Tag: ontario

COVID-19: Balancing risk versus reward when travelling with unvaccinated kids

We recently pulled off our first trip south of the border since “the before,” and with some cautious optimism, it looks like we got lucky. Not everyone in our extended family has been so fortunate recently. The pandemic has redefined what summer vacation means to both Canadians and Americans, as families in both countries eagerly await more information about vaccine availability for small children. Continue reading COVID-19: Balancing risk versus reward when travelling with unvaccinated kids

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photo of Christmas tree with 2020 ornament

COVID-19: The second wave, the new strain, and a holiday season of disaster and miracles

We’ve just been through our first pandemic Christmas as a “cross border” family who, for the first time since immigrating, hasn’t actually crossed that border for an entire year. Canada has been dealing with a second wave of COVID-19 and, as our hospitals reach capacity amidst concern over a new variant of the coronavirus, Ontario has entered into a province-wide shutdown. Continue reading COVID-19: The second wave, the new strain, and a holiday season of disaster and miracles

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Feeling twice as grateful as we approach our third “double Thanksgiving” season

Folks with dual Canadian/American identity are preparing for that time of year bookended by each nation’s Thanksgiving holiday. In Canada, the annual celebration of gratitude and gluttony marks the second Monday of October, whereas south of the border, it’s not until the fourth Thursday of November. This year of course, like so many others, our feast will be nuclear family-sized, and our “gatherings” virtual. Continue reading Feeling twice as grateful as we approach our third “double Thanksgiving” season

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Independence Day, and a summer that will redefine “twenty-twenty hindsight”

For this family of American ex-pats living in Canada, the end of the school year is always a busy and bombastic time. Canada Day and Independence Day come in close succession, often sharing an extended weekend and marking the beginning of a season of festivals. We’ve had three such kickoffs to our summers now, and while it all blended together a bit before, this year is one of stark contrasts. Continue reading Independence Day, and a summer that will redefine “twenty-twenty hindsight”

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Don’t get a soaker from the slimes…on your way to the bush party?

This fun write-up in today’s news, on a linguist’s crusade to get some specifically Ontarian slang into the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, has taught me at least two things. One, I still have plenty to learn despite changing my cell phone region to correct “centre” and “favourite,” and two – there is a Canadian Oxford Dictionary of English! Continue reading Don’t get a soaker from the slimes…on your way to the bush party?

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