Ancestry is like a puzzle, made up of many different pieces of all shapes and sizes, coming from all different parts of the world. However, one piece that makes up who I am is American. My mom has a dual-citizenship. She was born in Canada as a product of a multinational love story.
My Papa Dude was a Canadian hockey player, given a scholarship to University of New Hampshire. My grandma was studying home economics at the University. As a way to make some money, he washed dishes for the sorority she happened to be living in. At risk of being drafted to the Vietnamese war, because he had been living in the US long enough to qualify, they fled to Canada to get married and start a family, leaving all of her family behind.
Even though I was born and raised Canadian, a portion of my identity is American. My mom’s entire family, less her two sisters, live in and around Pennsylvania. Since this, we do not get to see them often, but we continue the family’s ways with or without them. We celebrate American Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, and we fly the flag.
People find it quite funny that I have two months of Thanksgiving festivities but to me it is normal. In the States, Thanksgiving is a time of gathering with all of your extended family and feasting together. But, since we do not have these family members to celebrate with, we decided to “just eat turkey and think of Grandma Sue” (Roud). She is long past, but the American identity was dear to her heart, so we continue these ways in honour of her. Even though I never met her, I truly love my Grandma, and I know that this is a tradition I will continue on for generations, because without her and her American identity, I would not be here today.
Every July my mom’s cousin comes up to Canada for a week with his family. This is the only time we get to see them, so it becomes a big party where we combine our cultures. They always bring mini American flags, party hats, and fireworks for the fourth, and we celebrate the American day as they would down South. In an attempt to share our Canadian culture with them, we break out all of the fun things we have here. We take them to Niagara Falls, and buy, as my aunt calls them “the best part of Canada,” all-dressed chips (Wilson). In this week, I am very proud of my culture, it is a happy blend of both countries and all the great parts each part of my history has to offer.
Lastly, at all of our houses we have always flown two flags: Canadian and American. We do get a little criticism for this, as people believe that it is not truly Canadian to hang the flag of another country. However, we do not replace the Canadian one with the American, we just show our ties to each nation and the love we have for both. I would never choose the United States over Canada because “we are almost entirely Canadian, [I am] Canadian, but we cannot forget that a little piece of [me] is also Canadian” (Roud).
I have utmost respect for my Grandma Sue and the risks she had to take in order for our family to be what it is today, so I will never forget the place she came from, the traditions she brought us, or the piece of America that she gave me.
Works Cited
Dyck, Darryl. US and Canadian Flags Flying. CBC, www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/least-important-election-the-case-to-stop-changing-the-clocks-and-the-problem-of-dna-as-proof-of-culture-1.3834912/actually-america-moving-to-canada-is-a-lot-more-complicated-than-you-think-1.3835158. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.
Klein, Allison. How Thanksgiving Works. Howstuffworks, people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/thanksgiving.htm. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.
Roud, Amanda. Interview. 4 Dec. 2017.
Roud, Steven. Interview. 24 Nov. 2017.
Unknown. American Canadian Flag Combination. Amazon, www.amazon.ca/Canada-Friendship-COMBINATION-America-Canadian/dp/B00GFEC6KC. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.
---. American Canadian Puzzle Pieces. JW Jeffery, www.jwjeffery.com/?p=662. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.
---. Ruffles All Dressed Chips. Amazon, www.amazon.com/Ruffles-Dressed-Potato-Chips-7-75/dp/B018PQYSXK. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.
Wilson, Heather. Interview. 4 July 2017.
Wait so do you get pumpkin pie twice?
ReplyDeleteMaddie, you are just one of many families I know who have a family connection to the U.S. It's funny how people who came from the same ancestors can develop very distinct new identities depending on where they settle: Canada, or America. For example, I have American cousins who love Donald Trump, and even though we share the same values in general, we do not agree on his policies. I love the idea of you celebrating both Canada Day and Independence Day together, sharing a bag of Lays. :) Would you ever consider moving to the U.S. yourself in the future?
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