Not a 'Typical Canadian'

I am a proud Canadian. I am so fricken proud that when I went to the Canadian embassy to get some merchandise to use at my school's International Day and the 'I am Canadian' commercial came on, I almost cried... multiple times. Those who know me know how little I cry in public, so this demonstrates the extreme. Even just seeing the Canadian flags waving in the wind outside of the embassy made me break into the biggest smile and feel instantly at home.

I picked up some maps, maple leaf key chains, Canada's 150's birthday tattoos, and Canadian travel magazines. There were multiple screens inside the embassy with interactive videos and informational games about Canada. Alejandro (the lovely man who gave me all the free merchandise) encouraged me to play around with the screens. I thought, "hey yeah, i'll take a quick peek!" thinking I would be there for 20 minutes or so. I WAS THERE FOR 2 HOURS. I watched video after video including the history behind the Canadian flag, the Canadian invention of instant mashed potatoes and many Canadian Olympic commercials. Seeing all the videos of Canadian scenery and interviews asking Canadians, "Are we really that nice?" made me laugh and feel so proud of my country.

I find that I cling to anything Canadian here. As much as I try to distance myself from my Canadian culture because I am in a new country surrounded by new, amazing and diverse people, I can't get away from it entirely. When people ask me questions about Canada or want to see photos of my home, I tend to sigh in a happy sadness. Happy because that's my home country and it's awesome!! but a slight sadness because I miss it. I miss the Canadian people the most. I miss seeing someone hold the door open for a stranger who is 10 feet away and says sorry for taking so long to get there. I miss the beauty of a maple leaf and the vast lands that turn into mountains. I miss it... but distance always makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Okay Kira, we get it, you love Canada.

Yeah okay, so I am Canadian. I have a Canadian passport, I have Canadian health insurance, I understand what a double double is and can order a poutine in French. Despite all those reasons, people are confused when I say I am Canadian. I look Asian, so of course people assume at first-glance that I am from Asia. Then I speak English and they realize I am probably American - some guy thought I was Australian and I was like, "Uhm what?? Bruh, I don't have an Aussi accent, but alright". One of my friends even said, "You aren't a true Canadian" and they almost got punched, so they rephrased it to, "You are Canadian, but you are from China".

There are other people in the same situation as me. My one friend originally has Brazilian roots, but he has lived in the UK for many years now with his family. He has lived in various countries, so he calls himself a gypsy because he moves so much and doesn't really categorize himself into one nationality. My other friend is studying in Quebec, is originally from France and is Asian. There are people who have studied and lived in a country different from their own before coming here, so when coming here to study it's a question of, "What do I say I am?" Usually those introduction questions take a while, especially if it's a little more complicated like my story and my friends'.

It's a small struggle whenever we introduce ourselves to others and they stare at you perplexed because your exterior doesn't match their idea of what someone of that country looks like. The majority of people don't know that much about Canada aside from Justin Trudeau, Montreal, Toronto and the 'funny sounding province' AKA Saskatchewan and that's solely because of the name. I guess people expect Canadians to be Caucasian because I have been told, "You don't look like a typical Canadian". I explain that Canada is quite diverse so there's no 'typical Canadian look' aside from a plaid shirt and blue jeans. As much as it's sometimes a pain in the ass to explain my complicated and personal story to others, I find it fulfilling to be able to share my knowledge about Canada's diverse population and my side of adoption. It makes me feel like the world is becoming a little bit more culturally aware and working towards cultural harmony. That would be ideal, wouldn't it?

To my fellow 'complicated story' people: don't stop sharing your story no matter how tedious it is to say and don't let others convince you that you are less of your nationality because of what you look like or your circumstances (adoption, moving).

I look Chinese, but Canada you are and always will be my home.

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Here is the I am Canadian video because damn am I proud of it.