Thank You, Canada!

In my first post on this blog, I would like to express my gratitude to Canada for accepting me and my family as permanent residents, at a time when we felt totally displaced after spending fifteen years in the States and being denied permanent resident status.

In another few months we can apply for our citizenship and become Canadians! I already feel so proud to be part of this wonderful country. It's climate is cold, but it's people are warm and friendly. We have traveled from Toronto all the way to Saskatoon by car, and after settling in Saskatoon, we also drove to the shores of British Columbia. The views are simply breathtaking! And the amount of wildlife you see on such road trips is awe-inspiring. One of my dreams is to own an RV one day, so that we can take many road trips in a more comfortable way.

Another big dream I have, is to settle in a city not too far away from Vancouver in B.C. After seeing Vancouver during our short visit to B.C. in 2007, I was not too pleased with the crowded city, but I'd like to be close to its variety of restaurants, and all the other amenities that a big city has to offer. However, I'd like to rest my head on a pillow in a house quite a bit away from its hustle and bustle. A house amidst the majestic mountains and the beautiful shores of the Pacific ocean, amongst the beautiful swans and geese, whales and sea lions, deer and bears... (brr!) ...all of which you can find in British Columbia!

Even though I may not be too crazy about Saskatoon, where we live at the moment, it still has its own charm. The prairie skies are amazing! The sunsets here are beautiful, and when there is a full moon, it looks pretty huge! At night you can see a sea of lights from the city, when we drive home to the suburbs. We have even been lucky to watch the magical display of an Aurora... twice already! However, eventually I want to move away from this city, because it gets very cold here, and also because I don't like the food here as much. The biggest reason I want to move, is because I can't watch my beloved Bollywood movies in a theater here, and there is also no big store where you can buy them on DVD. There is a small store, but aside from selling only pirated copies, it doesn't have a large selection. That's why we sometimes make special trips to Edmonton or Calgary once in a while, whenever a good movie is coming up, and then we take that chance to do some Bollywood DVD shopping as well.

Speaking of Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta; this is another Western province in Canada, which is between Saskatchewan (Saskatoon is one of the two largest cities in SK, the other one being Regina, the capitol city) and British Columbia. I like Calgary better than Edmonton. I wouldn't mind living in Calgary either. Banff is a short distance from Calgary, and is a very picturesque town amongst the Canadian Rockies. We have already visited Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies, Banff once. One day I'd like to visit Jasper National Park, the other side of the Canadian Rockies bordering BC and Alberta.

The beautiful scenery of Canada is never ending. The cultural hotchpotch here provides a great variety of food, and it's lovely to mingle with people from all over the world, without feeling unaccepted or out of place. The people are laid-back, and life is generally less hurried here as compared to in the States. In short, I have found my perfect paradise!

Thank you, Canada! And thank you USA, for denying us legal status. If that hadn't happened, we probably would not have discovered the beauty of Canada, at least maybe not as residents. That incident has proven to be a blessing in disguise...