Normally, my posts here are somehow related to food or farming. But this one is more about Canada than about the food and farming part of this blog – just today, in honour of our country’s birthday.
I originally wrote this article for the Byline, the newsletter of the American Agricultural Editors Association, but wanted to share it with readers of this blog as well.
Canada has never been a country particularly noted for its obvious patriotism – except maybe when it involves hockey. Even on Canada Day, July 1, our outward show of national pride seems much more muted and restrained than what you might see in the United States to celebrate Independence Day or in France as they mark Bastille Day on July 14.
For many of us, we don’t come to appreciate all that is great about Canada – and how lucky we are to live where we do – until we spend time away. For me, that was certainly the case.
I was born in Switzerland and moved to Canada as a young child when my parents bought a farm to realize their dream of being dairy farmers. And even as I grew up in rural Ontario, I was surrounded by images of the Swiss Alps and stories of life in the “old country” as my parents tried to instill in me an appreciation of our heritage and to make sure that I learned the language so that I would have the option of returning to Switzerland once I was old enough to make that decision.
And for a long time, that was my intent, a desire fueled by short European vacations that made life abroad appear so magical and wonderful. But it wasn’t until I moved to Europe to spend a year as a university exchange student that I really came to appreciate what life in Canada represented to me.
During that year I learned that life in other countries is fraught with troubles and difficulties too. Europe, from my perspective, was very densely populated and it seemed as though there were always people EVERYWHERE.
Society as a whole was very structured and in some ways, still very much influenced by its centuries of tradition and history, something Canada at a mere 142 years of age does not have. Our multicultural society welcomes people from many backgrounds, embraces their differences and allows them to flourish.
Canada gave my family opportunities and freedoms that we may never have realized had we stayed in Switzerland. It has shaped my life and my ideas and although I’m conscious of that other country – and that dual citizenship – in my life, it is Canada that I identify with most. It is here that I have chosen to make my life and (hopefully) contribute positively to society.
This year, I will be in the United Kingdom on Canada Day, attending a conference in London. But I know that, as always, my heart will beat a little faster when I see our Maple Leaf flying and that I will raise a glass in toast to my country. And although I love to travel, I am always happiest to come home.
Home to Canada.
