Now that I have returned from the most kind and gentle country to our North, I wanted to share some reflections on what I learned during my recent visit to the Canadian Maritimes.

Canada is in America. Canada is quiet. Canada is gentle. Canada is kind. Canada smiles. Canada is efficient. Canada is smart. Canada is sane.

I am a trained social scientist. Through that academic training, I learned to observe how people behave and act toward one another. I made many observations and learned a lot. In no specific order…

* Canada is in America. I will not call residents of the United States “Americans” because last I checked, Canada is in North America, and thus are Americans also. I have hated it that U.S. residents refer to themselves as the only Americans in the world. Not. (Canadians resent it, too.)

* Canada is quiet and gentle. The lifestyle of Canadians as compared with residents of the U.S. is purposeful, but much more laid-back. Most businesses except for essentials are closed for the entire weekend. No six-day or seven-day weeks! So I learned when I needed to get a tire fixed on a Saturday. It can be done, but only through the kindness of others.

* Canada is kind. The country as a whole is well-known for being very kind to strangers as well as each other. Being kind is ingrained in the culture of Canada. Kindness is absent in the U.S. Mind you, individual friends are kind in my world, but generally speaking, most U.S. residents do not “think kindness” as a matter of habit and actions.

* Canada smiles. Again, it is a cultural thing. Everywhere I looked, every Canadian I met, everyone smiled. At me, at each other, at what they were observing. Smiling is the first choice of a facial expression. I so miss that in the U.S. where most facial expressions are unhappy, sour, glum, or even angry.

* Canada is efficient. When business needs to be done, they do it efficiently. For example, on arrival at the Halifax Airport, clear signage shows where to present yourself for Immigration, which is mostly automated. A Canadian Immigration agent reviews your automated immigration declaration, looks at your passport, and asks a few gentle questions such as why you are there and what you intend to do. For visitors, they welcome you and offer suggestions on where to get more visitor’s information. Customs was equally as fast and efficient. Five minutes tops to get through. Whereas the return through U.S. Customs and Immigration was slow, tedious, and sour. The sour/dour looks on all the faces of U.S. agents and the way they spoke with me rudely was unfortunately commonplace. 80 minutes to get through. Not efficient or friendly at all.

* Canada is efficient #2. Every time I conducted a transaction, such as paying for a meal at a restaurant, they offered me “the machine.” The machine is a remote automated credit card processing device that lets you add a gratuity at an amount you select, then tap your chip credit card to the machine, and a receipt pops out. Same for gas stations, parks, and much more. My gosh, I wish this were done more often and regularly here in the U.S.

* Canada is smart. this reference is about the metric system. Canada uses the metric system for all measurements — distance, temperature, weight, and money. It is so EASY to know distances in kilometers and have speed limits in Km/h. Speed limits are in even 10s — 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and 110. Temperatures are in Celsius which admittedly takes a bit of getting used to, but works. Weights are in grams or kilograms. Simple, easy to calculate, and efficient! Finally, coinage — no dollar or two dollar bills, and no pennies! The dollar and two dollar coins replaced paper currency in those denominations and are know respectively as the “Loonie” (a loon is on that coin) and “Twonie” (humourous reference for its lower-denomination brother.) All transactions are rounded to the nearest $0.05. (Though don’t call it a nickle; in Canada, it’s a five-cent piece.)

* Canada is sane. I say that with all due respect to my fellow U.S. residents, but in Canada — again due to the culture — they act with respect toward each other and anyone they meet. They do not talk politics (except perhaps with friends, but not publicly). They drive within the posted speed limit. Most major roadways (sort of like the U.S. interstate highways) that are single lane in each direction have passing lanes about every 2 – 3 kilometers — and drivers who want to pass actually wait until they legally can do so — compared with the U.S. where many impatient people pass others in no-passing zones all the time.

While some Canadians and parts of Canada have their issues and some have unfortunately adopted behaviors from poor examples in the U.S., for the most part, Canada’s culture is admirable and its good qualities should be an example of how we all should live.

Life is short: be kind (first) and remember to smile!