To my learners who inspire me every day,

I wanted to share something special with you today: yesterday, on my birthday, I became a Canadian Citizen.

It’s an honour to be welcomed to the Canadian family!

The ceremony took place at the Manitoba Museum and lasted from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. First, we had to register and give up our permanent residency cards. Then, there was a roundtable discussion with new citizens. During this session everyone reflected on their Canadian journey, what surprised them when they landed in Canada, what pieces of advice they had for newcomers and what it meant for them to be Canadian.

Here’s one of my memories: my husband and I flew to Winnipeg on September 10, 2007. When the plane started its decent towards the Winnipeg airport, we saw a gigantic raincloud over the city. After a few minutes our view was interrupted by sunrays, which created the most amazing rainbow I had ever seen.  It was such a magical moment to fly into the rainbow to start a new life on this beautiful land.

After the roundtable conversations, we were offered lunch of tasty Manitoban sandwiches and traditional Tim Horton’s coffee and muffins. Yay! Double-double, please!

The official part of the ceremony began at 1 p.m.

The Presiding Official, the Chief of the Government Protocol, was Mr. Dwight MacAulay, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. After his opening addres, all present took an Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship with a raised right hand. The Oath had to be said aloud line-by-line by all new citizens.

The Oath of Citizenship

Following the Oath, we were all called by name to approach the Officials and collect our Certificates of Citizenship.

Accepting our Citizenship Certificates

Posing for an official photo

Apart from the most important document, the Certificate of Citizenship, all of us 40 new citizens were granted a one-year complimentary admission to more than 1000 of Canada’s cultural institutions from coast to coast to coast. Called The Cultural Access Pass, it is a new initiative by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship which includes a 50% discount for VIA Rail Canada. I might go to see polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, or visit Ottawa, the capital of Canada, to see the Parliament buildings.

By another magical coincidence in my life, my Citizenship ceremony happened on my birthday. It was the best present ever! Thank you, Canada. I’m at home now.

Iwona