Reasons Why I'll Always Be a Prairie Girl

Of all the abounding natural wonders Canada's provinces have to offer, Saskatchewan's seem to be the most overlooked. The prairies are constantly shunned for their 'repetitive' scenery and 'boring' views. I mean, how many people gush over the prospect of vacationing in Saskatchewan, spending their summer break staring at flat landscape after flat landscape?

One of my family's favourite TV series, Corner Gas, is set in small town Saskatchewan. And sure, the show plays at the stereotypes and cliches wherever possible, but it also perfectly captures the essence of prairie life in a way that only true Saskatchewanians can fully appreciate.

I'm living in Toronto now, but I was born and grew up on the prairies. And although the city has a lot going for it- education, tourist attractions, employment opportunities- there's something really incomparable and definitive about small town culture.

Life in Saskatchewan has a certain simplicity to it. Its slow pace not only allows people time for themselves, but also for each other. People have a way of approaching one another that completely contrasts the tense, distant greetings I've seen in the city. It's easy to be suspicious of people when you don't know who they are or where they're coming from, but in a small town, where every stranger you run into knows someone who knows someone who knows you, people are way more willing to take each other as they are.

And it's not only the social connectedness that I miss. I know the landscapes aren't necessarily Saskatchewan's strongest selling point, but something about the pivotal lack of trees really brings out the sky brilliantly. Or as Hank Yarbo from Corner Gas puts it when a visitor passes through the town and comments on how flat the Western prairies are: "There's lots to see. Nothing to block the view."

Saskatchewan skies go on forever, and somehow they make the whole world seem so much more vibrant and alive. 

And if you're an introverted agoraphobe, maybe my ravings over the community togetherness and the wide open spaces haven't done the trick for you. But let me try to win you over with one last prairie sensation: Saskatchewan artists.

One of my favourites, Ken Dalgarno, skillfully manipulates texture and proportion to create a redolent and integrative experience through his painting. On looking at his artwork, I'm instantly back in my hometown, dancing in the prairie wind.

No matter where I live, my home is under the Saskatchewan sky. And that's why I'll always be a prairie girl.