Gratitude and Learning

Not that we traveled many places that could be described as deprived, but arriving back in Canada has given us a renewed appreciation for a handful of things; it has also reminded us that our beautiful country has a lot to learn from elsewhere in the world. Some things are immediately apparent; others take time and reflection to realize.

Gratitude

We are grateful to come back to a part of our country where we can find:

·      Potable tap water. Being able to drink from a garden (or dock) hose, not to mention a tap, without worrying about diseases or bacteria is something to be grateful for everyday. On the flip side, the fact that we flush perfectly good drinking water down our toilets is something to be embarrassed about.

·      The high likelihood that a public washroom with have both toilet paper and a toilet seat. Even one of the two is a good day in a lot of places, so both calls for celebration!

·      Accessible green space in the city. We are very fortunate to live in Vancouver, the Canadian city with the most accessible green space per capita. Not many places we traveled had a comparable luxury. We feel very lucky to be able to walk, run, rollerblade, or bike surrounded by trees and nature.

·      Clean air. Again, Vancouver has exceptional air quality, but to be back in a country that regulates vehicles and emissions is something to be grateful for. As many positive aspects as can be found for cities such as Lima or Mexico City, the pollution largely created by vehicles is literally sickening.

·      Good linens and pillows. OK, this is a bit indulgent, and clearly indicative of the price range in which we chose our hotels. But you can’t beat fluffy pillows and soft linen. Oh, so grateful!

Some Things Canada Could Adopt

There are many ideas or practices that we saw in our travels that seem like common sense for Canada to adopt:

·      Solar water heating systems on the roofs of every house. This sounds like it could be complicated. It’s not. In countries like Mexico, most cities are covered by giant black barrels on the top of houses, apartments and businesses. They use passive solar heating for the majority of their hot water. Even if you could only use this for half the year in Canada, it’s still a great idea. Passive…it means you don’t have to do anything, yet you still win.

·      Street food. Seriously, Canada seems as though it is a different planet at times. What is so difficult about getting a cheap taco, some corn on the cob, roasted potatoes or maybe some quail eggs on the street? Cheap, accessible, tasty. Figure it out.

·      Free mini-gyms in parks. This is admittedly one of Catherine’s favourite discoveries on the trip, and one we only saw in Lima. These mini-gyms, made entirely out of metal, were situated along a 5km stretch of ocean walkway. They were placed a regular intervals so as you walked along the path, you could stop and do a few rounds on a rowing machine, chest press, abdomen swivel…all while you looked out on the ocean. 

·      Avocadoes with every meal. Smart.

·      Beer and snack vendors that circulate regularly at concerts and sporting events. Somehow, in Canada, our entertainment providers have determined that their paying customers should leave the show to stand in long lines to wait for drinks and snacks. This is just silly, when you can have the drinks and snacks come to you.

·      Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling). Theatre, obscenities, capes and masks. Need we say more?

·      Picture and colour identifiers on public transport. Mexico City metro uses pictograms and colours to identify their various stops and lines, so that people who speak different languages or are illiterate can easily identify their destination. This could be used in many contexts in Canada.

·      Central plazas. Canada has open green space; Latin America has central plazas. As much as we love spending time walking around parks, there is a lot to be said for having centralized public spaces. Plazas are hubs for meeting, lingering, loitering, and relaxing. Definitely some skills we could learn from down south.