Au Pair Lessons: Where you come from is pretty great

This post is half a truth and half me wanting to sneak a Canada Day’s post in here.  Me telling you that probably ruins the sneaky part of it but it’s the effort that counts, right? 

Since moving to France, I’ve realized that I am ridiculously passionate about being a Canadian. I mean, I always knew that I liked being Canadian and that I was proud of it and that I side eyed our neighbours across the border because do you have to be so loud and in our faces about it? Then I arrived here and after I got over the really tourist-y, excited feelings, I realized that there were things that are really great about Canada that I’d never realized before. Like ketchup chips and poutine and bilingual packaging information and people who don’t shoot down the idea of a trip longer than 45 minutes and the diversity we have and roads that are built to actually fit two cars instead of tiny lanes where we squeeze two cars on because you know that’s a good idea.*

The thing is, no matter where you come from, whether you’re  one of those aggressively patriotic people or not, where you come from is important. It’s a part of you and so often we get this idea that other places are better, that where we come from are boring, that going somewhere else will be the key to our happiness. And, I hate to break this to you: those are all lies. (The boring bit may have some truth to it, but if I can stay pretty busy in a place called Porcupine Plain, then there’s got to be something where you are.) Not only will you realize that those are lies, but you’ll (or at least I did) have a brand new appreciation for all the mundane things that you didn’t realize before. Things are things that no amount of planning or researching or knowing about will help. These are things that will hit you when you finally get to your new home and you’re twisting down the sides of mountains in a car that dislikes you on roads that are barely big enough for one car and another one whips along the bend towards you.

There’s the allure of a different language, an accent, a sudden sharp twist from everything you’ve known that is obviously quite the tug, which is a good thing. It’s what beckons you outside your door and is what gives you that great big push to go out and experience new things and see new places and do really neat stuff. Just don’t be surprised when you get to that shiny new place and you go, “But how do you now know about Tim’s?!” **

So to all my fellow Canadians and especially to my fellow Canadians abroad: Happy Canada Day and here’s to that country we don’t always appreciate the way we should.

*Unless we’re talking about gravel roads and then that’s debatable.
** I tried explaining about Tim Horton’s and it went something like, “It’s kind of like Starbucks except Canadian and better and cheaper and Canadian. And better.” I don’t really think it got across.

(Photo cred.)

Things I’m Loving:

+ This new app – (I need more lit in my life.)
+ This article – ( On women and our inability to describe ourselves as ‘ambitious’.)
+ A good quote – (To start off your week with.)
+ These good things about summer – (If you needed more reasons.)