Happy Canada Day!

A guard pushes the gate open for us and after thanking him we walk through. We are here for our first visit to the Canadian Embassy to celebrate Canada Day with fellow Canadians here in Haiti. Jason had emailed the Embassy to see if they had any type of celebrations and they invited us to join their barbecue.
As we go through security and step onto "Canadian soil," my eyes grow big. It's very beautiful here. The lawns are well manicured, the cobble stone parking area looks new, and the exotic trees have gorgeous flowers. The Barbecue smells delicious too, so we quickly join the ever growing lineup of guests to get our meal.
On thing I found out is that you don't really realize how "French" Canada is when you live in Western Canada. As I listen to the people around me I hear almost no English. Although most can speak or at least understand English, it seems like they are much more fluent in French.



As I examine the people I notice that some look Haitian, some Iranian, some French, and still others I can't place. Are these people really all Canadians I wonder? I suddenly have to laugh. Here I am questioning whether these people are "real" Canadians when I'm not even a real Canadian myself! Sure, I have a Canadian Passport, but I wasn't born in Canada!
Funny, how you think because you come from the same country people should look like you and act like you and talk like you! As I look around I think that Canada must be one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world.
Well,it was fun getting to know this divers group of people and we really enjoyed the Barbecue. Jayden especially like the swing set and slide that they had and also kept asking if we could go "shimming" since there was a pool there as well. When we finished our meal we enjoyed a piece of delicious Canada Flag cake. It was a fun night! Happy Canada Day!