can't we all just get along

it's hard to believe, sometimes, that i left canada more than a decade ago. 11 whole years. the first couple of years, i was still surrounded by my canadian friends. we were defined by our quirky canadian accents and constantly asked about the cariboo and igloos and free health-care and canadian bacon (which i had never even heard of until coming to the US, by the way). each year, when our canadian holidays would come around, we'd have parties and dinners and get-togethers to celebrate. we were often land-blasted with questions like "so, why is thanksgiving in october?... what are canadians thankful for?... canada day? why do they celebrate independence? independence from who?... what's with boxing day?" i will state, for the record, that these questions were typically asked by freshmen in college... who had little experience or knowledge about their own countries traditions, much less those of other countries... but i still hear them occasionally.

so, somewhere along the way, during the last 11 years... i lost my accent. my canadian friends all got farther and farther away. and we slowly stopped throwing parties and dinners and getting together to celebrate our holidays. and now... i live in the capital of the united states of america. so i assure you, no one cares in the slightest that today is canada day. but i do. i found myself humming "o canada" while making lunch, and i decided to dawn a red shirt today. if i'd been thinking ahead, i'd have planned a bbq or dinner or something... but again... pretty much me, myself and i are the only ones who care around these parts. and so... in three days, i'll go to the district of columbia and watch fireworks from the steps of the jefferson memorial and feel a sense of pride for my two countries. because really, that's how i feel. i found myself having a difficult time getting through "america the beautiful" without choking up in church on sunday... and while some canadians might have issue with my feeling of pride and love for the country in which i now live, and some americans might have issue with my feeling of pride and love for the country from which i come... frankly, i love them both. and that's just how it is. :) i'm a canerican! .... hahaha .... that was seriously stupid.

so, happy canada day! and happy early 4th of july!