Canada Diary - 07.12.2017

It must have been extremely cold outside. As I opened the blinds, snow covered roads, pavements, trees and roofs greeted me as if they were saying, "Very chilled morning!"  As far as I could see, the city was wrapped in a blanket of snow. It was 6 in the morning. Had this been in India, people would prefer to stay in bed under warm quilt, sipping a hot cup of beverage.

But here, people had started coming to their jobs. There are a few offices in front of our building. A big parking space is also there with parking place earmarked with yellow lines. At this early and chilled hour of this morning, cars were pulling up slowly, reversing a bit before being parked to ensure that every vehicle was parked within the earmarked space.  People  covered in  long jacket with hood made of fur on their heads, wearing long boots and gloves were alighting from their vehicle and walking to their offices. In Canada, job hours are not fixed. People are free to choose their timings. They can come early and go early. These people who were coming to their jobs would leave around noon after putting in required working hours. Soon the parking lot was full of vehicles. But the three parking slots which were earmarked for handicapped were still empty. "How disciplined these people were!", I thought.

I was so engrossed looking at these early comers, that I could not notice the  vehicles which were busy removing snow from the roads, making them motor-able. They were working quietly and quickly. When I returned to the window after taking a cup of tea, most of the road had been cleared and they were still working. Black tarred roads amidst snow all around looked as if someone had spilled black paint on a pure white sheet.

It was then I noticed a girl with two chained doges following her. She must have brought them out to relieve themselves. It was a not an extraordinary activity worth mentioning until I saw her picking up dog waste and collecting it in a small pouch. She then threw the pouch in a dustbin placed there. I purposely went down to find about these dust bins . I was surprised that these green colored bins were placed only to collect dog waste. The sign board placed there announced - Dog waste station. How meticulously these small things had been planned ! This is in sharp contrast with the Indian dog lovers who allowed their pets to shit on the roads and leave it for somebody else to clean.