The World’s Canoe Camp
By C.G. Stephens, Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010It was impossible to watch the Canada vs United States Hockey game without reflecting on one’s citizenship. I have the good fortune to be a citizen of both Canada and the U.S. My citizenships result from a series of lucky events, most of which occurred before I could even walk, much less contemplate the relative merits and responsibilities of citizenship in the two countries. Now, having divided each of the past 35 years between each country, I have an honest claim to citizenship in both.
As the director of Northwaters and Langskib, I often receive queries from parents trying to figure out whether NWL is an American or a Canadian organization. Every other canoe camp I know is predominately one or the other. One even claims to be “Canada’s Canoe Camp”. Given the recent Olympic events, this seems like a good time to set the record straight; NWL is both.
This is not the simple answer everyone is looking for. Alluding to my dual citizenship when crossing the border seems to virtually guarantee further questions from customs officials. People prefer if you fit into a category, neatly please, without a whole lot of explanation. Check one box only, as it were. That’s not always possible. (more…)
