If there were an English word like “unguest”, I would have described myself as one.
I had first travelled to the United States, thinking it was my land of hope. However, Donald Trump was trumpeting MAGA. Fortunately, I heard of Canada through my cousin, and I’ve never regretted my decision to come here.
Of course, I wouldn’t relate everything here, as I’ve saved it all for a book.
The first thing I experienced was a culture shock. Although there were a few smart Alecks, I found the people to be generally pleasant.
People were genuinely interested in the welfare of refugees, doing their jobs because they loved it, not looking for some untoward reward, and to cap it all, saying good morning to strangers.
However, I would soon meet my nemesis. I crossed the street while hurrying to some place in Montreal, not knowing I had crossed in front of a police car. To cut the story short, it earned me a ticket.
I later moved to Toronto because I didn’t have the time to learn French. It’s been fantastic living in Toronto.
I had the opportunity to stay in a couple of Cadanian homes. They gave me a taste of what Canadians are made of.
Canada stood as a people to Donald Trump’s trade war. Unbent, no one thought of party or any other divisive lines. It did not matter whether they were politicians or people in the street.
I once told someone that Canada had carved a niche as the land of freedom. The country is quite unlike a particular country, which we used to think was the land of liberty.
Incidentally, I’ve never had my identity checked in Canada.
Happy Canada Day!
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