Happy Canada Day!
Jul. 1st, 2006 01:20 am![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vonandmoggyHi,
Well, here goes nothing.
I'm not the most patriotic of people; I'll stand for the anthem, I'll take off my hat, and, if properly motivated, I will sing (in both languages). But I don't bleed red and white, and if I had a job offer in another country, I'd probably take it (temporarily!)-- I mean, once upon a time, when I was working high tech, I explored the option of moving the household to Boston or Seattle. And I've been known to complain about Ottawa; it's a bureaucratic city, home to high tech and government, and I've lived here for my whole life, which means I'm mostly immune to the charms of Canada's capital.
But, when it comes right down to it...I really do love Ottawa and I love Canada. Here are my top ten reasons for loving my country (and if Mr. Harper messes any of these up, there will be hell to pay):
1) Subsidized health care. I've had reasonably serious health issues over the course of my life, some of which have required hospital visits and tests. I'm eternally grateful to the system that has made me healthy. No, it's not perfect-- our wait times are too long, for one thing-- but free health care? I'm a believer.
2) Gay rights. I love that I live in a country that recognizes, for the most part, that two men or two women can fall in love and make a life together. I love that I live in a country that allows them to legally wed. I love that our federal government recognizes same-sex partners when it comes to health insurance and survivor benefits. (When Ontario made gay marriage legal, I sent a one-line letter to the local newspaper-- it simply said, "Gay marriage-- it's about damn time." The paper ran it and then ran it again as a Letter of Note at the end of the year.) I know we could do more but I was, and still am, very proud of my country for having the guts to make a stand.
3) Nothing for #3. (There was something here about marijuana laws but it seems I didn't have all my facts quite straight so I've edited and removed it.)
4) Our multicultural harmony. When I was in high school, my best friends were Iranian, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, and Australian. An ex-boyfriend was Malaysian. My crushes were Italian, South African, and Mexican. I live in a country, and a city, that values its immigrants-- there is occasionally some tension but Canada seems to do a reasonably good job at recognizing that immigrants are what made, and continue to make, Canada the place it is.
5) The seasons. Canadians are a hardy bunch-- at least, Eastern Canadians are a hardy bunch. It's hard not to be when winter lasts six months and goes down to -50C (-58F) with the wind chill, summer lasts four months and goes up to 40C (104F), and the other two seasons share the remaining months. I can't imagine living anywhere that doesn't have seasons...really.
6) Peacekeeping. I'm proud of Canada's international reputation as a peacemaking nation. I'll always be the first one to make fun of our tiny military (one tank, you know) but, when it comes right down to it, I'm glad we're out there trying to keep the peace.
7) The oceans. I'm landlocked but I love our oceans. From sea to shining sea, you know.
8) Leonard Cohen, Irving Layton, Stephen Leacock, Alex Colville, and William Shatner...and all the other wonderful creative folks who were born here and went on to make their mark in the world.
9) Poutine. C'mon, cheese and gravy on french fries? Say no more!
10) We burned the White House once, ya know. It's true. Though, if you American types like, you can feel free to continue to blame the British. (Though I think it was a joint effort.)
One of Canada's national papers had some great Canada Day sections today. I have no idea what the etiquette is to linking to a newspaper so I'm winging it-- here's a link to the Globe and Mail's Social Studies section, which is crammed full of Canada trivia. And a writer by the name of Hilary Casey also had a great essay in the same paper-- I really don't want to lose it if the paper updates its site, so here it is, under an LJ cut because it's long:
-----------------------------
After 25 years, I am Canadian
We have learned to speak Canadian, eh? We have finally learned to say "You're welcome" without thinking.
HILARY CASEY
Twenty-five years ago (on April 27, 1981, to be precise) my husband, three small sons and I arrived from New Zealand and became landed immigrants at Ottawa airport.
It was supposed to be spring -- yet there was not a green leaf in sight and before that day, we had never seen mercury below zero. I did wonder what kind of commitment we had made. A few days later, clothed against the cold, we marvelled at the sight of Ottawa university students sunbathing in the five-degree weather on the banks of the canal near the hotel where we stayed for the first three months in Ottawa.
Prior to our immigration, we had received what turned out to be excellent advice on how to survive in Canada and in Ottawa in particular. We were told to take up a winter sport and get a home with a short driveway (we could not imagine why but dutifully followed the advice -- and ignored it a few years later when we were Canadian).
That sport advice we took seriously, becoming involved in two sports at which Canada routinely earns Winter Olympic medals: speed skating and curling. I am now a curling instructor but I had absolutely no clue about the game when I went off to my first lesson. With speed skating we learnt how to make ice for the outdoor oval in Ottawa. We remember many a fine night spraying the water and watching as it froze instantly on the ground. We spent many cold hours working at meets and cheering skaters on the oval and in arenas. We travelled southern Ontario in winter going to competitions.
To those two pieces of advice we added a third: Make friends with people who have cottages. At first we did think cottage-owners were a little crazy to be standing around in below zero wind-chill weather, the air thick with black flies, trying to put the dock in the water. We soon came to discover how essential time beside a lake was to surviving the hot and humid Ottawa summers.
After a few years of living in Canada, the big question came: "Are we going to become Canadian citizens?" We knew we would be staying in Canada, but were we Canadian enough? How did we know we were "Canadians"?
Well, we had bought a gas barbecue and had many convinced that to become citizens one needed to produce a receipt for the purchase of such. In desperation for a dose of Vitamin D and a feeling of warmth, we had cleared the snow off our back deck to sunbathe at two degrees. We had been horrified with our first exposure to freezing rain but then had marvelled at, and photographed the magic of, the sun hitting the glistening trees. We had coped with the gas line freezing in the car. We had rushed to take photos of the first red maple leaf each fall. Our sons had been mesmerized by the snow-removal equipment and wished to grow up and operate such gear.
But the ultimate deciding factor was the day that I rang my husband to come home early to skate on the canal, because at minus 10, it was going to be a warm evening. Only a Canadian could think of minus 10 as warm! We became Canadian citizens on Oct. 17, 1986. We joined our Canadian-born daughter and son in a special citizenship ceremony at our sons' elementary school.
Over the years we have acquired many more Canadian experiences: Being spun around 540 degrees on the highway in a winter car accident in minus 27 degrees, driving through "the day after tomorrow" prairie landscape (as the very first true Canadian we had met in that first hotel had described his home province), and participating in the excitement of the Red Mile in Calgary -- and finally watching a hockey game on TV.
We have joined all Canadians in the constant obsession with and complaints about the "unusual" weather -- Environment Canada is the home page on our computer! We have learned to speak Canadian, eh? Garbage not rubbish, hood not bonnet, elevator not lift, employment opportunity not job vacancy, cantaloupe not rock melon, Sprite not lemonade and mostly we put the right emphasis on words like basil, oregano, tomato. We have finally learned to say "You're welcome" without thinking.
Two years ago we pronounced ourselves truly Canadian, as we became the proud owners of a cottage one hour from our city home. We too now suffer the black flies and the "unusual" freezing weather for a little bit of heaven by the water. We could not believe the real estate ad when we read "one hour away" and discovered it to be so. "One hour away from where?" We have often wondered where the deciding mark was for this measurement and have even coined the expression "Canadian real-estate time."
Once again this Canada Day we will dress in red and white and join the crowds for the colour and artistry of the fireworks show at Parliament Hill -- that day, July 1, is a proud day.
(Hilary Casey lives in Ottawa but has yet to watch a live hockey game.)
-----------------------------
Oh, and if any of you kind American types want to learn more about your Little Sister to the North? Wikipedia has a great entry on Canada and another one on Canada Day; definitely worth a read.
Happy 139th birthday, Canada. *raises glass of red*
Moggy
Well, here goes nothing.
I'm not the most patriotic of people; I'll stand for the anthem, I'll take off my hat, and, if properly motivated, I will sing (in both languages). But I don't bleed red and white, and if I had a job offer in another country, I'd probably take it (temporarily!)-- I mean, once upon a time, when I was working high tech, I explored the option of moving the household to Boston or Seattle. And I've been known to complain about Ottawa; it's a bureaucratic city, home to high tech and government, and I've lived here for my whole life, which means I'm mostly immune to the charms of Canada's capital.
But, when it comes right down to it...I really do love Ottawa and I love Canada. Here are my top ten reasons for loving my country (and if Mr. Harper messes any of these up, there will be hell to pay):
1) Subsidized health care. I've had reasonably serious health issues over the course of my life, some of which have required hospital visits and tests. I'm eternally grateful to the system that has made me healthy. No, it's not perfect-- our wait times are too long, for one thing-- but free health care? I'm a believer.
2) Gay rights. I love that I live in a country that recognizes, for the most part, that two men or two women can fall in love and make a life together. I love that I live in a country that allows them to legally wed. I love that our federal government recognizes same-sex partners when it comes to health insurance and survivor benefits. (When Ontario made gay marriage legal, I sent a one-line letter to the local newspaper-- it simply said, "Gay marriage-- it's about damn time." The paper ran it and then ran it again as a Letter of Note at the end of the year.) I know we could do more but I was, and still am, very proud of my country for having the guts to make a stand.
3) Nothing for #3. (There was something here about marijuana laws but it seems I didn't have all my facts quite straight so I've edited and removed it.)
4) Our multicultural harmony. When I was in high school, my best friends were Iranian, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, and Australian. An ex-boyfriend was Malaysian. My crushes were Italian, South African, and Mexican. I live in a country, and a city, that values its immigrants-- there is occasionally some tension but Canada seems to do a reasonably good job at recognizing that immigrants are what made, and continue to make, Canada the place it is.
5) The seasons. Canadians are a hardy bunch-- at least, Eastern Canadians are a hardy bunch. It's hard not to be when winter lasts six months and goes down to -50C (-58F) with the wind chill, summer lasts four months and goes up to 40C (104F), and the other two seasons share the remaining months. I can't imagine living anywhere that doesn't have seasons...really.
6) Peacekeeping. I'm proud of Canada's international reputation as a peacemaking nation. I'll always be the first one to make fun of our tiny military (one tank, you know) but, when it comes right down to it, I'm glad we're out there trying to keep the peace.
7) The oceans. I'm landlocked but I love our oceans. From sea to shining sea, you know.
8) Leonard Cohen, Irving Layton, Stephen Leacock, Alex Colville, and William Shatner...and all the other wonderful creative folks who were born here and went on to make their mark in the world.
9) Poutine. C'mon, cheese and gravy on french fries? Say no more!
10) We burned the White House once, ya know. It's true. Though, if you American types like, you can feel free to continue to blame the British. (Though I think it was a joint effort.)
One of Canada's national papers had some great Canada Day sections today. I have no idea what the etiquette is to linking to a newspaper so I'm winging it-- here's a link to the Globe and Mail's Social Studies section, which is crammed full of Canada trivia. And a writer by the name of Hilary Casey also had a great essay in the same paper-- I really don't want to lose it if the paper updates its site, so here it is, under an LJ cut because it's long:
-----------------------------
After 25 years, I am Canadian
We have learned to speak Canadian, eh? We have finally learned to say "You're welcome" without thinking.
HILARY CASEY
Twenty-five years ago (on April 27, 1981, to be precise) my husband, three small sons and I arrived from New Zealand and became landed immigrants at Ottawa airport.
It was supposed to be spring -- yet there was not a green leaf in sight and before that day, we had never seen mercury below zero. I did wonder what kind of commitment we had made. A few days later, clothed against the cold, we marvelled at the sight of Ottawa university students sunbathing in the five-degree weather on the banks of the canal near the hotel where we stayed for the first three months in Ottawa.
Prior to our immigration, we had received what turned out to be excellent advice on how to survive in Canada and in Ottawa in particular. We were told to take up a winter sport and get a home with a short driveway (we could not imagine why but dutifully followed the advice -- and ignored it a few years later when we were Canadian).
That sport advice we took seriously, becoming involved in two sports at which Canada routinely earns Winter Olympic medals: speed skating and curling. I am now a curling instructor but I had absolutely no clue about the game when I went off to my first lesson. With speed skating we learnt how to make ice for the outdoor oval in Ottawa. We remember many a fine night spraying the water and watching as it froze instantly on the ground. We spent many cold hours working at meets and cheering skaters on the oval and in arenas. We travelled southern Ontario in winter going to competitions.
To those two pieces of advice we added a third: Make friends with people who have cottages. At first we did think cottage-owners were a little crazy to be standing around in below zero wind-chill weather, the air thick with black flies, trying to put the dock in the water. We soon came to discover how essential time beside a lake was to surviving the hot and humid Ottawa summers.
After a few years of living in Canada, the big question came: "Are we going to become Canadian citizens?" We knew we would be staying in Canada, but were we Canadian enough? How did we know we were "Canadians"?
Well, we had bought a gas barbecue and had many convinced that to become citizens one needed to produce a receipt for the purchase of such. In desperation for a dose of Vitamin D and a feeling of warmth, we had cleared the snow off our back deck to sunbathe at two degrees. We had been horrified with our first exposure to freezing rain but then had marvelled at, and photographed the magic of, the sun hitting the glistening trees. We had coped with the gas line freezing in the car. We had rushed to take photos of the first red maple leaf each fall. Our sons had been mesmerized by the snow-removal equipment and wished to grow up and operate such gear.
But the ultimate deciding factor was the day that I rang my husband to come home early to skate on the canal, because at minus 10, it was going to be a warm evening. Only a Canadian could think of minus 10 as warm! We became Canadian citizens on Oct. 17, 1986. We joined our Canadian-born daughter and son in a special citizenship ceremony at our sons' elementary school.
Over the years we have acquired many more Canadian experiences: Being spun around 540 degrees on the highway in a winter car accident in minus 27 degrees, driving through "the day after tomorrow" prairie landscape (as the very first true Canadian we had met in that first hotel had described his home province), and participating in the excitement of the Red Mile in Calgary -- and finally watching a hockey game on TV.
We have joined all Canadians in the constant obsession with and complaints about the "unusual" weather -- Environment Canada is the home page on our computer! We have learned to speak Canadian, eh? Garbage not rubbish, hood not bonnet, elevator not lift, employment opportunity not job vacancy, cantaloupe not rock melon, Sprite not lemonade and mostly we put the right emphasis on words like basil, oregano, tomato. We have finally learned to say "You're welcome" without thinking.
Two years ago we pronounced ourselves truly Canadian, as we became the proud owners of a cottage one hour from our city home. We too now suffer the black flies and the "unusual" freezing weather for a little bit of heaven by the water. We could not believe the real estate ad when we read "one hour away" and discovered it to be so. "One hour away from where?" We have often wondered where the deciding mark was for this measurement and have even coined the expression "Canadian real-estate time."
Once again this Canada Day we will dress in red and white and join the crowds for the colour and artistry of the fireworks show at Parliament Hill -- that day, July 1, is a proud day.
(Hilary Casey lives in Ottawa but has yet to watch a live hockey game.)
-----------------------------
Oh, and if any of you kind American types want to learn more about your Little Sister to the North? Wikipedia has a great entry on Canada and another one on Canada Day; definitely worth a read.
Happy 139th birthday, Canada. *raises glass of red*
Moggy
![[identity profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:33 am (UTC)Damnit, I walked right into that one. Damnit, I should've known better.
*smacks head*
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:31 am (UTC)You also live in Oregon, which is approx. another quarter credit.
You're doing fairly well, actually, for an American.
One of these decades...
Date: 2006-07-01 12:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:40 am (UTC)I notice you left the French-Canadians out of that little part.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:50 am (UTC)This could very probably get me in trouble...but I really don't think there's a way I can win that one.
So, shhhhhh....:)
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 02:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 11:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 08:33 am (UTC)Fortunately my husband says we can be Canadians when we grow up. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 12:31 pm (UTC)decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 09:32 am (UTC)I'm can't be the only one who hasn't heard about this. Hell this is coming from someone who reads The Gazette, and if I can't find this out I'm sure it's not exactly public knowledge.
Re: decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 12:30 pm (UTC)You're right I don't
Date: 2006-07-01 04:52 pm (UTC)Apologies
Date: 2006-07-01 04:54 pm (UTC)Re: Apologies
Date: 2006-07-01 05:12 pm (UTC)(And, nope, no flame wars here, please...everyone play nice or go home.) ;)
Re: decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 01:23 pm (UTC)Re: decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 02:33 pm (UTC)Re: decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 02:35 pm (UTC)Re: decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 03:52 pm (UTC)But that's currently not the case. The enforcement of our pot laws may be lax, but the law as written is not.
Re: decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 05:13 pm (UTC)Re: decrim
Date: 2006-07-01 07:30 pm (UTC)I know my bro has a _lot_ better things to do than bust someone who's sitting there minding their own gd bidness while having a toke than busting their ass because pot still hasn't been commercialised.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 03:35 pm (UTC)I hate snow, I hate the cold. I spent Nov. 1996-Feb.1997 in Chicago at U.S. Navy Boot Camp and realized that I don't want to live in that environment. It was hammered home for me when in April 1997 I was in Detroit and it was snowing.
I have a lot of respect for people that live in places like that, too much of my life was spent living in Florida, I don't have the fortitude to live in that environment anymore.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 03:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:09 pm (UTC)Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2006-07-03 08:39 pm (UTC)Scott Thompson: Are you American, sir??
Dave Foley: No, Canadian.It's like being an American.Except I don't have a gun!
no subject
Date: 2006-09-12 02:20 am (UTC)