Being Canadian: What Does That Mean?

I was on the phone with a customer service representative this morning. Right before I hung up, he told me, “Happy Fourth of July.” What was strange about that exchange was that he didn’t know I was a Canadian customer, and he still celebrated his country’s day of independence with a stranger on the other side of his headset.

Every time I’ve been to the States, especially small towns, most houses have American flags above their doorsteps. While watching Macy’s fireworks last year in New York, I saw a sea of stars and stripes, whether they were blazoned on t-shirts, tattooed on faces, or printed on themed paraphernalia.

We were also watching a few Euro 2016 games this weekend, and the countries who played in the particular matches have their sections of the stands where their fans congregate. We were watching the Germany vs. Italy nail-biting game, and my Italian friend wore his signature blue “Italia” shirt, shouting at the screen “Come on!” every time his team missed. The hypnotic sounds of the Icelandic cheer, speeding up in tempo as the fans grew excited, dominated the stands in the France vs. Iceland match. This display was even more surprising given the small population on that island (about 323,000).

What does patriotism and loyalty to a country mean? What does it mean to be a part of a nation? How do we define who we are based on our nationality/nationalities?

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Looking back on the Canada Day long weekend, I don’t think many others around the world know what July 1st means to Canadians. What I also find funny is that Canadians can’t often explain what Canada Day means to them as well.

Intro: Cake

Hello blogging world! I’m excited to start this new journey in blogging, especially with my sister. We both love to write, but we’re also very busy people. We hope that together we’ll motivate each other!

I’ve always been fascinated by blogging, and since my childhood, I’ve always kept personal diaries. The only problem was that my entries turned out to be play-by-play details of my day, usually ending in woeful rants about what went wrong. While it was cathartic at times, there was never any direction or purpose. My goal for this blog is to create a free space where my sister and I can react to things that happen in our lives with the intent to learn, grow, and celebrate.

I live in Toronto, which is actually the fifth largest city in North America. I don’t think many people know this fact, which is probably why it doesn’t feel too big or too crowded. While there are pockets of corporate towers and condo monoliths, there are still plenty of independent cafes, diverse restaurants, and vibrant festivals. I won’t hide it: I love this city. It’s a living, breathing space that’s pretty special, and that’s something worth blogging about.

While I’d love to say that I’m currently pursuing the biggest dream in my life, I can tell you at this moment, I’m not. I don’t have that one ultimate dream figured out yet, and I’m just coming to terms with believing that that’s okay. I also don’t know exactly what it means to be Taiwanese-Canadian, what it means to be someone building her career, what it means to be a twenty-something year old, and what it means to be a young woman, almost a wife. I feel like those areas that are the most uncomfortable and the most confusing are the ones that are the most interesting to discuss.

Although my sister and I live very differently, we have always been very strong supporters of each other. Think of these blog posts as letters that we’re sending back and forth from across the country. We hope our readers come along for the ride!