https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/tags/cultureshock/ Recent content in cultureshock on Chasing the Rainbow • A Traveller's Blog by Frauke Knappmann Hugo -- gohugo.io en-GB Thu, 07 Jan 2021 12:39:33 -0800 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/026-processing-animals/ Thu, 07 Jan 2021 12:39:33 -0800 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/026-processing-animals/ Without heating, without power, without sewers I already talked about the differences in infrastructure between Germany and Canada in my post about Wildfires, Hybrid cars and Recycling. Here in the Rocky Mountain areas the situation is similar yet still slightly different compared to the prairies. Occasional power outages are no rarity but more something like an (annoying) everyday thing, especially when it turns dark early during the winter months. Seven Pines also has no connection to a public sewer, just a buried septic tank behind the house - which is the reason why we are not allowed to drive over that part of the ranch with a tractor, because the weight and vibrations the machinery causes might harm the tank and the pipes leading to it. https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/013-land-of-living-skies/ Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:30:49 -0600 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/013-land-of-living-skies/ Soon after reaching Canada and George picking me up at the airport, I noticed the car licence plates, calling Saskatchewan Land of Living Skies. When I asked George after that, he just laughed and answered that I would understand soon. And how right he was. Spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Tornado warnings and impressive lightning shows during thunderstorms. Polar lights and the Milky Way. And of course the incredibly wide open sky of the prairies. https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/011-saskatchewan-flower/ Sun, 06 Sep 2020 11:57:51 -0600 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/011-saskatchewan-flower/ Plants of the Prairie The prairies are a very primordial biosphere, open steppes with cold, hard winters and hot, dry summers. This climate also reflects in the plant life here. Different kinds of grasses, sagebrush and small cacti shape the picture of the region around La Reata. George, who is interested in plants himself, takes part in a prairie preservation project for the part of the prairie that belongs to him. https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/010-wildfires/ Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:29:07 -0600 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/010-wildfires/ After now two months spent in Canada I have seen many new things and learned (to love) a completely different lifestyle. Fears, worries and needs of the people here in the prairies are pretty different from what I am used from Germany - and I would like to introduce a few of the differences I thought were the most impressive or important. Imperial versus Metric Canada is part of the Commonwealth, and a neighbour to the US. https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/008-aurora-borealis/ Wed, 19 Aug 2020 07:37:31 -0600 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/008-aurora-borealis/ What a day. I hadn’t actually planned on publishing another post this fast, but yesterday was simply too unbelieveable. We were on the lake again, celebrating the neighbour’s wife’s birthday, and because the rest of the guests were all ranchers or farmers, most conversations kind of involved topics around the harvest and other farming things. One point coming up there, which surprised and fascinated me, was, that the ranchers out here actually felt an impact after the earthquake in Fukushima, concerning the times of the sun they were so used to. https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/007-saskatchewan-wildlife/ Tue, 18 Aug 2020 09:28:01 -0600 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/007-saskatchewan-wildlife/ Europe and North America Unlike Europe which offers little room for wild animals due to the dense population - and where animals are very shy even in less heavily populated areas - spotting different wild animals in Canada is nothing unusual. Especially during dusk and dawn you can see pronghorns, white-tailed deer and mule deer, during the day different bird of preys and smaller game like jackrabbits and gophers. Wildlife of the Prairie The prairies are home to a great variety of animals you can’t find in Europe or that have been pushed into hard-to-reach areas in Europe. https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/003-travelling-and-corona/ Tue, 21 Jul 2020 10:09:35 -0600 https://chasing-the-rainbow.hurin.ch/en/posts/003-travelling-and-corona/ Travelling before and during Corona Corona changed the worldwide travel behaviour and the travel possiblities extremely. Instead of just travelling whenever and wherever it pleases someone, they now really have to think twice or maybe even three times if the tour really is that necessary and safe to execute. But this newfound care for travel also has its advantages. The reduced traffic on air, water and the ground is not only good for the environment, the reduced influx of passengers has also made travelling more comfortable and, in some places, faster.