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Guest Kirsteen

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Guest Kirsteen

Hi there,

 

Well, there's no turning back now! Almost all of my worldy goods were efficiently picked up by the movers on Friday and are now, supposedly, en route to Calgary. Woo. :D I make the initial trip out on Wednesday with the cat-lads, to be there for when the movers arrive and to unpack and then head back to TO for a few days to tie up some loose ends. Relocating is quite an interesting feeling and experience, eh?

 

So what is the deal with Calgary weather? Around 75% of the folks whom I've chatted with re: going to Calgary for school first mention the chilly weather. It can't be that bad, can it? Also, how many of you use those block heaters that I've seen around various Calgary parking lots?

 

Looking very much forward to seeing you all on Aug. 4th. :)

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

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Guest katwoman2003

Calgary is sunny and warm right now. But I betcha it's not going to last that long. Winters are cold and make sure the parking you get has a plug:) K.

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Guest bananacreampie

Hey,

 

I might just be lazy, but I have never plugged my car in, might depend how old your car is as well (and if it is kept underground). I hate cold weather and I survive in Calgary so it can't be too bad. Though not as balmy as the coast Calgary probably has better winters than Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and most parts of the east. Today it is 27 degrees out, beautiful and sunny. I just read that Alberta recieves more hours of sunlight per year than any other province.

 

In addition, we do get snow in Calgary, but it usually melts within a week due to the Chinooks. It doesn't keep piling up like some places. As Lorae has learned though, the weather can change quite quickly.

 

The motto is: If you don't like the weather in Calgary, just wait 10 minutes :)

 

cheers, bcp

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Guest sn0w0wl

I've also had to adapt to prairie winters recently. When I moved to Saskatoon from Vancouver, I got a block heater installed in my car and invested in better winter tires. I don't use my car for commuting, so I rarely have to plug it in, only when it gets below 25C at night and I have somewhere to drive in the morning. I worry though if I have to drive somewhere when it's -30 to -50 and leave my car (unplugged) in a parking lot somewhere for a few hours--most parking lots at U of S have plug-ins (though you do pay for the priviledge). However, Saskatoon is usually colder than Calgary (many days we had bragging rights for the coldest major city in Canada, including Yellowknife, according to the Environment Canada map that I check even more obsessively than this forum), and the snow in Oct/Nov may still be hanging around in April (though it rarely covers long grass). Come winter, yellow or orange snakes decorate many a tree as residents try to string extension cords from their house to their car in the street.

 

Anyways, if you don't have a block heater, I'd get one just in case (it'd be risky for your car not to start if you're on call). Some people also get supplementary heaters for the inside of the vehicle, and automatic starters are really popular here to warm up your car in the morning! My favourite? A CAA membership for emergency roadside assistance--used for changing a flat for me when it was -35C out, for installing a new battery when my old one died over the Christmas holidays and I had to rush to pick up my cats from the boarding place, and for towing my car out of our back alley when it got stuck in icy slush almost a foot deep (my car was frozen back there for days while I had my med interview in Calgary!).

 

Mmmm... almost 35 degrees and snow almost sounds good right now!

 

sn0

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Guest frogcanada

Hey K,

 

I have lived in Calgary for 20 years and Toronto for 5, and all I can say is I MUCH prefer the Calgary winters to Toronto winters... all they say about the cold being a "dry cold" and not really feeling that cold, is true. Also there's not that much wind in Calgary (except for Chinooks which are warm winds) relative to Toronto, which helps. And the snow doesn't really pile up much. I plan to bike to school pretty much 12 months a year.

 

: ) FC

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Guest katwoman2003

Hey Frog: You're more Calgarian than me! For I've only lived here for 15 years. Do you live close to school? I guess I've never thought of biking in the winter because of the ice...K.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi there Kirsteen,

Haven't been on the forum in a while, just noticed YOU GOT IN and wanted to send you a personal CONGRATULATIONS. I'm excited for you... Your posts have helped a lot of people.

 

As someone who took a similar winding path into medicine, seeing that you'd been accepted got me reminiscing about all that joy and anticipation... ENJOY IT!!! You should take some time to really relax and enjoy yourself. Have champagne (if you haven't already). There are too few true champagne moments in life... And you deserve this one! And in your first week when you're looking around at all your classmates and being amazed by them all at every turn, and when you first get that 'through the looking glass' kinda feeling, maybe when a nurse slaps a chart in your hand and says "patient in four", or maybe when you learn something really doctor'ish like how to assess a JVP (I thought they were pulling my leg about the JVP at first... HA!), or maybe it's when you take your first history as a physician-in-training and get that "holy-moly-this-is-a-doctor-patient-relationship" shiver... seriously, savour it... I'm so happy for you. I hope that it is for you, as it is for me, everything you'd hoped it to be and more!

Have a great year!

Cheers,

Matt

UofO Med II

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Guest Kirsteen

Thanks for that, Matt. :)

 

So far, so fab. My classmates are great and the atmosphere at UofC is tremendous. Everyone is incredibly friendly and supportive. Additionally, the program appears to be perfectly tailored for me, so I'm very happy. :D

 

You sound like you're having a great time at Ottawa--it's great to read. Ottawa's atmosphere and program reminded me quite a bit of that here at UofC--it was one of my favourites while on the interview circuit.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

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