Thursday, August 2, 2012

Citizenship

Orange "Pink" toy...now a favorite of Balto's
"I'm watching you boy....don't move a muscle"
"I will not chase the kitty.......I will not chase the kitty......I will not chase........ 
She's Back.....
Although I have lived in Canada for 39 years, I am ashamed to say that I am not a Canadian citizen. I still roam around on my British passport and with a Kenya birth certificate, it can cause delays at the borders, plus, I value Canada so much, I decided it was high time I complete the mountain of paperwork and photocopies and apply to join the country I call home once and for all. I was summoned for my interview and knowledge test, along with 24 other wanna-be Canadians and spent the good part of three hours as the minority white British lady in a room of diversely mixed people from Korea, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Holland, Mexico, India, Somalia and a few I forget. With various levels of English (or French) we all muddled through the one on one interviews and the written test. Many were nervous and I seemed to be the one they directed all their questions to..It was a very long wait and it was great fun finding out where everyone was born. I proudly watched as they practiced their tests and their interviews and smiled at the young Somalian teen in his much too large suit, touched that he felt it important to dress for the occasion. I hope to see them all in our swearing in ceremony assuming we all pass the test.

If you recall from a few months ago, my Girl Child moved into a teeny tiny perfect for her condo back in March, only to have it flooded completely a mere 3 WEEKS later. She was moved first to a hotel, then to temporary accommodations courtesy of the Insurance Company while awaiting her condo to be repaired. With no end in sight, and insurance running out, she was forced to give up her lease and seek alternate housing. She spent every evening for 2 weeks traipsing through rentals and being disappointed when they were snapped up in a very hot rental market. She FINALLY secured one a mere 3 days before she was to be homeless. She does have a few days of NO FIXED ADDRESS and has moved home in the interim with her possessions salvaged in a hurry from the flood. She hasn't seen the contents of her condo in four months, so she is very excited to get into her new little SHOEBOX IN THE SKY on Saturday.

Many of you have asked how the dog BALTO is settling in. He walked in heer like he had lived here all his life and is quiet and content and cuddly. He has been enjoying dining alfresco with us in the evenings and loves his walks, toys and new people and dog friends. He is a COUNTER SURFER which forces us to be neat and tidy in the kitchen and he still get a little worked up over the cat, but she seems to realize that he is not an attack dog and seems quite relaxed around him. I absolutely love him. I do.

17 comments:

  1. Congratulations on becoming a citizen! We left England when I was only 8, lived in Canada for 6 years then came here to the U.S. where I've been ever since...and I'm still a British citizen. I don't see any perks to becoming an American citizen really so I haven't bothered. My step-mom has Canadian/American citizenship and my dad has English/Canadian. We're a hodge podge family!

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  2. CITIZENSHIP congratulations! Love your story . . .

    Balto the Counter Surfer is precious. He couldn't have found a better family to cuddle with. Soon he and the cat will cuddle?

    Love his eyes of thank you!

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  3. Congratulations! I'm sure you'll pass the test. I'm glad doggy is settling in too.

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  4. Sounds like wonderful news all around! Congrats to you and your daughter. And of course Balto has found a beautiful loving home and I'm sure he'll spend many happy days with you.
    Peter has applied for citizenship as well and as yet we have not heard back other than the letter with the study book that say his application has been received. I wondered how long did you have to wait to get to the interview/test stage?
    How was the test? Was it written or oral?

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  5. I am glad you find a home in Canada and are making it official. Balto sounds lovely and good for the cat for being relaxed. We still have daily altercations with Shelley puppy and Clovis. No end in sight.

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  6. Making it official in Canada must be a breeze compared to even getting permanent residence in Argentina. I am never doing that again .. anywhere. Ever.

    I had no doubts that you and Balto were made for each other... give him a kiss for me please.

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  7. It's good to see updates from you.
    And, Welcome to Canada! Or should I save that until we found out if you're allowed to stay or not?
    m.

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  8. wow, i had no idea you were not canadian. and i also didn't know you were born in kenya and are of english descent.

    thank you for everything today chania, you have a heart of gold. xoxo

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  9. Congratulations on getting your citizenship! That's a huge thing and I know it was a big decision and one that benefits your country. Hope the girl child makes the move okay and what a mess that all ended up being. Balto knows he is home again and I am happy everyone is happy with the arrangement (ok, cat is still adjusting) Ann

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  10. Congrats on you pursuing your citizenship and to your darling girl for a place to live, finally....poor thing.

    About Balto, is it possible for a dog to LOOK French? He does! Glad he is home to stay...what a sweetie.

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  11. Congratulations on going for your citizenship. We just celebrated this spring with a big Cuban-Canadian party for my niece's husband who just got his citizenship.

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  12. What a fun post. You have so much going on. I have helped many of my students get their USA green cards and I' always so happy about how seriously they take accomplishment.

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  13. PS One of my boys was from Kenya. He finished our electrical program and earned his high school diploma. He has been working as an electrician for a year now. I'm so proud of him.

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  14. Congrats! I had no idea you weren't a citizen! And how crummy for your daughter, what a pain. Glad she secured a new place though!

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  15. Congratulations Shania!!! Had to giggle over the " Kenya " part - hope there aren't any "birthers" here in good old Canada, lmao!
    What a beautiful addition you make to our country - thanks for dropping in
    (39 years ago - ) and deciding to stay!
    And it's official - I'm in love with Balto - I have a beloved rescued member of the family too - I call her my accomplice
    Big hugs,
    Suzan

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  16. Congratulations on your soon to be Canadian citizenship. I too am a naturalized citizen to my adoptive country, USA. Although it was many years ago I remember it well, it is an honor and a privilige that many take for granted. I hope you will have dual citizenship with Britain as well since that's not such a bad place either :) I love Balto too...and OK yes the kitty, and girl child...

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I love to read each and every comment and are thrilled that you take the time to send one. Thank you so much. Chania