A LIFE SO ORDINARY

This being a fairly typical day, with nothing terribly exciting or revolutionary to report, I'm going to take the opportunity to muse a while on that very point. The point being: life in England is not so far removed from life in Canada (or anywhere else, I'm willing to bet).

I don't know what I was expecting before we left the shelter of Gibsons/Vancouver; certainly I didn't anticipate Cambridge to be wildly exotic or foreign. But the similarities between life on either continent are substantial, down to the brand of shampoo available in the stores. It's actually kind of depressing because it leaves me painfully aware of the blotting effect that globalization can have on a place's unique culture and cuisine. I would like to point out, however, that my favorite treats from home (such as Swedish Berries candies) are not to be found here - just my luck the unavailability of the few items that would not leave me lamenting product monopolies.

I digress. In any case, as I get up in the morning, as I cycle into work, as I come home and make dinner - we've settled into a lifestyle not so far removed from that back in Vancouver. Life is, well, normal. I do cycle instead of drive, say "lovely" instead of "great!", and am finally grasping the finer points of LOOKING RIGHT before I step onto a crosswalk (related: finally getting over my confusion when it at first appears that all the cars have a passenger in the front seat instead of a driver). But other than that - same, same, same.

Even the nightclubs are not a huge departure from back home. Last night I attended my staff Christmas party and we ended up at a Cambridge nightclub after dinner; same music, same creepy guys, same smashed girls. I do have to comment on the smoke, though; I have taken for granted the smoke-free atmosphere of public buildings in Vancouver and it is very much the opposite here. I can see why they wouldn't have to bother with a "smoke generator" in British clubs - the necessary fog is amply supplied by patrons.