{"id":11295,"date":"2015-11-04T06:45:11","date_gmt":"2015-11-04T14:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=11295"},"modified":"2015-11-13T13:27:13","modified_gmt":"2015-11-13T21:27:13","slug":"the-functional-traveller-an-important-anecdote-for-my-peers-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2015\/11\/04\/the-functional-traveller-an-important-anecdote-for-my-peers-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"The Functional Traveller<\/em>: An important anecdote for my peers abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since leaving Canada I\u2019ve felt an ache in my chest, pleading to be soothed by a balm of maple syrup and pancake mix and a gauze of back bacon. Though I rarely consume these things at home, my cravings seem to be a symptom of cultural identity.<\/p>\n

Being a first-generation Canadian daughter of an English immigrant father and South African mother, I\u2019ve chronically struggled with the concept of being \u201cCanadian.\u201d<\/p>\n

My upbringing is a patchwork of Danish traditions, English diction, and family lore of taming elephants and snake pits. I\u2019ve always hated skating; I\u2019d rather be steamrolled by a Zamboni than watch hockey; Canada Day is an excuse to stay away from downtown. I don\u2019t say \u201ceh\u201d and my home city is basically the California of Canada, with temperatures rarely dipping below -2 C, at worst.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Functional Traveller<\/em> is an ongoing column in Nexus<\/em> (photo by Sera Down\/Nexus<\/em>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am the single example of Canada among my acquaintances here in Japan. Am I qualified to be an ambassador for my country? If I felt conflicted about my status before, how do I own this title?<\/p>\n

Being temporarily divorced from Canadian culture has made me realize a unique truth about being Canadian: I\u2019m part of a cultural quilt that thrives off the traits our cultural heritage contributes to the constantly expanding whole. My lack of what I consider \u201cCanadian\u201d within myself is exactly what makes me, the daughter of immigrants, a true citizen of the Great White North.<\/p>\n

This sudden surge of nationalism has become especially apparent since the recent elections. Stephen Harper\u2019s Conservatives have been in power since I was 11 years old. The party\u2019s policy creating a second class of citizen based on alternate citizenship has weighed heavily on me through my formative years. I\u2019ve always been cautious in calling myself \u201cCanadian,\u201d as by law I do not qualify.<\/p>\n

The recent election, coinciding with my travels, has ignited a raw sense of nationalism within me. The change in government has provided a unfamiliar sense of hope and pride for a country I have watched teeter on the brink of militarization and classicism in the recent decade. The politics is a whole other discussion, but it remains true that this political shift has opened a hidden door that many first generation Canadians of my generation have been denied. Our foreign heritage enriches, not dilutes, the definition of \u201cCanadian.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever since leaving Canada I\u2019ve felt an ache in my chest, pleading to be soothed by a balm of maple syrup and pancake mix and a gauze of back bacon. Though I rarely consume these things at home, my cravings seem to be a symptom of cultural identity. Being a first-generation Canadian daughter of an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,154],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columns","category-november-4-2015"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t