Jan 8– The Citizenship Oath – Ottawa

I wanted to be transparent, go back in time and record dreams. One could do so many good (and bad) things with these powers. I still believe a machine will be able to record dreams at some point in time. Filmmakers could eventually produce their own movies by plugging in their brains into a computer. Nevertheless, we would also need to train our cerebral nerves to control those dreams… and that’s a different story. My friend N says she was able to control her dreams in the past, not anymore. I didn’t ask her how, but I found it interesting. What I am writing is actually inspired by an MSN chat we had right before I started this posting. I was telling her how I got my invitation to take the Canadian citizenship oath in less than 12 days… exciting… and then we got into dreams!
What does it mean to be a Canadian? That’s a tough question that transcends maple syrup, maple leaves, hockey, curling, beaver tails and polar bears. It is not only about Celine or Shania, Atwood or Burton, Rogers or Loblaw, the Barenaked Ladies or the Group of Seven, Macdonald, Pearson, Campbell or Trudeau… it is not about the weather or the vast extension of the land (from sea to sea to sea)… it is about the people… Canada is a true mosaic of entangled talent… of survivors and negotiators, adventurers and thinkers, low key, laid back, low profile, ethical, cold friendly… but, above all, diverse. Canadian population is complex. Faced with the need to populate the land, the nation has embraced millions of new immigrants. Once an Aboriginal land, the French and the British settled in and formed, with all its difficulties a bi-cultural society where assimilation was imposed. But it moved on, and reviewed its books, and rethought its course, and opted for multiculturalism, pluralism, inclusion. Today’s Canada is Aboriginal, bilingual and multifaceted. Can it be better? Of course… but I have not been to other place on earth, where differences are cherished and embraced with such humbleness like in this beautiful land. Yes, I am proud of becoming a Canuck… and to wave the red maple leaf alongside the Colombian tri-colour. I was and have always been a Colombian… but I am and will always be a Canadian from now on… long live the Queen, eh! Share