Category Archives: Citizenship

What could you achieve in 10 years if you started today?

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It’s been a whirlwind week and I apologize for the lack of posts on the usual topic of impending adoption and parenthood.

However, if you will humour me – I have spent an inordinate amount of time this week thinking about the topic of my heading.

What could you achieve in 10 years if you started today?

Gaining Citizenship last week was an incredible feat for me. It is the first thing in my entire life that I’ve really wanted to achieve and followed through on the achieving of it – even though it took a long time.

It’s the first time I have ever set out with the hope of achieving something, kept my faith that I would achieve it, allowed people and situations to come into my life to help me achieve it, leapt forward with blind faith (sometimes pure arrogance) toward the goal even when the end was not in sight, filled in every form, took passport photo after passport photo as per the requirements, and showed extreme patience waiting for the end result.

And it paid off.

Here is a bit of a timeline on my Citizenship journey for interest: Continue reading →

Citizenship – A really big decision…

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O Canada – Home is where the heart is…

Since announcing to the world that I passed the citizenship test and how excited I was to be on the home stretch, I have had many people comment:

“Wow, that’s a really big decision.” Or “That’s a really big step.”

And it got me thinking – is it a really big decision?

To me, it wasn’t. It’s something I have wanted for 10 years now, and moving countries is something I have wanted to do since I was a child, so for me, it was more like “Finally!” than “Holy cow this is a big step.”

However, I started thinking about the people making the comment and how for them it might be a huge decision. Many have lived their lives in a place that they called home, that has felt like home from the minute they emerged, likely with a group of people that they called family, and a sturdy base from which to grow and expand (and for many, not too far from where they were created). And even if they travelled – even extensively – they still did so with that sense of home waiting for them.

And under those circumstances it would be a really big decision. Continue reading →

O Canada

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O Canada… our (my) home and native land,
True patriot love, in all thy sons command…

Today – I took and PASSED the Canadian Citizenship test!  🙂

In 3-5 months (!!) I will be invited to attend a Citizenship Ceremony where I will speak the oath, sign the register, sing O Canada (in English and French) and then officially become a Canadian citizen! <3 <3 <3

…With glowing hearts we see the rise, the True North (*) strong and free…

It’s been 10 incredible years since I first set foot on Canadian soil and felt like I’d finally found my home.

Thank you Canada and all of my beautiful Canadian friends (and family) for enveloping me in love and hope. I am so excited that I will get to call Canada home now for life.

No matter what, this is a great reminder – Never give up, never surrender! Oh wait, that’s from the movie Galaxy Quest!

I meant to say… Never, EVER, give up!

May the next 10 years be even more amazing than the last, I can hardly wait to find out what they will hold! May the love in my heart continue to grow and flow.

…From far and wide O Canada we stand on guard for thee,
God keep our land glorious and free,
O Canada we stand on guard for thee,
O Canada we stand on guard for thee!

I feel very proud today. <3

Warm smiles and Love,
Ali Jayne 🙂