March 23, 2009

• I have chased after the History and Literature of England like a panting puppy begging for treats. I, hungry for a richness of past, thickness of culture and a deeply defined sense of belonging, have looked to the nation that colonized mine to discover my identity (ignoring the French altogether). Canada alone has never been enough for me; I've always wanted to understand the histories that came before we were settled here, the places where history actually happened while time was only passing over here.

  Even though I have identified with England, I am not a majority English. There is far too much French, Scottish and Slovak in my blood for me to even look the part. I blend in better at the Danish Canadian Club than I would in British circles.

  And maybe the time has come to stop leaning over to Europe to find the history, the opinions, that matter. I have invested so much time in other countries, and have ignored my own. Yet I was born here. I am, and always will be a Canadian, so perhaps it's time to start understanding - or even shaping - what that means.

  • 4:47 pm
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