Tuesday, October 11, 2005
O Canada!
As a boy growing up in Canada, I remember singing the national anthem--O Canada!:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
My parents were Americans living in Canada when I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. That's where I spent the first ten years of my life, until my parents brought me back with them to the U.S. Although it has been decades since I left Canada, I still remember the exact location of our old house in Vancouver and still keep in touch with a couple of my childhood friends.
Except for the constant rain, I have happy memories of my life in Canada and have always been proud of my Canadian birth. I remember Dad telling me that I should take steps to preserve my Canadian citizenship. Well, I finally took the plunge a couple of weeks ago by filing an application for citizenship certificate with the local Canadian consulate. That's something that I had wanted to do for a long time.
Today, I got a phone call from someone at the consulate asking a question about my documents. I don't know how long the application process will take, but I hope and expect that Canada will recognize me as her native son. Wish me luck in this. I will share my progress here in my blog.
My last visit to Canada was in July 2005, when I went up to Vancouver and Gibsons for Canada Day. Whenever I go to the Vancouver area, I instantly feel at home, even though I have not lived there for many years. For some reason, the place names, customs, and food just seem like second nature to me. This last visit, I really enjoyed the Chinese restaurants and stores in Richmond, a Vancouver suburb with many immigrants from Hong Kong. My present focus is on studying and living in Hong Kong. But depending on how things work out, I also could see myself returning to Vancouver--my old hometown. ¶ 8:59 PM
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
My parents were Americans living in Canada when I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. That's where I spent the first ten years of my life, until my parents brought me back with them to the U.S. Although it has been decades since I left Canada, I still remember the exact location of our old house in Vancouver and still keep in touch with a couple of my childhood friends.
Except for the constant rain, I have happy memories of my life in Canada and have always been proud of my Canadian birth. I remember Dad telling me that I should take steps to preserve my Canadian citizenship. Well, I finally took the plunge a couple of weeks ago by filing an application for citizenship certificate with the local Canadian consulate. That's something that I had wanted to do for a long time.
Today, I got a phone call from someone at the consulate asking a question about my documents. I don't know how long the application process will take, but I hope and expect that Canada will recognize me as her native son. Wish me luck in this. I will share my progress here in my blog.
My last visit to Canada was in July 2005, when I went up to Vancouver and Gibsons for Canada Day. Whenever I go to the Vancouver area, I instantly feel at home, even though I have not lived there for many years. For some reason, the place names, customs, and food just seem like second nature to me. This last visit, I really enjoyed the Chinese restaurants and stores in Richmond, a Vancouver suburb with many immigrants from Hong Kong. My present focus is on studying and living in Hong Kong. But depending on how things work out, I also could see myself returning to Vancouver--my old hometown. ¶ 8:59 PM
