Some of my core values were challenged at one point or another after I moved to Canada. I had to reconsider what I had been taught as a French. What I had blindly believed in for all the years I spent in France. What had been passed on to me by my parents and by the education system.

Even the slightest things.

Exactly four years ago, I got up very early. Feng and I got in the car still half asleep. It was a big day for me: I was crossing the border to the U.S.A only to come back to Canada a few minutes later, to validate my permanent resident visa and to become a landed immigrant.

Two weeks ago, I completed what I hope is my last paperworks for a while. But it was worth it: today, I picked my Canadian passport up!

Applying for a Canadian passport is not that easy though: references, guarantors… what is that??

The new is everywhere in the immigration community: as of July 13th 2009, Canada imposed a visa on Mexico and Czech Republic nationals visiting the country.
The move was unilateral and very sudden. It was also somewhat unexpected and it is certainly huge troubles for the thousands of tourists that are now forced to apply for a visitor visa.

This got me thinking. I was born in France, of French parents, so I am French. No-brainer here. But because I left the country right after graduating from high school, little by little, I lost my French identity. Obviously, I adapted to Canada — this was bound to happen. But I also lost it in a very practical way.