I became a permanent resident of Canada in 2012. I didn’t do it because I didn’t like the United States. At the time I did it for employment opportunities. The film business was rapidly changing and I believed that if I had options I would be able to stay employed in a volatile, unpredictable world of freelance. Who knew that choice would be so poignant today.
I still feel the need to work and so being in Canada has helped me to feel like I can compete in this ever changing global world. I have been very fortunate to work in Canada for the last year and a half and to get to know the country on a more personal basis.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t homesick and my permanent home happens to be in the United States. It is where my family is and I miss them very much. One always pays a high price when one decides to step out of the box and change their lifestyle regardless of what country they reside.
I have been living in Canada single which also adds to the strangeness of it all. I feel like a foreigner not only because this is a different way of life but because it is also my different way of life. I find that on weekends I tend to hibernate in my small lane house. Whatever plans I have usually end up being just me and I have learned to think for one now instead of many. Hard enough in your homeland but even harder on foreign ground. I will return to the States soon and continue to work and fight hard for what I believe our country stands for. Both places have their merit and I feel very fortunate to be able to come and go as I please.
There are many things I love about Canada but I must say after this election I find myself more obligated to stand up and be heard as an American and as a woman. Yes there is still that stigma about women not being equal to men and as much as many people disagree it has never been more blatant than in this election. Regardless of what you think of Hilary Clinton she fought long and hard in a man’s world. And that I admire most of all.
In 1997 Hilary Clinton visited Eritrea where she described having popcorn thrown at her, a practice meant to protect visitors from evil and to assure good fortune. A female journalist wrote about throwing popcorn at Hilary Clinton now to express her thanks for fighting so hard and so long in a tough political arena. I, too, am throwing popcorn at Hilary all the way from Canada.