I am Canadian

I've been home for a few months now and have had time to reflect on my southeast Asia trip. I really loved everything everything I was able to see and experience. Each country we travelled to offered many amazing sights, food, great locals, a deeply rooted culture and lessons taught to us in numerous ways. As always travelling really makes me appreciate more fully what I have at home. Canadians have an amazing country and of course we could stand to make a few improvements (I could write a whole blog on that alone) but for now I will focus on our strengths and sources of pride for me.

I have a great appreciation of what a stunning and remarkable country we have. I am proud to call myself Canadian. While travelling you never run into anti Canadian sediment and from what I have experienced the world respects us and recognize that we have a unique and separate identity from America. Most people I talk to view Canadians as polite, honest, peace keeping, hockey playing liberals (you wouldn't believe the number of people that know that we recognize gay marriage and have decriminalized marijuana!). We have a beautiful country, full of natural relics, diversity of resources and of people, cultural understanding, political stability, democracy, universal health care, long winters but amazing summers and relative wealth. I have seen many beautiful sights around the world but the Rocky Mountains are unparalleled. Being Canadian should make all of us extremely proud. Being a fifth generation Canadian I have been taught to be nationalistic from birth and hope to continue that tradition with my children (if I ever have any!).

When Canadians travel we are known for toting a maple leaf on our backpacks. For some this is only so that others don't mistake you for an American but for others it is a symbol of national pride. Why do we have to travel to feel proud to be Canadian? It makes me ill when I hear that national anthem played at events and no one sings. I think most people have a sense of nationalism of the "true north strong and free" so why are we afraid to show it?

I think we all remember this rant from the famous Canadian beer commercial:

Hey, I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader....I don't live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled....and I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada, although I'm certain they're really really nice. I have a Prime Minister, not a president. I speak English and French, not American. And I pronounce it 'about', not 'a boot'. I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack. I believe in peace keeping, not policing,diversity, not assimilation, and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal. A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !!!! Canada is the second largest landmass! The first nation of hockey! and the best part of North America. My name is Joe!! And I am Canadian!!!

Okay, so its a little cheesy but you get my point. I am proud to be Canadian and I hope all of you are as well.