I've been struggling for a while now to sort out my national identity. I'm a dual citizen with 26 years of life experience in Canada, 15 months of life experience in Britain. So much of who I am has been shaped by those first 26 years, and yet I'm happily settled here and feel more and more like a local every day. I actively avoid referring to Canada as "home." I feel strongly that this is my home now, but part of me feels like a traitor because of it. And I don't really identify with the term "ex-pat" anymore. So am I Canadian or am I British? The truth is that I'm both. I am a hyphen.
British-Canadian rolls right off the tongue, but that's not what I am. That would imply that I had been born British and become Canadian. Canadian-British? Just doesn't sound right. And so, I have finally settled on my own made up term...
I am a Cana-Brit, and proud of it.
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i dont really understand why people are so eager to define their home/nationality. being from one place isnt any worse or better than another place, its all luck of birth, no? same with choosing where you live later in life, one place is no better than another, it just depends on the person.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't about better or worse.
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