I recently received two questions about my still relatively new Canadian citizenship. One reader asked me if there were any drawbacks to applying for Canadian citizenship and another asked me why I decided to become Canadian. Since applying for Canadian citizenship is usually the ultimate goal for most permanent residents, I’m going to try to answer both questions.
As of this morning, 12:30…I am Canadian!
We arrived at the Sciences and Technology museum around 11:00 am. It didn’t start very well: it was raining and there had been a power outage and we queued in the dark. Have you ever tried to sign a bunch of papers with the help of a flashlight? Not my best signature, I’d bet.
So here I was, this morning, trying to remember which province joined the Confederation last (in case you want to know, it’s Newfoundland in 1949).
Some people can handle cold weather, some people can’t. Clearly, I can’t. I don’t even like ice in my drinks.
What did you learn as a traveller or as an immigrant? What learning experience was the the most useful to you?
Every day, I receive two of three emails or comments from strangers asking me to map out their destiny.
It’s fair to say a large majority of Canadians are sports mad. In fact, the…
In doubt, come to the lawn of the highest office in the land and express your Canadianess.
The Great White North has a lot more to offer than maple syrup, ice hockey,…
We both behaved like proper French and agreed a mistake had been made and it was the government’s fault.
SOPA is funded by the Government of Canada: it is free to join and access the services offered to permanent resident about to land in Canada.
It was a lucky day. Perfect beach, perfect weather.
The entire table of respectable federal government employees started sharing winter misery stories punctuated by unbleeped expletives. This blew my mind.
Since Trump was elected the leader of the free world—gosh, just typing this was heartbreaking…—Canada became a place of interest to Americans who want out. Here are my tips to Americans considering crossing the northern border for good.
I didn’t feel like listening to analysis, explanations or excuses. I didn’t want to hear Trump again. I wanted to see the night unfold in 140 characters or less because really, “WTF” is only three letters and this was all we needed at this stage.
Meet Hélène, a French immigrant who chose to settle in a beautiful small town in British Colombia.
When was the last time you said the word “no” out loud? Five minutes ago? Yesterday? Last week?
As I was drafting the “5 Mistakes I Made in Canada”, I realized that I did make good decisions along the way. May they inspire you!
This year, I decided to try to renew my passport in France.
Beyond the solitary writing exercise and the somewhat “dry” technical aspect of managing a website, blogging includes a more social component.
Every day, I mindlessly reply to questions that can sound very strange out of context and may be puzzling to newcomers.
The federal elections are coming up and I still don’t know who I’m going to vote for. I have become this indecisive voter—a strange position for someone who believes in the democratic system, politics in general, and who chose to become a Canadian citizen to be able to vote.
One million people chose Ottawa as their home. So, what are the perks and drawbacks of living in a national capital, like Ottawa?
“You’re French? What the hell are you doing here, then?”
This is how an Australian backpacker reacted upon meeting in a dorm in Toronto, in 2002. “What are you doing there?” I replied. “It’s summer in Australia, and you come all the way to Canada to freeze your ass off?”