How did you find me? I mean, who sent you here? I’ve been writing this blog entirely in German since I started it about three months ago. Chances are you probably don’t speak the language of Goethe, Merkel and Rammstein and landed on this page by accident. Don’t despair. It will be a pleasure for me to accommodate you in your language, if only for today.

What exactly, you might wonder, is this guy covering in his blog? The short answer is: Everything and anything under the sun. And sometimes even under the moon. The somewhat more detailed response goes like this: I have been writing about your wonderful country, Canada, from the viewpoint of a German journalist who has been working and living here for the past 30 years.

Mostly flattering, sometimes critical, always fair.

I love living in Canada! That’s why most of the stuff I’ve been writing about was quite flattering. But of course you will find the odd blog-entry that will make you wonder why I’m still here. True enough, I sometimes do doubt the sanity of this country’s governments, federal and provincial. For instance when I write about the crumbling infrastructure in Québec. Or the lagging healthcare service in Canada.

Everybody is welcome! © iqra

One thing I would like to assure you: I’m certainly not trying to denigrate my own nest, so to speak. Instead, I would like to tell my fellow German readers things about Canada they might not find in any newspaper and not hear in their newscasts, be it radio or TV. In other words: I sometimes touch a topic that might contribute to exploding a myth. Healthcare being one of them. Most Germans are still under the impression: Canada has the best healthcare system in the world. Sorry guys, this is not the case. By looking at the long lineups in your emergency departments, you will agree with me that there is lots of room for improvement.

Here is an idea: More renewable energy!

The same goes for the environment. Is it really wise to pump more of your hard earned dollars in aging nuclear power plants like the one in Gentilly/Québec? Wouldn’t it be better for all of us to invest more money in environmentally friendly technologies instead? Like solar, wind and tidal power? The attitude of most Canadians towards renewable ressources is nothing to write home about.

Still, most of the things I have been writing about you and your country are truly flattering: The kindness of the Canadian people and the breathtaking landscape. And above all the decency of you guys as a nation when it comes to immigration and dealing with foreigners in general. As far as tolerance goes, the rest of the world – including Germany – could learn a lot from Canada.

If there is one thing I hate about this part of Canada, it’s the weather. Your climate sucks! Unless you are a polar bear who loves ice and snow.

I just noticed, much of this blog entry sounds as corny as any election speech I’ve heard lately. Don’t worry. I have no plans to run for office. I simply like to deal with Canadian things that matter to me and my family.

You think Google Translator sucks? Maybe I’m just a lousy writer!

I would be delighted if you would come back to my blog from time to time, or even comment on it. Come to think of it, you could even hire Google as your virtual translating service. But be careful! My friend Doug did exactly that. Afterwards he wrote me: „Either Google Translator sucks – or you are a lousy writer!“  So much for Canadian kindness.

Whatever your verdict will be: Thanks for dropping by!