Part IV: O Canada, Our Home and Native Land

Since moving abroad, it's become blatantly obvious how little people know about our vast and awesome country.  We're often mistaken for our Southern neighbours and while we have a lot in common, we most definitely have our own unique culture.

I've teamed up with some of my favourite Canadian bloggers, expats and travellers to share with you some things that are distinctly Canadian.

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From Melissa...

The community of St. Jacobs is located in southwest Ontario, just north of Waterloo in Woolwich Township, Waterloo Region.  It is a tiny village with a Mennonite heritage and is a popular tourist destination - for those who know about it.

The village feel and quaint shops showcasing local art and homemade products is reason enough to make a stop off here if you are in the area.  Besides the shops there is a farmer’s market and The Millrace Footpath, a recreational trail that forms part of the Trans Canada Trail (known as the world's longest network of recreational trails).

Photo: St Jacobs

From Lauren...

'The Bay' (slang for The Hudson's Bay Company)

This company is completely and totally quintesstial Canadian, and - fun fact - it's the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world (thank you Wikipedia.)  It started off as a fur trading business in the 1600s and today is a full-fledged retail store.

My favourite part about it?  The HBC Collection brand.  Maybe it's because I don't live there anymore but my heart melts when I see anything with a blue-yellow-green-red stripe combo.  If I had it my way, my room would be littered with this pattern, starting with this blanket, these mitts, this bear... I think you get the point.  And, if I owned this, then my life would probably be complete.

Lots of people also tend to buy products from it's Olympic Collection and I may or  may not have grabbed a pair of these bad boys to rep' my homeland will travelling later this summer :)

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Melissa is a current Canadian expat in London.  Born in Jamaica, growing up in Toronto and travelling from a young age, she's constantly exploring the world and inspiring wanderlust amongst her readers as well as sharing some cool, lesser-known things to do in the UK.

Lauren is a Canadian export who has been studying towards a Masters in PR in Los Angeles, California.  If that wasn't cool enough, she packed up and crossed the Atlantic for a summer in London, England.  She has travelled fairly extensively, loves taking beautiful photos and trying new restaurants.

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE