Spinster

Before I moved to Toronto, the things I knew about Canada could maybe fit on the head of a pin (a very small pin):

a) The prime minister was Paul Martin (how tightly my brain held onto this information can be illustrated by the fact that I first typed “John Martin,” then stared at the name for a good minute, wondering why it didn’t sound quite right)

b) Canada is very cold

c) Canadians say “eh” (true) and “hoose” (not true)

I wouldn’t say that I know a whole lot more now. Canadian history wasn’t exactly the primary focus of the American educational system and I’m not enough of a history buff to wade through wars and political manuevers on my own. However, armchair travelling is one of my favorite activities, and I particularly enjoy social histories, mainly because they don’t require me to remember lots of facts.

I picked up Will Ferguson’s Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw, a collection of essays exploring Canada’s past and present, moving from the west coast to the east coast. Ferguson is one of those writers who, presumably, has little patience for timelines and dates and can empathize with the reader whose ability to retain information about both is weak (me). He’s Bill Bryson-esque (another of my favorites), though maybe a bit rougher around the edges.

Ferguson captures a Canada I would venture to guess that even most Canadians aren’t familiar with. These are the smaller stories, set not in Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal, but in Victoria and Dresden and Fort Vermilion. Ferguson’s account of seeing polar bears in their natural habitat, dancing under a sky pulsing with the surreal colors of the aurora borealis, is unforgettable. It’s not all bears and fur traders, though; it’s also Canada’s role in the Underground Railroad, and the more interesting (and poignant) ironies of the Quebec separatist movement.

I’m not finished with the book yet, but I can already say that my list of Things I Know About Canada is a bit longer:

a) The prime minister was Paul Martin and is now Stephen Harper

b) Canada is very cold

c) Canadians say “eh” but not “hoose”

d) Canada had something to do with the Underground Railroad

e) There are ironies–interesting and poignant–surrounding the Quebec separatist movement