We are nearing our second summer in Vancouver and I have some observations about the experience, contrasting with my South African ‘normal’.

Here is a picture of a beach somewhere in Vancouver. There sea is calm, because the island of Vancouver Island breaks the waves. To experience waves that were familiar to us, we travelled to Tofino on ‘the island’.

Although we have been able to travel, I had only travelled to the northern hemisphere during summer. So, our lives in Vancouver has served up a lot of firsts, including understanding why “Summer is EVERYTHING!!”

Here are some reflections:

• Having 9 months of cold, as opposed to 9 months of heat is very different
• Homes in the northern hemisphere are far better set up for the cold, with central heat
• Seeing snow fall is a mesmerizing experience, but living with snow around for more than a day would be hard for me
• In Vancouver, my friends have been quite excited about the poppies blooming, and even though it is still cold, it is the SPRINGTIME!
• Vancouver doesn’t really get super hot – it generally does not get above 25 celcius much. So, we acclimate. A few weeks ago, we travelled to the city of Kamloops where the temperature was in the mid-thirties and it was reall A LOT to deal with the heat
• Some North Americans take time off and go on vacations during the summer because the schools are on break. This also finds its way into the economy, where I see periods where things are quieter. That’s fairly normal, compared to the South African December period – our major holiday period
• Vancouver is the warmest city in Canada. Having said that, it still ranges between low sub-zero and low single-digit temperatures in some months. The coldest day for us was -15 degrees, with temperatures of -35 degrees shown for some places
• Vancouver can be a grey-skies, cloudy and rainy city. We often drink vitamin D tablets, to help with mood, when we don’t see the sun for long periods
• Oh yeah – in summer, the days are long. Sun is up by 5am and sets around 10pm. In winder, the sun comes up after 8am and sets before 4pm
• Something interesting that my wife and I noticed – about the impact of the sun affecting temperature. In colder months, the sun makes very little difference. During the spring, the temperature in direct sunlight can be strongly felt, with the temperature being noticeably cooler when in the shade

Living in a different country really challenges you. It’s interesting to note the differences – not that you look to compare or find the normal. These are just things that have been interesting to me, as we grapple with our new life in this part of the world