Australia Day

So yesterday was Australia Day and I hope all my Australian friends and family back home enjoyed the day. Unfortunately, apart from the cursory flying of the flag out the study window (I keep asking Shane for a flag pole but he has yet to agree to that) the Aussies in this house had to forego the customary thongs and singlet, for coats, scarves, and gumboots. The BBQ and fireworks were sorely missed but as I am on the countdown to my trip back home (only 40 days to go!) I did not get too depressed about missing out - although I did get to see some fireworks on TV as they interrupted the Federer v Nadal Australian Open semi-final match (and didn't the commentators have a whinge about that too).

The subject of nationality often arises in our house - to those few that I managed to write and give a Christmas card too this year you will have noted that it was signed 'From the Aussies + Caillan' - and it has never crossed our minds NOT to get Caillan his Australian citizenship. Shane and the kids will be able to have dual nationality also, and eventually I suppose I will get round to arranging mine as well (for the ease of travelling with a red passport instead of a blue one) but I wonder if I'd be so keen to do it if it meant that I would have to give up my Australian citizenship. The resolute answer is NO. I couldn't do it. But what needs to be asked then is 'Why?' 'Why is it so important?'After all, all it means is that I give up one passport? Why is national identity so important to us? Obviously, opinions and responses to this will be varied and at times, downright controversial, additionally, and as I'm not that familiar with the field of political science and philosophy (and any other field that claims to have the answer) I can't really put my finger on it, but what I do know is that, for me, it is my one absolute link to a part of my identity that no one can take away from me. The accent may go, and perhaps I'll stop being interested in sports (ha, yeah right), and living on the other side of the world certainly makes you turn to stereotypes just so that you can still feel connected to the life that you have left behind, but the reality is that while I may not be in Australia, I'll never stop being Australian!