As this is Travel Tuesday, and since I've gone on about my home town in the recent days, I thought I'd at least mentally head for Vancouver for a little while.
Like so many other people last Friday, I settled in on the couch to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the XXIst (yes. I know that's the wrong way to write that) Winter Games. While I pretty much always enjoy them, and tend to get the strange swellings of pride and excitement as they go on, I found myself a little surprised by my pride in my homeland.
No. Sorry. Not my American pride. And, I guess what I'm talking about is really "my homeland, once removed."
You see, although most times that I'm asked for my heritage, I say "half German, quarter French, quarter English," in all honestly, I really ought to say "half German, half Canadian." Or something like that. I fully admit that it gets kind of confusing, since really my family tree only goes back, at most, a couple of generations in the States -- but my French ancestors have been in Canada for a few hundred years.
Be all that as it may, it was really cool to sit and watch the Opening Ceremonies and hear and see everything being said about Canada. I mean... I'd probably have had the waves of emotion just watching the show, so being able to connect to it a little more was pretty intense. I can't imagine what I'd have felt like if my mom's citizenship was still Canadian instead of American. (And could someone explain to me how so many athletes have dual citizenship? Since when is that possible?)
And, yes, it makes me want to go visit the relatives on that side of the border even more. From Quebec to Saskatchewan and all sorts of point in between. And... hey... they have legalized gay marriage up there. Family ties and family ties. Hmm... Could be nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment