You're Not A Real Canadian Unless You've Experienced 5 Of These 7 Uniquely Canuck Struggles
Living in Canada comes with its own unique struggles and stereotypes, and if you've been here for a few years, chances are you've experienced quite a few of them.
Whether it's getting confused or scared by commercials and alerts to being personally attacked by nature, there are definitely some experiences that bring us together as a nation in our collective struggle.
So, if you've experienced at least five of the seven situations below, you can 100% say you're a proud Canadian!
Thought a house hippo was real
@jimmerplslikeme Every Canadians worst nightmare… this problem is really…real. #fyp #foryou #canada #canadian #heritageminutes #househippo #viral #comedy
If you were in the country in the '90s and early '00s, chances are you might have been confused by the PSA about house hippos.
The commercial featured some adorable pint-sized hippos that they claimed lived in houses in North America. The cute creatures were said to favour raisins and peanut butter and make little nests out of dryer lint.
The point of the ad was to teach people to think critically about what they see on TV, but honestly, if you were a kid and saw the iconic commercial, there's a good chance you thought house hippos were legit.
Had a small freak out over the emergency alert test sound
@adamsusser If death had a sound… #canada #canada_life🇨🇦 #ohcanada #canadianproblems
Canada's Alert Ready system does testing throughout most of the country twice a year and likely leads to more than a few people low-key jumping out of their skin.
The alert, which makes a terrifying "wee-ooo" noise, is designed to deliver "critical and potentially life-saving alerts to Canadians through television, radio and LTE-connected and compatible wireless devices," according to Alert Ready.
That's all good stuff, but as one TikToker said, "If death had a sound..." it would undoubtedly be the piercing noise of the Alert Ready tone.
Cut the hole in your bag of milk too big
@shawnaa96 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #canadian you’ll only get it if you’re Canadian
If you live in a province where you can buy bagged milk, you definitely know the pain of not cutting the opening of the plastic correctly.
If you happen to cut it just a few millimetres too big, you're in for a world of pain as the rate of milk being poured is going to be all messed up and will likely lead to spillage.
The worst part? You can't do anything to fix it — you just have to wait to finish the bag and hope you don't repeat the mistake on the next one.
Been forced to wear a snowsuit over your Halloween costume
@ehyoitsemily EVERY halloween costume RUINED by a snow suit #fyp #canada #canadian #canadianproblems #tiktokcanada #canadiancheck #winter #halloween #eh #ehyoitsemily
Remember when your parent got you all dressed up in your super cool Power Rangers/Disney princess/Pokemon character costume and how excited you'd be to flex that sweet 'fit on your block?
And do you remember when they wouldn't let you leave the house without putting your winter jacket and snow pants on top of your costume due to it being cold and snowy outside?
An absolute crime. Parents — the worst!
Dressed for the appropriate weather condition only to get burned
Canada has four distinct seasons, but there are some times when the weather doesn't seem to be aware of that.
From March to May, the weather might start off at a chilly 7 Celsius in the morning only to jump up to the low 20s by the afternoon.
That can often result in you sweating through the cute sweater you picked out in the morning and leading to an uncomfortable few hours until you can switch over to a t-shirt.
Better to be too warm than too cold though!
Fallen on you butt despite knowing how to walk on the ice
Winters in Canada are no joke and icy conditions are something you just have to learn how to deal with.
Quite a few people adopt the "penguin shuffle" technique, which Alberta Health Services recommends as a way to prevent falls and injuries.
Even if you do take short steps and use your arms for balance, you've 100% slipped at some point and hurt either your butt or your pride (but likely both).
Gotten attacked by a goose
@westernsavs UPDATE: Geese will now attack you on campus for no f#&$ing reason. #westernsavages #westernuniversity
And lastly, who amongst us has not been personally attacked by a Canadian goose?
The cobra chicken shows no mercy in the early spring season and will do its scary hiss and wing-flapping motion at you if it thinks you're getting too close to its nest.
It also will absolutely fly at you and attack even if unprovoked and it is a fearsome beast that does not discriminate in who it victimizes — everyone is the enemy, so always stay aware of your surroundings.
All that being said, love ya, Canada — let's chalk the struggles up to "character-building" moments!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
