So Beautiful To Me Your Mystery

When I was 15 I moved from Canada to the United States. While my accent is a strange Wisconsin-Alberta blend, my thoughts are less of a melting pot. Things that I know from Canada, I don't expect to see in the U.S and vice versa. When something forces me to blend my memories, I get confused.

Like the Stanley Cup Final. The fact it's on my TV right now is awesome. I love hockey. However, Hockey=Canada. Fine, so I process this fact and adjust. I get to watch hockey on an American broadcasting channel. As the puck flies around I notice advertisements around the rink and I see companies like Tim Hortons, Rogers, and Canadian Tire. These are companies I know, but never see anymore. This does not compute.

I often tell people that the two countries are more similar than anyone will admit. Even though this is true, it's not until you look at the small details that you see what makes each countries special and unique. Are there similarities? Are there differences? Of course, just look closer.

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Red And White All Over?

Oh Canada Day, you’re at the same time every year, aren’t you? I look forward to it, even if I have no way to recognise it. Patriotism is a strange thing. It’s even stranger when you have no one to celebrate with. (Maybe I feed off others like a pride vampire?) How do you celebrate a country? There are obviously no parades or fireworks here in America. I didn’t even wear Red and White like my mom. At best, I'll wish everyone a Happy Canada Day. It brings up questions but I generally enjoy fielding them. The biggest thing to remember is that it’s not a day of independence; think of it more like a birthday.

It also opens me up to the standard Canadian jokes. I think those wore thin in 2002. I was involved in a discussion today about pizza. I didn’t contribute because it was boring. Someone decided this must be because we didn’t have pizza in Canada. Surely I was confused. I didn't bother coming up with a witty response (if I had, imagine something witty about Canadian pizza toppings).

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