how Canadian I really am…
I was in Michigan for a school conference with students from both countries. My best friend and I couldn’t sleep because of the time change, so we wandered down to the hotel lobby to grab some snacks from the vending machine. That’s when we ran into a group of boys from California. I smiled and said, “Good evening.” They immediately went, “Are you Canadian?” I was like, “Wait, how’d you know?” And they said, “Because in America, we just say ‘sup.’” Apparently, being too polite or formal is a dead giveaway.
So that’s one way to let Americans know you’re Canadian. But the best way to let Canadians know you’re American? Ask some generic Canadian trivia questions. Because I swear, some Americans still think we end every sentence with “eh,” wear snow pants year-round, and ride moose to school. So whether you’re an American trying to learn the basics or a Canadian brushing up on your homeland trivia, let’s put your knowledge to the test — alphabetical style.
Let’s start with the letter A.
How’d you do? If you didn’t score as high as you hoped, here’s your shot at redemption: bonus question time! How many time zones does Canada have? (Pssst… It’s veryyy similar to the United States.) Drop your guess in the comments!