Dutch or Canadian welcome...

It is today on 24th of August, the first "naturalisation-celebration-day" in Holland. Wow that sounds great? Or is it not so great? Well, we ' the Dutch government' are not so very good in welcoming our foreign new citizens it seemed...... A new citizen discribed her welcome in The Netherlands in this words: " I became Dutch and all I got was this lousy Orange T-shirt". OOh? Is that all ??? Besides all the paperwork of course? Yeh well , it is not a luxury than, to arrange a special welcome-day on the 24th of August every year.... for our new citizens.

Than the Canadian government is better for their ne citizens, because they get a "warm ceremony " , a Dutch new Canadian-citizen is telling this : " We were invited in Oshawa ( near Toronto) , so together with 50 other new citizens the government organised special for us 'a citizenship-ceremony'. The idea behind it is that you should ( and feel very welcome!!) be proud to be a new Canadian citizen, and promise by the queen of Elizabeth, and singing 'O Canada" to be a good Canadian citizen.

It is so great to have all people of different cultures living all together in one countrie, because it is not a choice to be born in a countrie. But when you have the possibility to choose for a countie you like to live and work in. Just the diversity off different people, living peacefull together, is making a countrie so alive. For an example.... go to Amsterdam, that is a really international city you can hear all kinds of languages there.

So we Dutch are trying to follow the Canadian government, by organising a yearly special 'naturalisation-day'. Better later than never, because I am proud ( and hoping I can stay that too ) to be a Dutch citizen! I esspecially love the infuence of different cultures, by the variation of foods and restaurants like : French (wine and cheeses) Turkey's ( gousgous with fruit made in a Tahin) , African, Greek (yoghurt with honey) , Italian (salade tomato-mozarella) and overseas like China (Soyasuaces, fried vegetables and sweet chicken) ,Indonesian ( rice and peanut-sauces) and Japanese ( like their sushi's) . Hmmmmmmm.