I have been living in America for two years now and they have been the best years of my life so far. Before any Canadian readers close this article (and probably feel bad about it in ten minutes and write me an email saying sorrrry), just note that I’m in fact Canadian, and it will always be my home. I love Canada and in order to love something, you need to be able to make fun of it a little— I feel like I need to say that I love America too.

Now, Americans as a population— that’s a different story. The majority of Americans are very similar to the Canadian people that I know. You get the republicans, socialists, democrats, etc. but you also get the patriots, not talking football here (by the way yes we do have our own football league). But I have also become acquainted with other kinds of people that I have never really seen before, and it seems like they are more prevalent in these parts. I must note that this kind of person holds a very small percentage of the people that I have met and doesn’t accurately represent the American population. Picture a kernel on the cob of corn, or a bubble in a jar of maple syrup (depending on whether you’re Canadian or American, one should be easier to picture). You know what I’m talking aboot, the rednecks, hicks, white trash, the names go on. Sorrrry if those stereotypes offend anyone, those nicknames aren’t my words, just the ones I’ve heard. These people tend to be very opinionated for no apparent reason at all, whether it be politics, laws, or the weather, the list goes on. More specifically— Trump vs. Clinton, gun laws, or if it’s cloudy or overcast. I don’t want to give my opinion on American politics because I can’t vote anyways. I don’t want to give my opinion about gun laws because I’ve never owned a gun in my life and if I had, I would be in prison. And I really don’t care if it’s cloudy or overcast— by the way, what’s the difference?

I have not only been living in America, but the best State in America— if you ask them. That’s right and you might have already assumed (which you should never do by the way) that I live in a small town in Tennessee. A baseball scholarship brought me here, but I’m no ordinary jock that needs his college professor to write in crayon so he can understand— at least not here. To people in Tennessee, I’m the guy who’s always smiling, calls everyone “buddy,” finishes every question off with “eh?” and says “sorrrry” too much. Sorry aboot that. I’ve heard plenty of nicknames for Canadians as well, but the most popular and pretty much universally known is Canuck. Canada has fully embraced this nickname, and it was actually an inspiration for the name of one of our hockey teams— the Vancouver Canucks. Interesting how American nicknames are offensive to Americans, but Canadian nicknames are humorous to Canadians. Just something to think aboot. Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that Canadians are nice and polite, but hold on a second here. Stereotypes aren’t always factual. Are these stereotypes true, or do they at least hold some truth?

It’s somewhat funny though because I must be constantly changing the way I speak. For example, in Tennessee I have a strong Canadian accent, and people make jokes aboot it. But in Canada, I have a slightly southern accent, and people find it really cool. I don’t think I have an accent at all, but it’s possible I have a mixture of both Canadian and southern. I can admit, however that I do say “y’all” when I’m in Tennessee, and I do say “eh” way more often when I’m home in Canada. I think the way I speak would be perfect for a more central state such as Ohio, but then again they say neither “eh” nor “y’all.” Either way, I have found that I need to somewhat adapt to the culture I’m surrounded by, because if I speak with either accent people will be all over me like hair on a bar of soap.