I started writing this blog a few months back, and it has been sitting in a draft form for a while. I decided that it was fitting to dust it off, revise it and post it just in time for Canada Day.
When I went back to Calgary in April, one of my friends asked me what it was like to be "home" and I quickly corrected her that "home" is where I live and that Calgary was no longer home, because it's not. Although I still own a house there, I don't live in it, so it is not home. My mom and dad no longer live where I grew up, not that I really grew up in one place, so their place is not home. home is where I live.
Canada will always be Home - Home with a capitol H. home with a small h is where I live and since I now live in The Hague (although it some times feels like a live in a hotel somewhere) that is where home is. It is where all of my worldly possessions are, it is where I get my mail and it is where I associate with when I say home. I am also very conscious as an expat to not to refer to going "Home" because to me when you say that, it means that you are really here or putting down roots where you live. So whenever I talk about Home, I say that I am going back to Canada, I never say that I am going Home. Calgary, or Alberta for that matter, will simply become a destination on my trips back to Canada.
I will always be proud to be a Canadian and I show my Canadian passport with pride when I travel. I quickly, but politely correct people when they ask if I am an American and I happily tell them that no I am a Canadian. It is usually when I say "about" they say, "oh yes, I hear it now" - I really don't think I say "about" any differently than any other Canadian I know ;-) I am also proud to call myself an Albertan and lately, even more so a Calgarian (I am a born Calgarian).
It has been incredibly difficult watching what has been happening in Alberta over these past 2 weeks. I had friends who were evacuated in Fort McMurray because of flooding, I had friends in Canmore who were evacuated there, other friends throughout Southern Alberta who were impacted, and of course, friends and colleagues in Calgary who suffered at the hands of Mother Nature. Thanks to the internet and social media, I have been able to stay abreast of what has been going on and more than anything, I have been able to watching the outpouring of compassion and support for those who have been so profoundly impacted. I could go on and on about my thoughts on this, but I won't. What I will say, is once again, I am proud to be Canadian!
Happy Canada Day!
When I went back to Calgary in April, one of my friends asked me what it was like to be "home" and I quickly corrected her that "home" is where I live and that Calgary was no longer home, because it's not. Although I still own a house there, I don't live in it, so it is not home. My mom and dad no longer live where I grew up, not that I really grew up in one place, so their place is not home. home is where I live.
Canada will always be Home - Home with a capitol H. home with a small h is where I live and since I now live in The Hague (although it some times feels like a live in a hotel somewhere) that is where home is. It is where all of my worldly possessions are, it is where I get my mail and it is where I associate with when I say home. I am also very conscious as an expat to not to refer to going "Home" because to me when you say that, it means that you are really here or putting down roots where you live. So whenever I talk about Home, I say that I am going back to Canada, I never say that I am going Home. Calgary, or Alberta for that matter, will simply become a destination on my trips back to Canada.
I will always be proud to be a Canadian and I show my Canadian passport with pride when I travel. I quickly, but politely correct people when they ask if I am an American and I happily tell them that no I am a Canadian. It is usually when I say "about" they say, "oh yes, I hear it now" - I really don't think I say "about" any differently than any other Canadian I know ;-) I am also proud to call myself an Albertan and lately, even more so a Calgarian (I am a born Calgarian).
It has been incredibly difficult watching what has been happening in Alberta over these past 2 weeks. I had friends who were evacuated in Fort McMurray because of flooding, I had friends in Canmore who were evacuated there, other friends throughout Southern Alberta who were impacted, and of course, friends and colleagues in Calgary who suffered at the hands of Mother Nature. Thanks to the internet and social media, I have been able to stay abreast of what has been going on and more than anything, I have been able to watching the outpouring of compassion and support for those who have been so profoundly impacted. I could go on and on about my thoughts on this, but I won't. What I will say, is once again, I am proud to be Canadian!
Happy Canada Day!
Well as a proud Calgarian (2nd generation), Albertan and Canadian we are happy to have you in the club, wherever you might call home in the future. And you are right the best of Calgary and Alberta has been on display the last ten days or so.
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