After moving to Toronto from Buenos Aires, Argentina 4 years ago, Julio worked a series of odd jobs - whatever it took to pay the bills, to hone his language skills and start his own business. Though he came armed with a degree and a strong skill set, he did everything from working as a mover to teaching tango lessons several times a week to make ends meet. In the mere 4 years since he moved here, his company has grown substantially to the point where he is now quite successful and has made many new friends.

One evening a couple of weeks ago, Julio was over for a drink and casually mentioned he had to get up early the next morning for the swearing in ceremony to become a Canadian. He asked to borrow a Bible and said he couldn't wait because tomorrow was going to be the best day of his life. We offered to come and support him and he said he would be honored if we came.

The ceremony itself was quite hilarious and I felt kind of bad that I laughed as much as I did. A militant aging Chinese woman with a strong accent barked orders at the roomful of citizens to be and their guests as her microphone cut in and out losing much of what she said. What we could hear was a lot of repetition about how each of them would walk to the front of the room to receive their "sher-tificate" from the judge followed by a singing of the national anthem. She warned them that she would be watching them and if anyone wasn't singing, in both French and English, they would be asked to stay behind. (???)

I looked around the room and could see others found this humorous too. But Julio had such a look of quiet pride, excited for the moment he would be pronounced a Canadian citizen and receive his very own sher-tificate.

The Judge entered the room and the Master of Ceremonies (or whatever her title was) started on with her rehearsed speech then stopped suddenly and stage whispered to the Judge "I forgot to mention the part about how these people are all applying to be citizens!" The room tittered. She then composed herself and stated the obvious.


A volunteer from the ROM was next to deliver an inspiring speech about the many galleries and museums in the city that were extending a gift of one year free pass to Canada's newest citizens. She was nervous and her written speech shook in her hands as she excitedly bobbed her bowl cut hair back and forth, face flushed.

When it came time for the oath I was enjoying myself watching these characters so tremendously I almost felt bad. While millions of people dream of living in Canada or the USA, this is a reality for us that we often think nothing of.

The applicants stood and solemnly swore their oath. Julio was beaming. He accepted his certificate from the Judge and posed in front of the flag for pictures. He had tears in his eyes. He was so grateful to be accepted into a country I admit I often take too much for granted.

When Alex and I drove home afterwards we agreed how lucky we are to live here. Just seeing how much it meant to Julio and his colleagues was humbling and a great reminder of how blessed we are. I've never been prouder to be a Canadian than I am now.