out of the fish bowl...

Dad: Well, if this is THE ticket and I win the lottery, I will give you ¼
Me: If you win the lottery you’re ONLY going to give me a quarter??
Dad: What? ¼ isn’t enough for you?
Me: You’re only going to give me 25cents?!?!

I remember that conversation clearly from when I was 12. Dad and I were driving home from the gas station and he had just bought a lottery ticket for a $10mil jackpot. I had CLEARLY misunderstood what my dad had meant when he said “1/4” and we still joke about the 25cents he owes me the day he wins the Lotto 649.

Here, often times I complain that people don't believe me when I tell them that I am from Canada. Usually they poke and prod with however many questions necessary until they receive an answer they find acceptable (YES I am a descendent from the grand ancestors of CHINA!). This can often be tiresome, but it has stopped bothering me so much when I remember I have something that most Guatemalans can only wish for: a Canadian passport. I am not suggesting all Guatemalans want a Canadian passport per se, but rather the freedoms and opportunities it holds for those who possess one.

As a Canadian, I can go pretty much anywhere and at anytime I would like. I hardly ever need to apply for a visa when traveling. When crossing borders, I am not a suspected drug trafficker or terrorism, and I am not suspected as an illegal immigrant. I am general well-respected and well-liked simply for my nationality and I can be proud that my country is recognized for its peace and solidarity. Living in Canada, I am guaranteed access to education and access to universal leading-edge healthcare. Work opportunities are abundant and I can count on fair wages. If I happen to be unemployed, there is unemployment insurance, and even welfare, if needed. My government isn’t perfect, but for the most part it isn’t corrupt and I know my voice can be heard and my opinion represented fairly. Measures have been put in place to protect the environment and prevent foreign companies from deteriorating the land.

I don’t see 6 year olds shining shoes to make money to support their families. I would be paid more than $2 an hour for teaching a language and applying for a visitor’s visa to Canada will not cost me a week’s salary. I don’t have to be disenchanted by the fight for my rights. I do not have to carry the burden of my country’s history of war and corruption. I don’t have to be afraid of what my future holds for me.

I am grateful for everything I have and I work hard to take advantage of all the opportunities available to me. But all of it came to me by the chance of where I was born. I didn’t work for it. I didn’t earn it. There was nothing that said I deserved those opportunities and privileges more than anyone else.

For me, I’ve already won the lottery.

# posted by doris : 6:48 AM