A TikToker Dished On How To Tell If Someone's Not From Calgary & It's Painfully Accurate
Never call it Cal-gary!
Madi Wood on TikTok. Right: Calgary
Moving to a new city is always a tricky situation, especially when you're figuring out how to fit in with a whole new crowd of people. Even in a small city like Calgary, there's a lot to learn very quickly!
According to TikToker Madi Wood, there are some really obvious giveaways that will let people know you aren't from Calgary right off the bat.
If you've ever wondered if anything about you screams "I'm not from here," you might want to check these out.
@madiwood_ The list could go on and on #yyc #yyctiktok #calgary #livingincalgary #movingtocalgary #vancouvertok #torontotok #reginatok #movetocalgary #tiktokcalgary
The way you say "Calgary" is a dead giveaway
According to Wood, one of the first ways you can tell if someone is from Calgary is literally how they pronounce the city name.
"Calling it Cal-gary. Dead giveaway," she said.
People backed Wood on this, adding that people in the city have a very specific way of pronouncing it.
"When Calgarians pronounce it 'Calgree' rather than 'Cal-gary,'" one person said.
So if you don't want to get caught out for not being a local, just drop that second A.
Knowing what a "Dually" is
Wood also said you can tell someone isn't from Calgary if they "don't know what the word 'Dually' means." Hint: it's a truck with two rear wheels on each side.
However, this was up for debate as some TikTokers admitted to having no idea.
"I’m a 3rd generation Calgarian and never heard duley in my life," one person said.
"Duley? Born and raised Calgarian here. I have no idea what that is," another added.
Maybe this is just one for the truck people out there.
There's a right way to give addresses
Another way to show you aren't a local but also to cause a great deal of confusion to people around you is forgetting the all-important quadrant when giving out an address, Wood said.
"Not only a rookie mistake but also just very confusing," Wood said.
Others shared just how vital this information can be.
"My husband from Winnipeg sent me to the wrong side of Calgary by giving me the wrong quadrant. He learned quickly how important that info is," one person commented.
Checking the weather constantly is very Calgary
One thing about Calgary is that the city sees some very rapidly changing weather and so, according to Wood, checking the weather multiple times a day is a sign of a true Calgarian.
"Calgary gets a bad rap for its weather, but it is also known to like change on a total dime. The ongoing joke is that if you don't like the weather in Calgary, wait 15 minutes and it'll be better," Wood said.
She's definitely not alone on this one, as it seems like Calgarians are pretty in tune with checking on the weather constantly.
"It's 2:30 and I’ve checked the weather 6 times today," one person commented.
Sunglasses are a year-round accessory
While a lot of people complain about the cold in Calgary, sunglasses are pretty much always necessary for Calgarians.
"If you think that sunglasses are only for the summer. Cold but always sunny, baby, even in the winter," she added.
The hail anxiety is real
Anyone that's lived in Calgary knows that when spring and summer roll around that means it's also hail season — which is enough to strike panic. There's nothing worse than golf-ball-sized chunks of ice hurling down at you while you're just trying to live your life.
"If it starts to hail in the summer or in the spring and you don't immediately like kind of panic on the inside. It means you've never been done dirty by golf ball size hail either damaging your car, your bike, or your home," Wood said.
"I was travelling and working at the stampede last year and omg the HAIL," one person chimed in.
It looks like the stress about hail will stick with you, even if you don't live in Alberta anymore.
"Haven't lived in AB for 5 years, and I still get nervous when I see hail in my new town," another person added.
The oil and gas connection
Wood also said it's a giveaway that you aren't from Calgary if you don't have at least one person in your extended network that works in oil and gas.
Most likely, you'll know at least one person in the field.
"6 degrees of Kevin Bacon to get to someone you know in Oil & Gas… and that's if you need all 6," one person added.