Episode 9: Canada

Rozhovor s Kanaďankou Leahou. Hokej, javorový sirup, Ryan Goslin, Ryan Reynolds, Justin Bieber, Drake, angličtina&francouzština, -25°C venku nebo tzv. "bobří ocasy". Probraly jsme vše a ještě mnohem víc.

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Exploring Canada

Speaker 1 0:07

Welcome to the English-speaking group with Kudrunat Holko . My name is Pavlina and every week I will talk to my parents from all over the English-speaking world about various interesting topics . I would also like to mention one thing . If you really want to practice your English and improve it , go to patreoncom or wwwlomonokudrunataholkocom . You will find a complete list of the following conversations , with meanings of the word , phrases and everything else that is worth knowing .

Speaker 2 0:56

Hi everyone and welcome to today's episode . I'm super happy to tell you that my guest for today is Leah Lavlois .

Speaker 3 1:05

Oh good , did I say right ? I'm really happy to join you today . Thanks for having me . Thank you so much . How are you today Doing ? Well , yes , excited to get outside later on today and take on the day , but maybe go skiing .

Speaker 2 1:19

Yes , because we have to say you are from Canada , which is also our topic , and today you just told me that it's minus 25 degrees outside .

Speaker 3 1:28

Really cold , cold January day .

Speaker 2 1:32

Wow . So I have so many questions prepared for you because there's just so many things that we want to know about Canada . For sure I'm happy to answer your questions . Wonderful . So first thing that you know , there's a little rumor going around about Canadian people that you are a bunch of the loveliest , nicest people on planet Earth . Do you think ?

Speaker 3 1:55

that's true , I think it's . So , yes , I think it's a nice rumor . I think it's relatively true as a stereotype , especially maybe when we compare to our neighbors to the south , just in terms of our tendency to say apologize or say sorry , things like that maybe . So yeah , I think it's . I could see that it's true .

Speaker 2 2:22

Of course . And where do you think that this constant you know good mood comes from ?

Speaker 3 2:28

Yeah , I think maybe just the fact that we are able to take on or go outside a lot to embrace nature , I think that helps with our morale . We yeah , we're just like maybe happy , go lucky people in general , but it depends , of course , where we are . But yeah , I think , I think it's a combination of things like yeah , yeah , and well , you just said it .

Speaker 2 2:54

but you know they're not that many Canadians living in the huge country of Canada .

Speaker 3 2:59

Exactly , there's like 40 million people for such a huge land mass , so per capita it's quite sparse , I guess .

Speaker 2 3:07

Yeah , that's mad , because Czech Republic has 10 million people and then Canada is the second largest country in the world .

Speaker 3 3:14

I think that makes sense .

Speaker 2 3:15

Oh , that's crazy yeah wow , and so who is your favorite Canadian ?

Speaker 3 3:21

So I have a few I really like . Similar to you , ryan Gosling is my favorite . Yeah , I do like Ryan Reynolds as well , and speaking of Ryan Gosling , actually Rachel McAdams , the girl who is in the book with Ryan Gosling . She's also Canadian .

Speaker 2 3:41

Oh , I didn't know that .

Speaker 3 3:42

Yeah , so I like those two actors and Drake . I have to say Drake .

Speaker 2 3:48

He is from ? Where is he from ?

Speaker 3 3:52

Toronto Pretty sure yes .

Speaker 2 3:54

How do you like Justin Bieber ?

Speaker 3 3:56

I think Justin Bieber has grown on me like before , when he was kind of a teenager . You know , made his mistakes , but I definitely appreciate who he is now and he's married and he seems more calm . So I like his music too .

Speaker 2 4:10

Well , they're definitely my Canadian guilty pleasures . My husband is going to be rolling his eyes .

Speaker 1 4:16

I do love them .

Speaker 2 4:19

So yeah , who else do you think that maybe we should know about ? From Canada ?

Speaker 3 4:25

So have you ever seen the show Jeopardy ?

Speaker 2 4:28

No .

Speaker 3 4:29

So it's a game show and the host Alex Trebek . So it's a pretty big in North America . It's kind of like a trivia type of show and Alex Trebek was the Canadian game show host . He just passed away last year . He was about 80 years old and he was on the air Like he was the lead host of the show for like 35 or 40 years , so quite a while .

Speaker 2 4:55

So trivia , that's like a quiz show , right ?

Speaker 3 4:58

Yeah , kind of like a quiz show exactly . And who else ? Maybe not fully Canadian , but Vice President Kamala Harris . She did go to school in Montreal and Quebec and so that's just a fun fact . Oh , she has a Canadian tie , yeah .

Speaker 2 5:14

Oh , wow . And so you have two official languages . And so I'm wondering so is every Canadian fluent in both English and French ?

Speaker 3 5:27

So no , I wish , I wish we were . I'm not the best in French myself , like I've grown up on the Quebec , in Quebec most of my life but I didn't go to French school , so constantly going to English school , it's hard to pick it up as a kid but I do understand it . But across Canada I would say it depends . Like in Ottawa , the capital , because it's a government town , most people speak both languages . But if you go to like Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island in the east , it's not as common for people to speak French , and similarly in British Columbia it's not as common . So I think closer to Quebec it's more yeah , the more people speak French , for sure .

Speaker 2 6:11

And are there people who speak just French and no English ?

Speaker 3 6:15

There are , in some remote places in Quebec or Quebec City , I think , there's a lot more French people who are mostly just French . It's more rare , I would say , but it does happen .

Speaker 2 6:28

I do remember when I was in Montreal with my mom . We went to McDonald's over there and the lady she insisted on speaking French to us . We didn't mind , but we just didn't understand what she was saying .

Speaker 3 6:40

Yeah , that happens here too . If I go to McDonald's or Tim Hortons , which is a coffee shop , I'll order in English , but they'll talk to me in French . But we'll just continue like that and we understand each other , but we just speak the language we want to , which is really funny .

Speaker 2 6:57

And you just mentioned Tim Hortons . That's a proper Canadian coffee show , isn't it ?

Speaker 3 7:03

Exactly , it's bagels and donuts and coffee and sandwiches . Yeah , it's pretty popular , I would say , like Canadian .

Speaker 2 7:10

Starbucks .

Speaker 3 7:12

Kind of or like a Dunkin' Donuts probably . Yeah , exactly .

Speaker 2 7:16

Okay , and can you think of , maybe , now that we talk about languages , maybe any funny Canadian slang that you can share with us , something that you do ?

Speaker 3 7:26

So of course we do say A sometimes .

Speaker 1 7:30

It happens .

Speaker 2 7:32

Is it like ? In what situation would you say it ?

Speaker 3 7:35

Like at the end of a they could be asking a question , or if you didn't hear what somebody said , you might say sorry or A or yeah , things like that . We do say cheers or bon appetit at the end of a if we're just about to eat a meal or something like that . So we do say French terms as well .

Speaker 2 7:57

Even if you speak in English , then you would ah interesting .

Speaker 3 8:00

Yeah , exactly If I'm with some girlfriends who are all English , we still might say bon appetit . Another thing we say I say it a lot anyways is like no worries or fair enough . Those are another couple of terms that we say a lot and I think in England I find to be fair that's Tbf . Yeah , it's very common .

Speaker 2 8:23

Uh-huh . And well , another thing that I do have to ask , because I'm from the Czech Republic and you know , we're absolutely obsessed with isokie . So I'm wondering like , and every time we play Canada , uh , it's a big deal . So I'm wondering so it seems like you guys are as well . Is that so ?

Speaker 3 8:44

Yeah , it's pretty popular for sure . Like I'm not the biggest fan I actually prefer basketball but I think it's a very accurate stereotype that Canadians in general do enjoy hockey and watching it or playing it . So , yeah , playing it as well , I would say so , like I live really close to a lot of like frozen lakes and everything right now they're frozen , so I see a lot of people outside playing hockey in the wintertime and there's a lot of leagues as well , so some friends of mine go and play hockey , like after work , for example . So it's pretty popular .

Speaker 2 9:20

Yeah , oh , that's very interesting because in the Czech Republic we always make fun of ourselves because , you know , during the world championship we suddenly all turn into isokie professionals . We all sit in front of the screen and we like give advice to our national players and you can't make the commentators while you're watching . Absolutely yeah , and not that many people even play it . So oh , okay , okay . And so what city is your favorite in Canada ? And we have to say that you live in the capital , right .

Speaker 3 9:52

So it's hard because I used to live in Montreal . I loved it . That's one of my definitely think Montreal is for sure , one of my favorite cities . It's just so multicultural and there's just a lot to do in the summer especially . There's like constant festivals , like music festivals or like a jazz festival , different things . But I also do like Toronto a lot . It's just so much to do and like going to see a Raptors game , for example , prior to the pandemic . I used to love like driving to Toronto and then seeing a Raptors game and Raptors .

Speaker 2 10:25

You have to Sorry .

Speaker 3 10:26

That's the . That's the Toronto Raptors . So they're the National Basketball Association in the NBA . That's Canada's one major basketball team , so they play in the NBA . It's mostly like an American league for basketball . But yeah , they're the team in Toronto . And how's your city ? So we actually don't have a team because it's too small here . So Toronto is the only city in Canada with the national basketball team . Oh , interesting .

Speaker 2 11:00

And what do you like about Ottawa ?

Speaker 3 11:03

I like Ottawa actually because it is smaller , so I find the bigger cities can be a bit overwhelming with traffic and just there's a lot to do . And so I kind of do like the size of Ottawa and the fact that we're so close to the Gatineau Park so I can go hiking and snowshoeing in the winter time and , yeah , really close to nature , so it's nice .

Speaker 2 11:25

Is that a big thing ? Snowshoeing yes .

Speaker 3 11:29

It sounds like so typically Canadian , but yeah .

Canada's Relationship With the British Crown

Speaker 2 11:33

And so we have to say that the British Queen is the Canadian head of state . So I'm wondering how would you say that Canadians feel about the British honarchy ? Do you guys care ? Because obviously then you have your own prime minister .

Speaker 3 11:47

I think it's interesting , like it's obviously part of the colonial history of Canada . It's a big part of how Canada came to be its own country . So I think historically it's an important relationship that we have and continue to maintain . But today I don't know how people feel if it's relevant to their lives in Canada . I don't know that it's probably different from the past . So , and especially also , I don't know if you've seen the show the Crown on Netflix . So I really enjoyed that show , I loved watching it . But after this past season I kind of look at the Crown a little bit differently , just because of the episodes about Diana and everything . So I'm not sure if that's a general thing or if that's just me , but I respect the Crown and everything and I like the historical aspect , but I'm not sure how relevant it is to people's lives today .

Speaker 2 12:48

Yeah , and how did you ? Because I don't know . I have to say that another one of my guilty pleasures is the . British royal family . And so I know that Megan and Harry , they moved from the UK , they went to Canada and then from Canada they went to LA . So I'm wondering where people ? Did people care that you know they was in the news a bit .

Speaker 3 13:11

Yeah , like people were like oh , it's interesting that they went to Vancouver , British Columbia , but it wasn't like a huge deal .

Speaker 1 13:19

Like a big deal . Yeah , exactly .

Speaker 3 13:20

Like I thought it was cool that they came there first . They went to BC but and I thought it was really like good for them . But they chose that you know , being a part of the monarchy wasn't for them anymore , so they decided to kind of step away . So I think that's like takes a lot of courage . From sure that was really hard to do so , but I do love , like Kate Milton , I love Prince William , so I feel you on that guilty pleasure . Yeah .

Speaker 2 13:48

And so you just said BC , that's for British , stands for British Columbia , exactly , yeah , oh , interesting , yeah . And so obviously I do also have to ask about the maple syrup , because the maple leaf is also on your flag , so do you ?

Speaker 3 14:03

love it . I definitely love it , so good .

Speaker 2 14:06

So how often do you eat it ?

Speaker 3 14:08

Maybe like if I'm having a breakfast like a big brunch , for example , with pancakes , once a month , maybe Not too often , but yeah , once a month , I'd say . And actually a fun fact about maple syrup in Canada is that we have maple syrup reserves like hidden , secret vaults of maple syrup in Quebec . It's like yeah , it's just in case , whatever there's a shortage eventually , if ever that happens , we'd have like secret stashes .

Speaker 2 14:40

But you wouldn't know where , like who knows the location .

Speaker 3 14:43

So I think I looked it up online . There's like a couple spots , it's like three different places in Quebec . So I think it says like the city it's in , but I don't know the exact location .

Speaker 2 14:53

Is it , like I don't know , buried under the ground or ?

Speaker 3 14:57

I think so , or in the warehouse .

Speaker 2 14:59

Yeah , that's so funny . And you have to set one thing straight for me , because when I was in England , people would eat it with my colleague . Actually , she ate it with fried bacon .

Speaker 3 15:11

I love it . I actually love dipping bacon in maple syrup . It's so good .

Speaker 2 15:17

Oh , my God , yeah , so it was just like a British girl being .

Speaker 3 15:21

No , it's like a combination of sweet and salty , so it's just so delicious . Okay , maybe I should give it a go . I think so . We also have maple bacon donuts , so people make . Well , there's companies that make donuts with like a maple kind of topping or a glaze and then pieces of bacon on it . So good it's a thing . Once you try it , you'd be addicted .

Speaker 2 15:45

Maybe you say it , so I probably do have to try it . So how would you describe the relationship between the US and Canada ?

Speaker 3 15:54

So I think it's a lot better now , thankfully , like over the past four years I think it was a bit more strained , like I think it was a bit more difficult , especially with like I work for the government , so I don't necessarily work with the US or anything but just hearing like renegotiating the North American free trade agreement . That was difficult . So I think the past four years have been challenging , just with that previous administration . But I think there's a lot of hope and relief for this next , for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris , and then their administration and working with them on , like climate change and , yeah , just different progressive issues that they're more supportive of .

Speaker 3 16:39

So that's great .

Speaker 2 16:40

And in general , like would you say that do you make fun of Americans but you're too nice to anyone ?

Speaker 3 16:49

No , like we definitely do . Sometimes You're in the area .

Speaker 2 16:54

And so is there maybe any Canadian fun fact that we have not heard of .

Speaker 3 17:00

One thing that it's kind of like a tradition , which is kind of a , I guess , a fun fact as well , is like going skating in the wintertime on the Rideau Canal , so it's like this huge manmade canal in Ottawa , it's in the capital , and we also eat beaver tails . So that sounds really weird , but it's actually like a pastry , so it's like fried dough with . So you eat ghost skating and then you get a beaver tail while you're skating and you have oh , so it's not a real beaver tail .

Speaker 3 17:29

No , so the name is kind of off putting , but it's like a pastry , so it's kind of like yeah , just like dough that's deep fried , and then you can get different toppings on it . You could put Nutella , you could put like brown sugar or like lemon juice , and it was really good .

Speaker 2 17:47

Oh , sounds lovely , so , but you don't actually eat beavers in Canada .

Speaker 3 17:52

No , not I don't , I don't think I haven't heard of that .

Speaker 2 17:56

Okay , okay , good . So the next question that I have to ask about is is the bear , because I guess , like we all feel , that you know there's so many bears in Canada . Have you ever seen a bear ?

Speaker 3 18:08

I've seen one from like far away . So I've seen it like crossing a road , but like maybe a kilometer away , so I wasn't very close . But actually this is a funny . It's funny you asked that because we I had a team meeting with my work on Friday and somebody asked , like it was kind of just a casual meeting . They somebody asked you know if people have seen bears ?

Speaker 2 18:27

and about five out of eight people have seen a bear like on a hike , or like on a hike or on a walk , or exactly . Oh god , what are you supposed to do ?

Speaker 3 18:38

So there's a saying . It's like it depends what color the bear is like . If it's black , fight back , and if it's brown , like lie down and pretend you're dead .

Speaker 2 18:49

I don't think I would fight back if I was black Same .

Speaker 3 18:52

I know I definitely would not . I would run .

Speaker 2 18:57

Well , I'm thinking of any other Canadian thing that I could ask you about . Can you think of anything else that could be interesting to mention ?

Speaker 3 19:05

Sure , so we do have a pretty large Indigenous population in Canada and you actually work in this governmental section , right ? Exactly . I work at Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and basically there's three different distinctions of Indigenous peoples in Canada . There's First Nations , métis and Inuit people , and Inuit people are mostly in the north . And there's also about 70 Indigenous languages in Canada spoken by different groups Probably a lot , even more like dialects than that .

Speaker 2 19:41

so yeah , that's pretty interesting . How do the Indigenous people live in , you know , current Canada ? Do they live separated or do they live integrated ?

Speaker 3 19:53

So a little bit of both . There are still reserves . There's about 650 First Nation reserves across Canada , so they're a little bit apart , like a little separate . But there's also Indigenous people that live like in urban centers , in cities , but there are quite a few reserves as well . So they have , like , their own communities , and there's also some Indigenous communities have their own governments , so they have self-government agreements with Canada , which is interesting . Oh , that's really interesting . So they run their own affairs , they kind of like manage their own .

Speaker 2 20:30

Oh , wow and yeah , thank you so much . I'm super happy that you could tell us everything .

Speaker 3 20:35

I'm so happy to be here and share some of what I know and , yeah , happy to talk to you again anytime .

Speaker 2 20:42

Absolutely . Thank you so much , and thank you to everyone who's listened to this episode as well , and I hope to see you next week .

Speaker 1 20:49

Bye .