Firstly, please do not miss the famous wing night! Often one chicken wing costs only $0.35 on certain nights, on campus that will be Wednesday. This price is equivalent to about £0.15p and it is up to you to consume as many as you want! From teriyaki to salt and pepper, hot wings to BBQ wings the possibilities are endless! I always have wings after the gym to fix my protein cravings! YEAH! Let’s work out! Sorry, I am getting a little bit carried away here, a lot of Canadians are into being fit and healthy so I have kind of adopted this trend and regularly go to the gym on campus, which is free apart from a $25 residence charge at the start of the academic year.
Okay so me talking about hot wings is not the most interesting topic and yet again my blog has gone back to food, but now I am going to promote to you the wonderful game of hockey. I just wanted to say that I cannot believe how aggressive ice hockey is! Oh and please just call it hockey and not ice hockey because ice hockey is the only form of hockey that Canadians know. This was the first time that I have ever watched it and every time a player got slammed down into the ice, elbowed in the face or smashed into the side of the area all I could do was grit my teeth and go “oooooh!” However, I did get more into the game as it progressed and when there was a fight I joined in with the crowd and yelled in delight! I was just copying the crowd and trying to fit in. They are big guys and undoubtedly they can handle themselves. Anyway, it was a pre-season game and I watched the University of Calgary Dinos play the Calgary Flames (the city’s hockey team), unfortunately we lost 3-1 but it was an experience that I will never forget!
Continuing on the sporting theme I also watched Calgary Stampeders play at the McMahon stadium one weekend. They were playing the Toronto Argonauts! We were losing badly during the first half but somehow the Stampeders managed to pull ahead in the last 5 minutes, ending the game on 40-33! I have never been so excited before, I did not think that I would like it, let alone understand the Canadian Football League but I have picked it up and now I am a little bit of an addict, I must admit. I still say football when I am on about the football leagues at home but I get reminded that it is called “soccer”, something I was not so happy to repeat. On the note of word differences, I must add that I sat in a restaurant and ordered chips the other day, I had a real craving for them! Instead I was surprised when the waitress brought me out crisps. The Canadians call chips fries and crisps are non-existent apparently, I need to say fries if I actually want chips next time, lesson learned.
Okay so one last thing. Calgary is known for its chinooks, a warming wind known as the ‘ice-eater’ and varied weather patterns but the whole community was shocked by a particular event. During my second weekend in Canada I was enjoying the sunshine. I went river rafting on the Bow River and it was such a beautiful day. I was wearing my bikini and floating along the river with not a care in the world. The next day I looked out of my window and I was met by a mountain of snow outside. Now I am not a permanent snow hater but this sudden change in weather completely bewildered me! All that could be said for it by the locals was “Welcome to Calgary!” Thanks!