CAMERICA

One year ago today I was getting everything sorted for my departure to study abroad in Europe.  I cannot believe how fast the year went by. Not only did I have the experience of a lifetime in Europe as I studied french immersion in France, made great friends, and ate crepes in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower,  I was able to visit places in the world that I had only dreamed of seeing.  Sweden, Italy, Germany, and back to England where a piece of my heart has stayed since I served my mission. Shortly after a whirlwind romance, Dane and I were married in the Cardston Alberta Temple on April 14, 2011.

Now it is August again and I woke up feeling the itch to jump on a plane with Dane and begin a new adventure somewhere new.  But as I sit here in my living room on hold with Verizon Wireless I realize I am living a new adventure here in the United States.  Being Canadian and not having a social security number seems to throw off everything I try to do here - phone accounts, banking, and even scholarships applications. So once again, I am in limbo land that I would now like to officially name Camerica.

Camerica is not a country. It has no flag or national anthem. It has no traditions or language. There are no driver's license or identification number because no one cares or needs one.  The people the live in Camerica have no identity because they don't belong in Canada or the United States of America.  If they go back to Canada, they cannot re-enter the United States, and if they stay in the United States, they cannot do so for long because you cannot do anything here without a social security number.

Hopefully in the next few months we will hear back from the United States of America and they will give me my travel papers and my social security number so I can leave Camerica.  It's boring here and I have no friends!

On a positive note, I was selected to receive a scholarship from Deseret Management Corporation for News Writing!  It will pay for one semester of my tuition here at BYU-Idaho. I was elated to hear I was chosen.  I took a chance by submitting my portfolio during a crazy finals week and am so happy that Dane encouraged me to do it after all my doubting.  It just shows that taking a step out of your comfort zone really pays off!