Every February, Canadian flag day is celebrated in the United States to pay tribute to our neighbors. Many of the students at Vandegrift either lived or were born in Canada. 

“Canada is a nice place with nice people,” sophomore Gabriela Diaz said. “There’s nature everywhere but there are also cities, so you get to experience the perks of both.”

Along with the nature and cityscape, Diaz loved the maple candies and boba tea. Sophomore McKenna Plante experiences a similar longing for Canadian food. 

“I miss Tim Hortons all-dressed chips, ketchup chips, and coffee crisps,” Plante said.

Like Plate, Diaz often reminisces about her favorite places in Canada.

“My favorite memory would probably be visiting this cute little town that was built in the 1700s,” Diaz said. “There were so many shops, restaurants, a gorgeous flower garden and lots of trails and cool bridges. We used to find geese, turtles, ducks and fish and their ice cream shop that had some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had.”

One thing Diaz doesn’t miss is the cold winters and slipping on ice. Plante expressed a similar sentiment towards the long winters.

“Canada can get very cold,” Plante said. “It’s fun at first but when it gets to March and April, sometimes even May, and it’s still freezing cold, it gets frustrating.”

In spite of the cold, both Diaz and Plante miss the snowy planes. Diaz particularly yearns for nature and the outdoors.

“I miss the nature in Canada,” Diaz said. “There were so many tall trees – the oaks, the pine – and there were animals like foxes and owls.”

Both Diaz and Plante moved from Canada not too long ago. Having lived there for ten years, Diaz was surprised at the many differences between the States and Canada.

“The culture here is very different,” Diaz said. “In Canada if you walked into a room, people would be like “Oh, hey!” But, here, people more often stare at you and judge you than welcome you.”

Plante concurred, taking particular notice of the little differences.

“CAD is only .74 cents to the dollar,” Plante said. “And, unfortunately, the money doesn’t smell like maple syrup in the States. ”