BC.

I know, I know, but this isn't going to be one of those "I believe/Go Canada Go/whatever" love rants about the Olympics. I'll put this out there, I'm from BC, I'm Canadian, and I'm proud of these games. Now please, just humour me for a moment.

I realize that Vancouver has taken measures to get the homeless off the streets and is spending a huge amount of money and resources on the Olympics for about 12 years. We want to win a gold medal on Canadian soil, and as a result, money into athlete development programs has surged, when it could have gone towards education, etc.

HOWEVER. Isn't the greatest form of education outside of the classroom?

Obviously, the Olympics don't equal math class, but I think there's something greater to take from this.

Watching the last leg of the torch relay throughout Vancouver and Opening Ceremonies on the plane home to Kelowna, I had to struggle not to cry. I've grown up as an American, and moving to BC really showed me who I want to be, and person I have become. Here, I have been presented and tested with so many challenges and opportunities that I could never have had before.

One of them is acceptance. Finally, I've accepted that I'm different. I have strong feelings for the United States, as it will always be my home, and Canada, for it is my homeland. Having my American friends see my Canadian culture is so powerful.

For those of you who critiqued the Opening Ceremonies, I think it also needs to be said that we are not China with that kind of manpower, and it is not our culture. I think that the ceremonies really brought BC culture and Canada together. It's like Thumper said in Bambi, "If you can't say nothing nice, don't say nothing at all". It hurts those who have loved and dreamed about these games for years.

Finally, (I know this is long-winded, but thank you for reading to here if you made it!) these games are about being one. The world is one. One brother is in India, one brother is in Slovakia. For the first time in my life, I finally understand what it means to have the world come together, and be so proud. Literally, my love is stretched around the world at this moment, in four different time zones, but the pride is still there.

So the next time you want to critique how bad the Opening Ceremonies are to me, please don't. Just don't. Think of those Canadians away from home, their families, in Afghanistan, and more. This is so special. Please, let it be.

Go Canada.