My blog's title may be incorrect...

I will tell you the truth, I am not a quote-on-quote Proud American. I am proud of "my country" and of the many things it has done and will do in the future, but I am not a patriot in any sense of the word. I was raised by my mom and grandparents; my grandpa was from Budapest, my grandma from Brussels. I was raised in a quasi-European household, hearing French almost more often than not, allowed to have drinks and sips of wine at dinnertime, had either very French/Belgian or Hungarian meals, etc. There are things that I found out other children were not accustomed to that I was (like knowing zeezee rather than peepee, or at least hearing zeezee more often). I even spoke with a sort-of Hungarian accent, speaking English is a backwards, foreign way (like how the French would say the ball red versus the red ball) when I was little.

For years now, I have been planning to leave the country, and getting to Vancouver, I have pretty much realised my goal. I have been looking into Canadian citizenship since I have arrived as a way to hop-scotch into Europe due to its commonwealth status, looking to drop my United States citizenship, thus this blog's title. Yet, recently, I was browsing wikipedia when I stumbled upon something. I learned of a law that went into effect in January of 2011 in Hungary. It says that any person with a close blood relative and fluency in Hungarian can apply to be a citizen, residence in Hungary itself is not necessary.

It even awards a dual-citizenship.

I am signed up (well, will be within a few days) for a Hungarian course for next term. Although it counts towards no credits and is a part of the continued studies programme, I am excited! I plan to solidify fluency by my fourth year, all the while continuing French (and maybe picking up some Italian or German or something).

If my plans succeed [prevail*], I will be a dual citizen with Hungary and the United States. Unfortunately (well...), I am going to keep my US citizenship even though, I do not know, I just do not like the vibe and feel of the US. I am loving the more European ways of Canada. At least I will keep citizenship with one of the strongest nations on the planet all the while being able to live and work in arguably the best region in the world Europe.

Guys, I am excited!

Zászló Magyarország

*A Very Potter Musical reference.