It Ain't Easy Being Greene: To be or not to be?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

To be or not to be?

I have been looking at lots of government forms lately.

That's always a good time.

My Canadian passport expired in October, and I need to renew it. ($97, because it's interesting to see how much our governments like to gouge us.) My permanent resident card ("green card") expires this October, and I'll have to renew it. ($450 when all is said and done. To be repeated in 10 years.)

OR ...

I could apply to be a U.S. citizen.

Gasp. I know. Dare I think this way? I'm Canadian through and through and proud of it! Proud because ... well, because it makes me different, at least here, and it's just part of me! My blood is pure maple syrup. So how could I even consider this?

I don't know, I just think it might be easier! It would be less confusing to travel/cross the border with my American children. I would only have to renew my passport every decade instead of every 5 years. I wouldn't have to do so much explaining. I could collect social security (ha ha, ya right). I wouldn't have to panic every time I saw the letters "INS" together in a sentence. I could vote.

On the flip side, I could vote. I WOULD have to start giving a flying leap about politics so I can vote and not say, "Ah, well, I have no opinion because I can't do anything about it." And I have to admit, that was nice, being so lazy. (Oh yeah, it's $680 total to apply for citizenship ... then I'd need a $100 passport.)

If I became a U.S. citizen, Canada would still recognize my Canadian citizenship. To renounce my Canadian citizenship I would have to fill out a buncha forms with the Canadian consulate (or something). Just becoming American doesn't change Canada's ability to claim me. And that was my biggest concern. So deep down I will ALWAYS be Canadian, and that makes me feel glad all over.

In the eyes of the U.S., though, I don't care about Canada anymore. I have to say out loud that I renounce my ties to any other countries. And it's big deal to me to say that out loud. It would have to be true. I would have to plan (allowing that plans could change) to not take advantage of my Canadian citizenship any more, and I'd not be able to proudly state that "I am Canadian" the same way any more. The U.S. isn't bothered, though, that Canada still claims me and they don't care if I have 2 passports, etc. They even have a whole link on the immigration web page about dual citizens:

Persons may have dual nationality by automatic operation of different laws rather than by choice. For example, a child born in a foreign country to U.S. citizen parents may be both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth.

A U.S. citizen may acquire foreign citizenship by marriage, or a person naturalized as a U.S. citizen may not lose the citizenship of the country of birth.U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one citizenship or another.

Oh yeah, except that pesky little oath DOES require you to choose, but only verbally -- a what's a person's word these days, anyway ;/ Ugh.

So anyway, what should I do?? Take the easy road or keep my pride? It so very difficult. So I leave it to a vote :) j/k

4 comments:

EmileeFebruary 2, 2011 at 3:08 PM
I think you should take the plunge. If you are living in the USA you should vote and you will always be Canadian first and foremost ;)
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BetsyFebruary 4, 2011 at 2:03 PM
I think you should just make Dave become a Canadian citizen and come live next to us. :) But...if you insist on staying here, then I say just become a citizen so you never have to do that horrid paper work again, oh, and pay the fees over and over. Although, my brother's wife's mom's (cat's, previous owner's neighbor) is Canadian, and she never became a US citizen because of the pride of it. So...you wouldn't be the only one, because I know that's really your biggest concern.
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SteveFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:03 PM
Personally I think you should move back home to Canada and just think about this for awhile ;)

Here are my votes:
+1 for doing the cheapest thing (seriously)
+1 for being honest
+1 for following in the footsteps of James Cameron
+2 for ample maple syrup (notice how maple and ample have the same letters? Boggle helped me learn to do that!...ahem)
+10 for just doing what you feel is best and don't worry what other people think
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Kristen McDFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:35 AM
I'm coming around to the citizenship idea, mostly because I never want to deal with INS again. For real. Even typing INS makes my skin prickle and I kind of have to go to the bathroom...

Nerves.
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Out of the mouths of monkeys

K: There's another one fly!
M: Can you smash it?
K: No. I don't wann smash it. Da fly is NICE! 11/6/12

Mom: Koen, are you stinky?
K: No. I mean, (meekly) Yes, sir. 10/12

Koen, as we left the parking lot ahead of the boys one night: "See ya lata ... (quietly) suckas." 8/29/12

Sitting in church, whispering:
Caden: Wow, are they allowed to be this boring?
Dave: Yes (laughing).
C: And speak this long?
D: Yes.
C: It should be a crime against kids! 8/26/12

Davin, after a comment by Daddy: "So, are only grown-ups allowed to say 'stupid'?" Whoops, caught ya. 7/12

Koen said, "I wanna lay on baby" today. Then he pulled up my shirt and laid his head down on my bulging belly ... and now he's sleeping. First co-nap with the new sib! :) 4/13/12

Caden: "Mom, the Star Wars Darth Maul Lightsaber is the greatest thing since holographic sliced bread." 4/13/12

Tessa: I try not to let Davin play with my glass dolls.
Gummy: Why? Are you afraid he'll drop them on you?
Tessa: No, I'm afraid he'll drop them on the FLOOR!
4/10/12

Dave recently patched several dings, holes and other imperfections in our walls. The next morning Koen went on a treasure hunt, finding the white spackled patches and shouting excitedly, "SNOW!!!"

When we went camping, we were out playing and Tessa called out, "Caden, where are you, my brother-from-the-same-mother?"

Davin stubbed his toe and said, "Dad, I hurt my thumb toe."

Davin: "Mommy, this is the hugest orange anyone could ever eat!"
Mom: "That's a grapefruit."
Davin: "Oranges are the great fruit? I don't think so."

Koen asked me for an "apple peach" one morning, meaning he wanted it whole instead of cut up :) Way to communicate, 22-month-old!

Tessa was outside with Dad on a chilly morning. She was getting cold and said, "Dad, I think I'm turning into a big Tessacle!" lol

Mom: "Koko, do you need a diaper change?"
Caden: "What about me?" (Granted, he had just asked me for something, but the timing was great.)

Caden: (looking at the map)"Dad, is there such place as Zealand?" Because where does the "New" come from if there is no original?

Mom pours shampoo on Tessa's head. "OK Tessa, rub it in." (High, whiny voice) "'Ha ha, I have shampoo and you don't.' You mean that kind of rubbing in?"

Davin: "I'm leaving da rest of my celery on da floor so da ants can eat it."
Tessa: "Or the mice."
Thanks a million, kids. So helpful.

Dave told Tessa he'd give her a penny if she'd wipe Davin's behind. She said, "Every penny counts!" and did it! They each got 3 pennies for it :) Later Davin wanted more money and Dave said maybe tomorrow Tessa could wipe him again. He said, "Heh. Nah, dat was kinda weird for me."

I was giving Davin a bath and told him to lay down to get his hair wet. Then he said, "Now should I lay up?"

Davin passed some noisy gas and I said, "Heeeeey, tootie!" He looks at me, shrugs, and says, "Dat's just what it do!"

Tessa tells the baby, "Awww, you're so cute! I just can't exist you!" (means 'resist')

I was lecturing Davin about how he doesn't listen to me until I yell, when he mutters under his breath, "Mama, Jesus don't love you." Hiding a smirk, I asked why he would say that, and he said, "'Cuz, you so cwazy! I don't even know what you sayin!"

Davin was marching around in a circle and said, "Look ma! I following the prophet! Like Jesus say!"

Tessa calls her bare feet her "plain old feet."

I was frustrated one night getting the rowdy kids to focus and put on their pajamas. During his bedtime prayer, Caden included: "Oh, and God, here's a little secret: (whisper) Mom's beautiful when she's angry." He later told me I look beautiful and Dad looks cool when we're angry. What a smart kid - dispell the anger with kindess!

Me: "Tessa, do you want a banana?"
T: "Tessa do you want a banana who? ... bwaaa haa haa"

Caden was watching the end of "NeverEnding Story" where the luck dragon chases down the bullies. He got really excited and said, "Yeah! He's giving them a taste of their own medicine! And not the fruity kind ... the hurtin' kind!"

Caden asks lots of questions that I don't have great answers for: "Why is my Slappy Hand sticky? Why is clay hard?" Tessa has figured out the best response: "Because Jesus made your Slappy Hand sticky. Right Mom?" What do you say to that?

During family prayer one night Caden decided to do a rap version of "Let Us Gather In A Circle." At the end he crosses his arms gangsta style and says, "Respect!" We were laughing, and he was annoyed. He said, "What, I'm just trying to make a catch phrase!"

For some reason, Caden and Aunt Betsy were talking about bats. And Caden mentioned fruit bats (heaven knows why). So Betsy said, "Oh, is that from Anastasia?" Caden said, "No ... no, that's not from any country."

Caden had been calling Mom and Tessa his "step-sisters" all day. Later Tessa said, "I am Caden's ... tip-toe sister!"

Tessa: "Mom, you are Dad's life." (She meant wife ... but I like it her way.)

Tessa was trying to come in while I was in the bathroom, and I said, "Tessa, please go out. Mommy needs her privacy." She said "oh" and closed the door. A few seconds later I hear her say, "I can't find it! Dad, do you know where Mom's privacy is?"

Grandma was telling the grandchildren on her birthday that they were her best present. As we were later driving to her house to give her a gift, Caden insisted that he was her present. Over and over. Then he said, "But I'M HER PRESENT! Wrap me up, baby!"

Tessa was horrified to learn where dogs go to the bathroom and occasionally mutters to herself, "Remember when Jake (friend's dog) go'd poopy on the ground?"

A few years ago we were at the grandparents' house and Grandpa was blessing the food. During his prayer Caden said in a loud whisper, "Grandpa! It's too long! That's too long Grandpa!"

It Ain't Easy Being Greene

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

To be or not to be?

4 comments:

Out of the mouths of monkeys

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