I love my hometown. I love that people are constantly optimistic that warm weather is just around the corner, even when it's -40. I love how doors are held open, strangers smile and say hello as you pass, jokes are made to lighten the tension in a crowded elevator. I love that the newspaper is read and discussed rather than reality television being the source of information. I love that pedestrians are EVERYWHERE and it's okay to walk to pick up groceries.

It's hard to describe all the subtle things I have fallen in love with since leaving Canada. These frequent visits up remind me that there are still places where neighborhoods are designed around parks and green spaces. Where sidewalks are built and maintained to encourage people to walk. Where a nations people still believe in taking care of all those among them. And where education and lifelong healthcare are rights, not privileges.

It is sometimes disheartening to return to the U.S. after my visits here. It is hard to hear of people going bankrupt from hospital bills and see money spent on advertisements for hospitals and clinics rather than on patients. But now, more than ever, I view the U.S. as a nation in progress. For the first time in many years, there is a president whose frame of reference includes all Americans, not just the rich and privileged. It is an interesting time to be a citizen of Canada and a resident of the U.S.

I guess we'll see what the next few years hold.