Canadian Girl

It's been almost five years since I arrived in Canada with the intent to stick around. The first three months I was considered a visitor, after which I became a permanent resident. Three years later I was eligible to apply for citizenship. That process took roughly a year and a half. Today, finally, I surrendered my permanent resident card (please excuse the awful photo; I'm afraid the one I took a few hours later for my new passport isn't much better),

took the oath (along with 74 others), shook hands with the judge,

received my certificate of Canadian citizenship and sang the national anthem,

posed with the judge and my beautiful family, with whom I spent the afternoon in Ottawa (minus the judge, of course),

and returned home to discover these.

I am proud to be Canadian at last. And as proud as ever to be American too.