I was born Canadian and always resolved to die Canadian. Until I married an American and gave birth to two half-breeds. My permanent residency expires early next year and some major decisions need to be made. Namely: do I forsake The Motherland and all that is holy?
Or at least that which is really, really cold.
I love this country and will likely live here the rest of my life. As a wee Calgarian lassie, we learned about The Evil Empire the United States in elementary school. One lesson was on Denver. A fellow classmate asked the teacher about our great city and she explained “Denver is kind of like the Calgary of the United States.”
I resolved then and there I would live in Denver someday. Prophetic little Canuck, wasn’t I?
So, the question remains: do I renew? Or do I convert?
Admittedly, after the mudslinging-that-has-been-this-election-season, the novelty of becoming politically active has worn off. And somehow, I don’t think participating on CBS’s The Amazing Race (where an American passport is required) is a very worthy reason.
Though make no mistake: I would have kicked some serious butt. Or at least been very entertaining as I landed on mine.
What it really comes down to I just can’t forsake my roots even though this ol’ trunk is planted firmly on American soil. Nor do I want to face the humiliation of flunking the citizenship exam. (You are, after all, talking to the woman who argued in college that Abraham Lincoln was indeed a founding father.)
During a recent trip to Boston, my loving, supportive and utterly devoted husband and I talked about my options, during which time he offered this:
“Amber, if you are deported… [choose the correct answer]
1) I’ll cry myself to sleep every night.
2) I will make out with The Great Pumpkin while you are gone.
3) I will not be able to survive one moment without you.
4) You WILL take the children with you back to Canada.”
You don’t want to know the real answer.
To be or not to be. What do you value most about your citizenship?
Author: Amber Johnson
Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.
Tia Juana
I really think you should cash in so you can be on the Amazing Race, or Survivor, or Big Brother … and when Jamie divorces you and marries next year’s Great Pumpkin, you can be on the Bachelor. By “cashing in” I have every confidence that you will do so well at ALL these endeavors that you really be able to CASH in!
Let’s keep our priorities stratight here.
But if it were me, I’d be so worried about what my parents thought. What do yours think?
Shana
hmmmmm, as a firm Canadian who has lived in the U.S. more than once, and has a daughter who has dual citizenship (and she keeps telling me that I need to become American so we can be on the Amazing race together), I have always thought that becoming American would make me lose my Canadianism. I don’t think that is true anymore. Just because you gain one, doesn’t mean you lose the other. Although I doubt I will move back to the States anytime soon, if I did, I probably would apply for citizenship, just to make things easier. You can always wear both the maple leaf and the stars and stripes. Just keep the beaverskin undies to yourself.
Amber
There is such a thing as beaverskin undies??!!! Who knew. 🙂
Karla
Admittedly I have never given much thought to my citizenship. It is just who I am. Faced with your decision I would be perplexed as well. Good Luck!
And FWIW- I’d be afraid of the citizenship test too!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lori
Succumb.
Become
one
of
us.
Amber Johnson
Hence
the reason
I
called it
THE EVIL EMPIRE.
🙂
Tirzah
That’s a hard one. I’m not sure what I would do, either.
Anonymous
Oh my gosh, ya’ll bust me up…
I wouldn’t worry about the Lincoln flub.. have you seen JayWalking on the Tonight Show? I’ve heard far worse answers to much easier history questions..
Happy Thanksgiving!!! :o)
http://www.coloradodentons.blogspot.com
Kassie
We take all kinds!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Amber Johnson
I love JayWalking…and any of those shows that illustrate maybe I’m not so clueless after all. 🙂
Catherine
Toni just informed me yesterday that she wants to grow up and move to Paris and live in a glass house (strange, strange little girl). That’s the closest I’ve come to imagining what it might be like to live overseas. What a TOUGH decision you’ve got there, Amber. And I thought I had it bad with the cow thing…
Suzanne B
Ok.. you can’t leave! If you do, can I hole up in your suitcase? I’d miss you. A lot.
What do I love? America, it is wonderful… we have our issues, but I couldn’t imagine raising my children anywhere else.
Momma, The Casual Perfectionist
So, would your husband come to visit your children in Canada, or would they have to just look at his picture on the Internet? 😉
In all honesty, I wouldn’t mind raising my child in a foreign country. I think it would be an adventure, and it would be amazing to see the world through her eyes. The things she (and we) would learn about being World Citizens would be priceless. That being said, we wouldn’t change our citizenship…there is just something too ingrained about being an American. 🙂 How wonderful is it that we’re free to roam the world and still be welcomed home.
~Momma
aka The Casual Perfectionist
http://thecasualperfectionist.com
LAURA L
You must stay Canadian!!! As a fellow Saskatoonian I demand you too! Come on who will understand how great perogies are, how to wear a touque! Come on!!
GrumpyAngel
http://grumpyangel.blogspot.com
I have a biased opinion on this question. I am a naturalized American. I “converted” over 15 years ago. My reason isn’t so lofty and idealistic. I just wanted to be a citizen of the same country as my American born children. My husband is the first natural born American in his family, so on both sides we are a family of naturalized Americans. We still have affection for the “motherland”, but our loyalty is to the country we plan to spend the rest of our lives in.
It’s an individual decision though, so I say make the one your heart feels most comfortable with. Although I hope it doesn’t involve the husband being forced to make out with the Great Pumpkin 🙂
diana/sunshine
wow, that is a hard one. i guess if there’s no real reason that you feel like you need u.s. citizenship, then i would’t stress myself out by trying to get it. but i’m not in your shoes. i’ll be anxious to hear what you’ll do.
http://www.sunshine-on-my-shoulders.blogspot.com
Kimberly
Oh my. It was totally number four, wasn’t it.
Neil and I talked it over when we lived down there and thought we might end up settling there. We decided to play it by ear and base our decision on whether or not citizenship would affect our lives at all. We weren’t disaffected so that element didn’t come into things. We weren’t sure if there were any practical issues that would make getting our citizenship a worthwhile endeavor. It’s a very personal thing really though, isn’t it?
Liz
Get dual citizenship?? I know people that have it, I don’t know how you go about getting it, but that might work for you!
Jenn
What feels like home? When you come back to Calgary do you breathe a sigh of relief? If Denver is home, then go for it. It is not the same but if I had to choose between the province I was born and the province I choose. I would choose where I live now.
Jenn
serf 'rett
Would you have to take the buggy-from-hell too?
yvonne
As an American living in Canada, I just can’t bring myself to giving up my American citizenship–though I guess that’s not a requirement anymore.
My 17 y.o. has both, but in his mind he’s Canadian and darn proud of it!!!
Heidi Ahrens
Well, I don’t have any real advice for you since two years ago I had to make the same decision. My daughter has dual citizenship and my husband is
Canadian. My green card was up so I had to decide keep the husband at my side and become American or have him deported. I selected to become american and he got his green card.
Now we live happily ever after in Carbondale.
Heidi
http://www.outdoorbaby.net