After living apart from her husband for more than five years, Bernadette Osabel-Alamer came from the Philippines to Canada on August 21^st, 2009. Her goal was to build a new life together with her husband in Canada.

As part of building that new life, Bernadette became a Canadian citizen on October 30^th, 2013. She said that although the process of becoming a citizen has its ups and down, it is an achievement that she is proud of. She truly believes that being a Canadian citizen is a privilege, and that each new citizen should take care of this privilege and “live a good life.”

After becoming a Canadian citizen, Bernadette got her CAP card and started exploring not only local communities in Mississauga and Brampton, but also the city of Toronto and more. One of her favourite things to do is “nature-tripping”; Bernadette and her husband enjoy visiting green spaces like parks in her area, national parks and Niagara Falls. Her and her husband also took advantage of her free admission to the Royal Ontario Museum and brought along guests who had traveled all the way from the Philippines.

Although her CAP card has now expired, Bernadette and her husband continue to explore Canada. They recently visited Ottawa to explore more parks and museums, and their goal is to travel to all the famous landmarks in Canada such as Banff National Park in Alberta and Granville Island in British Columbia, as well as the East Coast.

In regards to what being a Canadian citizen means to her personally, Bernadette said, “Being a Canadian [means] I am home.”

View the CAP August Newsletter where this article first appeared.

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