I…AM…CANADIAN…TOO

Hey, we got the Rising Daughter’s Canadian citizenship papers! It took a reasonable amount of paperwork and a lot of time, but she is now a Canuck in addition to her Japanese citizenship. She's dual! To celebrate, I indulged in my last stash of Tim Horton’s regular grind coffee while eating an onigiri riceball.

So she is now a hoser in addition to being a (future) sushi eater. And that’s great--double the bureaucratic fun, two or maybe three languages to contend with, and being the brunt of lots of Doublemint chewing gum jokes? Or am I reaching here?

As a Canadian -- in addition to being proudly Japanese -- Elena has to be able to explain the elusive and opaque aspects of Canadian culture in the future. As is common knowledge throughout the world, Canadians form a mysterious, inward-looking culture that is often hard for foreign peoples to fully grasp. This is due to the subtle and refined meanings inherent to the structure of the Canadian language, and incomprehensible local dialects such as Ottawa Valley-speak, or Lower Sackville-ese. Strict adherence to social customs to maintain the harmony between individuals and groups, for example at mall parking lots or peewee hockey games, is also something that Canadians must be able to clarify to perplexed foreigners. It's a tall order even for an adult, so I have decided to begin Elena's 'education Canadiana' immediately.

I decided to focus on the following CanGov-GovCan approved citizenship modules:

1. The Beaver

2. Bob & Doug

3. Canadian Currency

More on this soon. But great news, eh?