Educated Panda

Thanks for the party Canada.

Thanks for the party Canada. Although you are older than I am we share the same birthday, and I always feel honoured by the special community celebrations that occur. Coincidentally my father’s birthday was July 4th so he also had parades and celebrations and fireworks but they were south of the border and mostly enjoyed vicariously on television.  I get the real thing.

Canada Day celebrations in and around Vancouver looked and felt a little different this year. Likely a legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics, there were more Canadian Flags flying, more Canadian Olympic Hockey Jerseys worn, and generally more visible patriotism than I have seen in the  past. Cooler temperatures even encouraged the sporting of red and white toques, although I personally didn’t see any of the collectible mittens. That brings me to my only real complaint – what is with this cool (evenings and mornings are better described as cold) weather. As a kid I used to have to watch that I didn’t get sunstroke, now I have to worry about hypothermia.

There are other more significant changes in our community of course: the number of new Canadians, from virtually every corner of the globe, being one of them. I recently guided a small group of visiting Korean professors on a tour of Commercial Drive, and we watched a World Cup soccer game over lunch. Among our observations – the incredible array of ethnic restaurants in a seven or eight block stretch north of 1st Avenue. Another observation made by the professors – how friendly people from diverse cultural backgrounds are with each other.

It’s pretty common to take what we have for granted. Hearing how visitors see us, and watching their admiration, elevates my pride in our country. That is a pretty cool birthday gift.