Oh, Canada

After months abroad, coming back to your own country can be an amazing feeling. You've come home to your family and friends, homely comforts and soon enough you'll be back to the daily grind. Some though, have quite a difficult time getting used to what was once instinctive in their home life. Some call it reverse culture shock, others call it reality, no matter what you want to call it, there is no question that coming home after a significant time away, can have its challenges too. Here is a list of 9 encounters that you may struggle with after the hugs, kisses of loved ones have subsided...

1. Nothing has changed: You've experienced so much. You feel different, your life feels different, and surely this is not simply internal. The world must be a different place! Wrong. Your hometown has stayed exactly the same as you left it, and they like it that way.

2. You can drink the water: After living in a country where the water can be hazardous to drink, remembering how lucky you are to live somewhere where water everywhere is drinkable and, infact, good for you, can take a few days to sink in. That's when you realize how lucky we really are.

3. The economic situation still sucks: You've lived under a rock for the past few months, holding onto outdated economic predictions that this financial drought would be over by the time you returned home. But you've come home only to realise that it will still be a struggle to find yourself that dream job, and you will be back to serving tables before you know it.

4. You can speak to everyone again: The language you know is the language everyone speaks in your home country, which means you can finally talk to everyone again! Coffee shop baristas, taxi drivers, and bus drivers, beware - this girl has been longing for interactions and she's out and about and ready to chat!

5. Tipping: Servers hate foreigners for this, and, once being a server, so did I. But I finally get it. Tipping is hard to remember to do when you haven't done it. You mean I have to put more down then the bill asks me for? Huh?

6. People actually follow traffic laws: After spending months somewhere were traffic lights and stop signs are simply a suggestion, it's shockingly difficult to remember that jaywalking is, in fact, illegal, and others aren't comfortable doing it.

7. Google maps is my friend again: Because of Korea's hidden alleys, winding roads, odd street names and random clusters of apartment buildings, Google maps could rarely give you door to door instructions. Instead you'd have to look up lengthy walking directions from subway exits or just have someone meet you at the station. What a pleasure Google maps is to have in your back pocket once again. Goodbye organization, hello reliance on technology!

8. Garbage cans: Korea has an odd garbage collection system where some sort of infrastructure picks up random smelly garbage piles from every corner, but garbage cans are few and far between. Being back in Canada, garbage cans are so plentiful, how anyone can even imagine litering is beyond me.

9. It smells so good: Canada's wide open spaces, beautiful mountains and plentiful greenery makes our country smell so fresh and fantastic. Take a breath, doesn't that fresh air smell amazing?

There can be difficulties to coming home, but being away can also remind you of all those small things we forget to appreciate about our home, that makes it such a very special place. So drink the water, breath the air, and put a smile on your face. This country rocks.

Korea, Spammed

Spam: we all know it and we all hate it, that useless junk mail clogging our inboxes. Have you, though, ever thought about where the word 'spam' comes from? Interestingly enough, the name actually comes from that 1970 Monty Python skit SPAM. Do you remember the spam song? I have clear memories of my cousins singing this annoying song over and over again “SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, lovely SPAM!  Wonderful SPAM!”, in the play, this song was drowning out other conversation in the pub, thus 'spamming' the conversation. And voila, the word spam enters the electronic world, unwelcomed. Thanks for a great word, nerds.

Korea had themselves an unexpected introduction to the world of spam. This time, though, the spam I'm referring to is not the electronic spam, but the canned meat Spam. The stuff you see in a grocery store and wonder 'how does that stuff pass food and safety regulations?' The stuff you've watched someone eat an entire can of, on a dare of course, and then you were genuinely concerned for their health. Yes, that spam. Spam is so popular in South Korea that is actually a very respected hostess gift to both give and receive. On Valentines Day one can even find heart shaped boxes full of spam.

 But how did this American made, shameful meat become so popular in such an untouched foreign culture? Well during the Korean War where food was scarce and meat was rare, Koreans often turned to the food rations left over by the American Army. Because spam had such a long shelf life, it was ofter sent to troops overseas and became a popular food on base. Despite it being commonly found on base, the Americans still could rarely stomach the stuff and it was often leftover. At the time, food was so scarce in Korea, that the Koreans couldn't be as picky as the soldiers for their proteins and took their rations of spam, mixed it with their own recipes to create a few surprisingly palatable outcomes. Here are two spammed foods that are actually worth a try:

Gimbap: Literally meaning 'seaweed rice', gimbap is the Korean version of sushi. It is a handroll made with seaweed, rice, veggies, and, you guessed it, spam! It is especially yummy with tuna. Gimbap shops are amongst the most common in Korea and you can find a roll for around $2.50 at almost any street corner.

Budae Jjigae: literally meaning 'army stew', this is a soup that perfectly symbolizes the mix of Korean tradition with the effects of scarce means and desperate measures. This soup mixes hot dogs, sausages and of course, spam with the traditional Korean tastes of red chili paste and kimchi. Yummy! This is often eaten with rice. It is easily found at most places where Jjigae is bought for about $5.

Due do it's popularity, Spam apparently tastes better in Korea than in other counties worldwide, as it is apparently made with better ingredients, although this is a taste test I don't plan on trying any time soon. I can though, now cross 'eat spam and enjoy it' off the ol' bucket list.