lunenburg is a port town in nova scotia, canada. it was founded in 1753 and became a unesco world heritage site on december 6th 1995 to preserve and protect its natural and cultural heritage. lunenburg is an outstanding example of british colonial settlement in north america. between december 2020 to march 2021, i lived in old town lunenburg. in my 3 months there, i checked out canada’s ocean playground from north to south and east to west. it is, after all, the second smallest canadian province so i just had to see all of it for myself. i knew absolutely nothing about nova scotia at first but as i got to know the province, the quicker i fell in love with it.

here are the ten things i loved learning living in nova scotia:

1. saying hi. i love going on walks especially when it’s bright and sunny out. now imagine walking around in a small seaside town. even better, right? that was my life in lunenburg. i would take the lunenburg front harbour trail to get to town. on this trail, i’d usually run into people (and their dogs). saying ‘hi’, ‘good morning’, ‘hello’, or other simple greetings was the norm. i eventually got used to it so i started greeting everyone i met too. everyone was incredibly friendly! now, this isn’t just a “small town” thing but everywhere i went in nova scotia, everyone was welcoming and convivial! that’s why when i came back to ontario and went on my daily walks, i was blown away that no one wanted to say hi or even smile at me! it was utterly upsetting and quite frankly, i found it unbelievably rude. it must a city thing.

2. supporting local. you’ve all heard it before and you will hear it again: support local and support small businesses. it’s not a secret that nova scotia is a small canadian province. halifax, the province’s biggest city, has the population of 439,819 in 2021. that is nothing comparing to toronto’s 2.7 million people. one of the few cons of living in ns is that there aren’t a lot of job options. because of this, the small businesses are literally the backbone of nova scotia. supporting local means supporting families whose only livelihoods are their small businesses. this is their bread and butter. lunenburg alone is a hot tourist spot. with all the crazy restrictions due to the pandemic, it evidently became harder for small businesses to survive. if it was hard for the big box stores, imagine how harder it was – and still is – for small businesses.

3. “supper”. i certainly do not hear the word ‘supper’ around here in ontario. did you know, though ‘dinner’ and ‘supper’ mean the same thing, they actually do differ from one another? ‘dinner’ tends to be on the formal side. ‘supper’, on the other hand, is used, yeah you got it, for informal meals. i’ve heard a co-worker from newfoundland say ‘supper’ so i definitely think using ‘supper’ isn’t just a nova scotian thing, but perhaps an east coast thing. please correct me, if i’m wrong!

4. atlantic water is freezing cold. i truly did not know how cold the atlantic was until i dipped my toes in it. yup, my toes pretty much decided for me. there was no way i would intentionally swim in the ocean. i’ve swam in the pacific ocean before but the atlantic was just a whole new ball game. i’m pretty sure you think i’m exaggerating but your girl does not do cold; i was born in the tropics! the atlantic’s freezing temperature leads me to point number five…

5. the titanic. yeah, the titanic sank in the atlantic ocean on april 15th 1912 and many people died – that’s public knowledge. however, what some of you might not know, is that halifax’s fairview lawn cemetery is known as the final resting place for 150 passengers of the titanic. pretty grim, eh? as a matter of fact, the maritime museum of the atlantic has a permanent exhibit dedicated to the titanic. i’ve only visited the cemetery to pay my respects so i, regrettably, don’t know much about the museum and the exhibit. the cemetery was, as you could imagine, eerie, but it was still a really great learning experience.

5. freshest seafood. believe it or not, i’m quite allergic to seafood and shellfish. i feel a burning sensation around my lips and on rare occasions, i would breakout in hives. ironically, my favourite food is seafood. you can only imagine the weight i put on while living in ns… being in the atlantic side of canada, nova scotia has an abundant access to seafood. it’s pretty much what the maritimes is known for! if you’re in town, it would be a sin not to have seafood. everywhere you go, there’s always going to be clam and chips, lobster roll, bowl of mussels, etc. on the menu! i could write a novel on which restaurants to hit in every part of ns and what you must try but for now, i leave you this: a very attractive collage of myself devouring this $90 seafood tower at the half shell oyster bar in lunenburg. they say pictures speak a thousand words but i bet these two speak more!

6. it isn’t for the city dwellers. would you believe me if i told you you could purchase a two bedroom, one bath home and a huge piece of land in nova scotia for $95,000 CAD? here’s the catch though, you would have to take two short ferry rides to get there because, well, the house is on an island. if that doesn’t scream “middle of nowhere,” i don’t know what does. brier island is a 6km long and 2km wide island known for whale watching and bird watching. it’s a beautiful place, don’t get me wrong, but it really isn’t for people who cannot live off the land. whilst that’s obviously the extreme situation, i’d also like to reiterate the number of haligonians comparing to the number of torontonians i covered in point 2.

7. the bluenose, their pride and joy. the bluenose was a racing schooner built in 1921 in lunenburg. she became a very important icon for the province of nova scotia and canada. so iconic that she is on the back of a canadian dime. following the bluenose’s wreckage in 1946, the bluenose ii was built in 1963. the bluenose ii resides in lunenburg full time but she sails around nova scotia in the summertime. the 2022 sailing schedule is not out as of yet; however, you can check here for updates. if you fancy to see the exterior home of captain angus walters, the first captain of the bluenose, i recommend staying at the tannery hideaway. this is where i lived in l’burg and it is located right beside captain angus’ previous home! if you’re lucky, you might even spot the bluenose ii from the yard!

8. lighthouses are everywhere. according to the canadian encyclopedia, nova scotia is home to 160 lighthouses! that is a huge number comparing to newfoundland’s 72, prince edward island’s 56, and new brunswick’s 78. it makes sense why the maritimes would have lighthouses but did you know that not all lighthouses serve the same purpose? now you do. nova scotia has the most lighthouses in canada and i think that’s pretty cool! you must, however, check out my favourite lighthouse though. no, it isn’t peggy’s cove. my favourite lighthouse is the brier island lighthouse. go see why for yourself! it will not disappoint.

9. #novascotiastrong. there is a dark and morbid story as to how this saying came to be. i won’t dwell too much on it as it could be pretty upsetting. however, #novascotiastrong is a powerful message born out of nova scotians’ resiliency, strength, and unity. it brings people together when times get tough. it’s a slogan of support for each other. this hashtag is everywhere in ns: on stickers, mugs, on neon signs, and so on and so forth, but no matter how it is shown, it screams one thing and one thing only. nova scotia is strong.

10. nova scotians are proud. why wouldn’t they be? they’re frikkin’ awesome! as they should, they wave the nova scotian flag on their front lawn, on their cars, on their shop windows and everywhere visible loud and proud! there is definitely nothing wrong with that. it’s just for someone like myself, it is surely different but refreshing to see! i cannot see ontarians doing the same thing anytime soon but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist here. bluenosers have a lot of to be proud of so why not show it?

though it was short lived, i’ll forever treasure my time in nova scotia. it has a special spot in my heart. i truly fell head over heels in love with the province. the grass is always greener on the other side, they say, but i would absolutely move heaven and earth to live there full time if i could. the connections and relationships i built during my 3-month stunt there made such a huge impact in my life. i have nothing but love for nova scotia. such tiny canadian province but bluenosers have the biggest hearts.

♪ now playing: gold teeth by hey rosetta!