Fun Fact 1 – I am the ONLY member of my family born in Canada!
In 1966 – my parents immigrated to Canada from Denmark with my two sisters – and created an amazing life here….in this GREAT country. They CHOSE to come here…to better their life and the lives of their children…..
I was a happy “accident” – born in 1969! On Feb 14, 1973 my family proudly became Canadian Citizens. I CRY every time I hear the national anthem…..I literally bleed red…. 😉
Fun Fact 2 – In 1987 – when I was 18 – I moved to San Diego to be with Cliff! I had just graduated high school…and I couldn’t be without him a day longer ❤️
I never felt like this beautiful city – was a place I could call “home”….the geography felt very different…the lifestyle was different…we could NOT walk around at night in our neighbourhood! The safely factor was a BIG deal. People drove over an hour to work every day – so you didn’t develop the deep relationships we expect here in Calgary (Canada). It gets dark early EVERY night in California!!!!!! Yes, there is an ocean – but when you work in paradise – you do the same thing as you do here – go to work – come home and have dinner – go to gym/mall/movie/friends or watch TV. You just don’t go to the ocean every day – that is for holiday time or retirement!! Plus, there were no seasons! EXACTLY the same weather 300+ days a year…I know I know – to many of you it sounds GREAT…but I love Spring/Fall/Winter!!!!!
We eventually made friends – with AMAZING humans I adore to this day! Somehow, no matter where you choose to live – you find YOUR people!
At work people told me all the time – that I didn’t “look” Canadian…..WHAT do Canadians look like!?! They were often not educated on where things were, our cities/provinces/languages – and I ALWAYS got asked if I drove a snowmobile or took a dog sled to school!!!
Guess what- they are the same as us…..Canadians and Americans are NOT different. A border separates us…maybe our food is not always the same….but we all have goals, want beautiful things for our friends and family, we all enjoy a great meal and love to travel (haha – I did meet quite a few Californians that had never left their state – which was truly shocking to me!) We celebrate accomplishments and birthdays. We get hair cuts and where clothes to match our style. We listen to many different kinds of music. Our kids go to school and learn about the world. We all grieve when we suffer loss. We all laugh/cry when we experience joy. We all want to find a cure for all disease…and we all pull together when LIFE gets tough.
Interesting that Americans get such a bad rap in countries around the world…how many of use put Canadian Flag pins on our bags/backpacks when we travel out of country (including some Americans!???!!!) TRUST ME – with a name like KAREN – I have experienced RUDENESS from Canadians as well. 😥
Fun Fact 3 – I chose Royal LePage when I decided to go into real estate in 2015. A company that supports a part of my CORE VALUE system. Royal LePage® is proudly, 100% Canadian – built by Canadians, for Canadians. 112 years of history – serving the people of this amazing country – and giving back to the communities in which we live and work – from coast to coast.
I love my job. I love my city, and I love this country. 🍁