Holy smokes, I Live in New Zealand.

Having just completed another round of successful phone calls home today, I thought I would share a couple of my tips for battling homesickness. It’s surprisingly easy in the Internet age to remain connected. I mean, I have my choice of any Canadian media available to me (including the delightful TV adaptation of Douglas Coupland’s jPod) and even our few food products.

Below is a non-comprehensive list of how I make Canadian magic happen. Feel free to send along your tips as well and I will update the list accordingly:

• Random $900 flights home.
• CBC Radio 3.
• French toast with Steeves’ Maple Syrup from Elgin (pronounced “el-JIN”), New Brunswick.
• In Flight Safety (also a great cool down band post-run).
• Putting-hyphens-between-words, which-they-don’t-do-in-New-Zealand.
• My weekly round of phone calls home to family and friends (called in theme groupings: one week Guelph, one week Barrie, two weeks of planners, …).
• Downloading TV shows the day after they air back home, including jPod, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Torchwood, Squidbillies, and on occasion Dave Foley’s shows on Super Deluxe.
• Putting letter zeds into words that have esses in them in New Zealand, such as “memorise” or “realisation.”
• Teh Facebook.
• Teh e-mails.
• My website.

Missing you all…