Oh Canada!

Oh Canada! We left Seattle and headed north into the 2^nd largest country on Earth. Believe it or not I have been to 9 countries but Canada is not one of them! I was very excited about my second international crossing on the trip and it was…well…a little different that my experience in Mexico. We crossed the border and not that much changed. If it wasn’t for the speed limit signs in kilometers and the gas prices in liters I would have thought we were still in Washington State. It might be tempting to think that either Canada is just like America or it really doesn’t matter that much. I realize that in recent times Canada has been an easy target in American pop-culture for jokes of all kinds… I have heard this nation painted as a lackluster land full of people that were too lazy to shake off the tyrannous grasp of England. Homer Simpson was always comfortable just calling it “America’s Hat.” What I found in this nation was a great cosmopolitan city and a wildly beautiful wilderness unlike anything I have ever seen. The cultural differences here are slight yet significant. These Canadians are shaped by entire different history, an entire different national identity. They don't even have $1 bills...just coins named loonies! Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

It was very interesting to cross into another country with no major economic gap. Vancouver lacked no luxury common in any American city. All around I saw the same stores, the same cars, and the same wealth we are all used too here in the richest country in history. There were a lot of cool things about Canada. Vancouver was a very Asian city right on the coast surrounded by stunning snowcapped mountains. The countryside going east towards Idaho was extremely lush trees bathed in snow, rolling hills, majestic mountains, and wide clear rivers. This obviously was a rich country—both materially and naturally. Driving through Canada brought an important question to my mind: “What makes a nation great?” As Americans we have always heard that we live in the “greatest nation on earth.” When a short-term mission trip comes home and reports on their experience, you are bound to hear: “I just realized how blessed we are here. This is just such a great country.” What I am wondering is how do we judge this? What criterion are we using here? The parts of Canada I saw were just as “blessed” and beautiful as anything place in America…and the people were just as nice. We also say here that our “freedom” is what makes this country so great. Canada is another example of a country that has just as much freedom as us…even more in some cases. I can’t even get a hotel room in the state of Wyoming, but in Canada I am completely legal at 19! So many times we speak of blessings as purely a materiel thing…but does this alone make a nation great? Don’t get me wrong, I think America is great place—for a variety of reasons. Gary Stone (one of mentors) has lived in 4 different countries and warned me to never generalize about countries. He explained the best parts of Guatemala, why he liked living in Australia, the beauty of Ecuador, and the convenience of America. I think it is easy to look at America through rose-colored glasses, or maybe it is the green-colored glasses of the money in our wallets. Every country has its pros and cons—yes even the ol’ US of A! Yes we might have money, but what has it cost us? Yes America is great, but so is Canada. It’s especially great if you like the cold!