I have a weekly gig as the perfect suburban housewife.
Saturday afternoons are the only time of the week when I’m alone at home for a few hours—Mark is usually at my in-laws’ being force-fed Chinese food and Feng is running errands. The show begins after a cup of coffee and a walk around the neighbourhood. I vacuum, clean the bathrooms (plural, welcome to Canada where family members don’t share toilets for mysterious Canadian reasons), mop floors, dust shelves, do laundry, find random stuff under the couch and reorganize the kitchen. Then call my mum on the way to the gym for a 5 p.m. Zumba class. When I get home, I organize the laundry and cook enough meals for a couple of days. If Feng and I still have energy, we go to the movies. Most Saturdays, we end up catching up on work instead.
Yesterday I was getting ready for yet another exciting Saturday afternoon when Feng came downstairs.
“Do you want to go to the US?”
I paused. On one hand, cleaning, Zumba and more chores. On the other hand, hanging out with Feng and crossing a border.
“Let’s go!”
We rushed upstairs and grabbed our passports, phones and some US dollars—every Canadian household has a stash of US dollars in a drawer, memories of the years when the Canadian dollar was at par with the greenback and cross-border shopping trips were the chance to find good deals.
We used to go to the US several times a year as well, not so much for shopping but mainly for the chance to spend the day “abroad”. The cities just across the border aren’t that exciting—there’s a huge difference between New York State and New York City—but still, the cultural differences are always entertaining and it’s fun to see something new, to be somewhere else.
Our last trip to the US was in 2017. We didn’t feel like crossing the border under Trump, especially as two born-abroad Canadians with many passport stamps, including old Chinese visas. The atmosphere was too toxic in the US, no point in being questioned at the border or going through unnecessary hassle just for a day trip.
It only took us an hour to get to Prescott, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Then we took the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge and arrived at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.
Crossing the land border between Canada and the US is never a relaxing experience. You stay in your car and the armed officer towers over you, firing questions, your passport in hand. “Where do you live?” “Where are you going?” “How long will you be there?” Trick questions can be added to the mix. “Are you married?” “When did you get married?” “Whose car is this?”
You don’t even get a passport stamp for the privilege of passing the test. At most, you’ll hear “have a good day!” which means “get lost, like now” in border officer lingo.
We didn’t go far into NY state this time—we stopped in Ogdensburg, population 10,000, home to the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center and two correctional facilities. We went to a couple of grocery stores to compare prices. Dairy and meat were cheaper than in Canada, produce was as expensive, no empty shelves. Over-the-counter children’s medication was available so we bought a bottle of Tylenol (shortage issues in Canada, impossible to find).
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the river and exploring the town. There isn’t much going on in Ogdensburg but strangely enough, it didn’t change much after four years of Trump and two years of COVID. Houses look a bit more run-down, cars a bit older, but that’s about it. Maybe Ogdensburg is the kind of town that never really changes. It’s quiet, almost eerily so—”feels like one of these places where zombies attack after dark”, Feng joked. He may be right, the cemetery was huge.
We spotted bored teens working at the Tim Hortons, families hanging out at the park by the river, elections signs for a slew of local races, pickup trucks with “right to bear arms” and “police lives matter” stickers, tons of American flags, and a series of small cultural differences that made us laugh, like the fact it was 75 (Fahrenheit) degrees.
Then we took the bridge back to Canada and answered another series of questions at the Canada Border Services Agency facility—“Masks are mandatory” “ArriveCAN is MANDATORY!”
“Where did we go?” “What did you see?” “Are you bringing any cannabis with you?” “Did you pick up packages in the US?” “Where are you going now?”
Yes, they let us back in, eventually, thank you for asking. We went as “Mötley Crüe” and “Pink Floyd”, maybe we didn’t look like honest citizens…!
I want the right to arm bears!
Ursidæ lives matters!
Personally, I like bare arms. Sleeves are clumsy.
Interesting! You and Feng have lived in Canada for years and travelled extensively, why would there be so many redundant questions? It is not likely that you will decide to cross over and live illegally in US one fine day. I had all those “incomprehensible” questionings at immigration when I used to travel with US work permit. I had all the documents that showed my employer and legal status but still… Once, an immigration officer even questioned why my employer needed to hire a foreigner like me for my job. Seriously? Thought his job was to ensure no illegal pass through the border, not to interview me for my job or try to recruit local candidates (because my employer has gone through the due process and filed all the paperwork’s and got approval). Not an easy process BTW – it took months. Anyway, I hated going through immigration then, because you never know what treatment you get. Sometimes it could feel downright insulted and bullied. It has improved over the years, but probably because my status has changed? Regarding suburban housewife, you sure accomplish a lot in one afternoon. I feel like housework is never ending (now that I am a full time suburban wife). I look back and can’t quite believe I could have a full time job, sometimes travel for work, and still juggle the household chores on the weekend, and have fun/relax. Kudos to you!
The US immigration services have always been the worst border crossing experience. They actually made 19-year-old me cry once 😆 The British are tough as well. It’s also weird to be questioned upon coming back to Canada, especially for trips that sound straightforward. I’m never asked anything when entering Europe (even with my Canadian passport). Do you have US citizenship now? I’m guessing you don’t, based on your comment regarding immigration. Is this something you’d like to pursue?
As for the “housewife” part, I’m lucky, we live in a small place! Easier to clean and big enough for the three of us 😉
Yes, I got my US citizenship years ago. It was a long process (many years) but I got there eventually. Therefore I have no sympathy over people coming over on fiancé visa and complain about having to wait 6-9 months for conditional green card. I worked full time and paid income tax for 7 years ( 1 year work authorization and 6 years of work permit) before I got my green card. Then I had to wait 3 more years before I could apply for US citizenship.
It’s quite an achievement indeed! I’ve heard the path to citizenship in the US wasn’t an easy one, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if you were not a citizen yet despite living there for years. It,s easier and quicker in Canada, permanent residents are eligible after three years of physical presence in Canada. Then processing times are about a year (maybe a bit longer these days).
The last time I went was just a couple weeks before the pandemic. Crossing the border with the Trump portrait hanging in the wall was the most bizarre and sad experience. I found the border (I wrote bordel……) patrol more nervous than the usual as well.
But I still love to cross this border, even for a couple of hours, to this very very strange country!
It is cool to be able to travel to the US relatively easily! And I would say that only Canadians (and dedicated travellers like you!) know the “true” US, i.e. beyond NYC and LA and many, many stereotypes.
The winds have started to change only very very recently. I’ve heard young people saying that it’s not a country we should idealize… But yet again, for most people the US is the country where you can be rich and successful in an instant. Talk about a successful soft power the US have been instilling over the centuries…
The more I travel to the country, the more I hate it and the more I want to travel in it.
It drives me crazy whenever I hear “or the US does this or that, we should totally follow this model!” REALLY…? Like, look at the state of the US healthcare system, the pension system and other public policies… for innovation, multiculturalism or entertainment, sure, whatever. But politics? Hell no, they shouldn’t be a source of inspiration!