Please note that any time you see text highlighted like this, the person is speaking French. Tracey is a fluent speaker of both English and French and can easily hold a conversation in both languages without any problems.

Tracey got up to the wailing of the alarm clock. It was 7 AM and she wanted time to get a decent breakfast before heading to class. She grabbed a clean set of clothes and made her way down the hall to the bathrooms. She was happy to have a decent shower and was soon dressed and putting her dirty clothes in a bag marked “Tracey Ragsdale – Room 2305” and sent them down the chute for the laundry.

She got off the elevator and made her way into the dining hall. “Morning Trista,” She said as the smell of fresh pancakes filled the air.

“I made this plate especially for you,” She said as she handed a plate to Tracey. Tracey found a seat at a small empty table – perfect so she could easily do her homework. The truth was, she didn't like being a loner, but she didn't know how to attract a possible boyfriend. Perhaps it was that she lived all her life with her grandparents and knew no other family at all in any of Canada.

Having lived all her life in the Deer River Valley, she's known nothing but Canada – she's never been to the United States, with the closest point for her being Vancouver or Montreal. Still, she wish she had a special someone in her life. She was approaching 21 years old and it seemed like every time she thought she found someone, they were taken. She's never had a friend, let alone a boyfriend, in her life. Still, she was proud of her high marks in school (her GPA was a 3.7) and wanted to keep it that way. John Everett University (JEU for short) had pretty much anything, but Tracey never understood why she was having trouble fitting in.

She finished her homework around 7:45 AM and made her way to Ross Hall for her 8 AM English class. It was extra credit assigned as a class ice breaker about what they liked most about Canada. Tracey's essay was simple: Canada wasn't ruled by Bush & Co and didn't care much for the Iraq Invasion. She decided to put her French skills to the test and wrote the essay in both English and French. She handed in her paper and the professor asked, “How well do you speak French?”

Tracey answered, “I am a native speaker of English, but some people told me that my French is so good that they couldn't tell it's not my native tongue.” She continued in French, “I speak both languages very well.”

“Double bonus points for your paper if your French is as good as your English,” The professor replied, speaking in perfect French.

Yep, Tracey understood that perfectly and responded in French, “I hope I earned double bonus points since I worked all last month on my essay.” They continued their whole conversation in French.

Tracey asked, “What's your name?”

The professor replied, “My name is Professor Inglewood.”

Tracey answered, “And my name is Tracey Ragsdale.” She continued, “I speaks French because my grandparents take me to Montreal and Ottawa to visit family all time and many people in Montreal say that I speak French so well I must be a local.”

Professor Inglewood replied, “You speak French better than I can and I am a native of Gatineau. Please have a seat. Sit wherever you want.”

Tracey finished, “I need you to look over my SAS document. I'll sit down by an electrical outlet so that I can connect my laptop. I will do my job using OpenOffice.org.”

She handed her SAS (Student Accommodation Sheet) to Professor Inglewood and found a seat near an outlet. She plugged in her laptop and prepared to take notes. It wasn't too long before the class began. She honestly enjoyed the class, but all good things had to come to an end.

The class went rather smoothly and when it was over, Tracey made her way to her least favorite subject: Math. As soon as class was over, she immediately signed up for tutoring since she knew she would need it.

She made her way to the main student dining hall and the line was already long. When asked what she wanted, Tracey said in French, “I want a Cheeseburger with lettuce and provolone cheese.”

The server replied as best as she could, “I'm a little rusty on my French. Do you mind repeating in English?”

Switching to English, Tracey replied, “Alright, in that case, I'll have a cheeseburger with lettuce and provolone cheese. My side will be French Fries and to drink, I'm going to have apple juice, in an extra large glass, please.”

Tracey paid for her meal then found somewhere to sit. She looked around and, go figure, it looked like everyone was taken. She ate her cheeseburger and was very depressed.

She decided to sit outside since she had a good 45 minutes until the next class. She watched as happy couples walked by her and sighed. She thought to herself, “I guess I'm not what guys want. I don't even know how to look.” She had two more classes for the day; then boarded the #5 bus to head home.

She lived in the Deer River dorm and was quite happy to be home. The lady at the front desk said, “Your laundry is ready.”

“Thanks Arlena,” Tracey said. She went to get her laundry, then proceeded up the elevator to the 3^rd floor, room 2305. The first day of school was quite boring. The truth was, Tracey was tired of being a loner.

Tuesday rolled around and this day was her favorite subject: Ancient World History. To keep her French skills brushed up, she took the class for Francophone speakers.

Tracey entered the class and the professor was already there. Since this class was for French speakers, everyone carried their conversation in French. “Hello, I'm Tracey Ragsdale. I need you to look over my SAS document and sign it please.”

The professor replied, “Hello Tracey, I am Professor Haley. I can sign your SAS document now. What are your most important SAS needs?”

Tracey answered, “Most importantly, because I have great difficulty with my handwriting, I use my laptop for all notes. For tests and quizzes, I use the JEU Testing Center. As long as I am sitting near the front of the room and by an electrical outlet, I'm fine.”

Professor Haley replied, “This should be no problem. All I ask is that you let me know if I need to slow down or repeat myself. If you wish, I don't mind you recording my lectures.”

Tracey had a seat and found a desk right by the front door that also had the required outlet. Students started trickling into the class and it wasn't long before class began. The room was pretty much full with 27 students including Tracey.​

Professor Haley started, “Hello everyone. I am a professor Haley and you're in History 100, which is studying the ancient history of the world until the year 1300. Today, it is primarily a get to know you session, and I will go through the syllabus. When I ask for your name, please acknowledge.”

Professor Haley called roll and passed out the syllabus. Everyone was accounted for and class began smoothly. Tracey honestly enjoyed the class, but she was still depressed over being single.

Professor Haley continued, “As it is a broad level class, we're not going to delve deep within each civilization. It is reserved for the 200-level History classes. For now, let's start with an icebreaker by getting to know everyone else. I'll start with myself. I am a professor Jane Haley and I'm originally from Quebec City. I moved with the rest of my family to Reshaw and now I am a professor here at John Everett University teaching history courses in French. I speak fluent French and English, but I feel like my French is better and my English is not the greatest, but I try my best. I currently have two daughters. One in Quebec and the other lives in Alaska. They are both grown and I keep in touch with them as much as I can. I call Reshaw and John Everett University my home for the last thirty years. Now, I'll go alphabetically by last name. Jason Andrew, you are first.” She noticed him blushing and said, “Yes, the spotlight is on you. It's alright if you're nervous; it's only the first day of class.”

The students went one by one until it was Tracey's turn. “My name is Tracey Ragsdale and I lived with my grandparents in Grimney. I lived the first eight years of my life in Montreal so that is why I am fluent in French. Even since I was eight years old, I lived in BC, especially Grimney. I can speak English and French very well and can hold a conversation quite well in either language. This is my first Semester at John Everett, but I know my way around the area quite well using Deer River Transit buses and I'm very knowledgeable with bus schedules. You might as well call me a walking bus schedule for the entire Deer River Transit system.”

By the time class was over, Tracey was ready for lunch. She got her usual cheeseburger and fries and sat down at an empty table. That's when someone came over to the table with her and asked, “You mind? Nowhere else to sit.”

“I don't mind,” Tracey said, “Besides, it's quite annoying sitting by myself.”

The guy said, “Thanks. You speak French? I not very good with English.”

Tracey replied in French, “Yes, I speak French, and I do not mind speaking to you in French. Maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Tracey Ragsdale.”

He replied, with a bit of a sigh of relief and the continued in French, “Thank you. My name is Pierre Houlme, pronounced Home. Are you new here? I've never seen you before.”

Tracey answered, “This is my first semester at John Everett. I lived in Grimney most of my life. For my first eight years, I lived in Montreal. That is why I am comfortable speaking English and French and some people say I must be a native language of both. You?”

Pierre responded, “Both of my parents are from Quebec. I was born in Edmonton, but since both my parents only speak French, I am more comfortable speaking French than English.”

Tracey said, “I lived with both of my grandparents all my life. I do not have any other family. It is very lonely. This is my first time on my own. I moved to the dormitories last week in the program for incoming freshman. I do not really know anyone yet.” She started realizing that maybe, just maybe this time, she might have found someone. She started cheering up a bit.

Pierre noticed, “You look like you're starting to feel better about something. If you do not want to share, it's alright.”

Tracey said, “Before you sat here, I felt like everybody ignores me. It is a gut-wrenching feeling being alone. You're the first person to sit with me and just chat with me. I am grateful for that. That's why I'm starting to cheer up. Even if I just had a friend to talk to, I would feel much better.”

Pierre gently hugged her and said, “I think I understand how you feel. People look down on me once they realize I use SAS. Would look down on me?”

Tracey replied, with tears starting to flow down her face, “No, I would not. I use SAS myself since I can not write very well. JEU allows me to use my laptop for all the notes and I am authorized to use the testing center for all tests and quizzes. I don't mind spending time with you, but could we stick to pub    lic places and just as friends please?”

Pierre replied, “It does not bother me to be just friends and I don't mind sticking to public places. Let's trade contact information. I'll give you my phone number, email address and IM address.”

With that, Pierre and Tracey traded their contact information. As planned, they did not swap dorm numbers, only their cell numbers.

Tracey said, “I need to get going. I have Chemistry in ten minutes. It's in room 5110 and the teacher's name is Aldo. It's taught in English. This is my last class for the day and it gets over at 15:50. I usually head to my dorm when I'm done, but if you would like to see me, please call me and please keep it to a public area.” With that, Tracey allowed Pierre to hug her goodbye, then she made her way to Chemistry.

She got back to her dorm and the mail was there. There was the usual assortment of junk mail, but one caught her eye right as she was about to feed it to the paper shredder. Apparently, it had to be a mistake: it was from the United States Department of the Treasury. She thought to herself, “I'm Canadian. Why would I be getting mail from the U.S. Government?”

She opened up the envelope and started reading the letter. Apparently, even though as far as she knew, she's never been outside of Canada and only had one job here in Grimney (within City Hall as an intern), she owed American taxes. To her, this was the strangest thing to happen. Her only job was with Grimney City Hall, so she was very confused.

She went online to see if she could dig up anything, but had no luck. She decided to hop on the bus to the only year-round tax professional in Grimney to let them sort it out.

She arrived at the office and pulled out the IRS letter. She explained, “I've lived in Canada all my life, I'm a Canadian Citizen, and the only job I've had was an internship at Grimney City Hall. This has to be some kind of mistake.”

They looked over the letter and were just as taken aback as Tracey was. “You might want to talk to the American Consulate. The nearest one is in Vancouver. I've never had a situation like yours and I wouldn't know how to proceed.”

Tracey caught the bus back to her dorm building and had a quick dinner. After eating, she went to her dorm to research the American Consulate in Vancouver. She thought to herself, “I think my Grandparents should come with me.” She decided to head off to bed since it was starting to get late.

Classes over the next few days went quite well. It wasn't long before Friday rolled around and Tracey had her appointment with the American Consulate in Vancouver. Her Grandparents drover her down and she had her IRS letter. They started explaining, “Tracey, we don't know how best to tell you this, but it's time for you to get the truth. We're actually your Grand-Aunt and Grand-Uncle, your real mother's aunt and uncle. Officially, you're a dual U.S.-Canadian Citizen. Your mother gave you up for adoption when she realized there was twins. We're Canadian Citizens and that's where the Canadian part of your dual citizenship come into play. We hope you're not mad at us.”

Tracey was obviously in shock and didn't know what to think. She started crying. She always thought of herself as purely Canadian and now felt ashamed of her Bush Sucks essay since apparently she was also American. She started throwing a temper tantrum in French and wasn't sure if she wanted to be angry, sad, or excited. Her Grandaunt said in a soothing voice, “Tracey, please calm down. Please don't be mad at us. The reason we kept this from you is because the adoption lawyers didn't want you to know. Please understand that we're risking breach of contract, which could mean jail for us, by telling you this.”

Tracey calmed down and figured, “Let's have the Consulate sort this mess out. Please come inside with me. I think I'm calmer now.” She may have calmed down a bit, but she was still furious.

It wasn't too long before they arrived in Greater Vancouver. Figuring it would be cheaper, they parked their car in a park & ride lot and took transit to the office.

The good news was two-fold. Tracey's IRS problem was sorted and the process of getting her an American passport and NEXUS card was put in motion. They also put into plans for her to visit the United States for her Spring Break. After leaving the Consulate, they took her to a retail store of her cell carrier and added international calls into the United States to her plan.

The first person they called was her real mother who couldn't believe hearing from her after all these years. “You have two sisters and a brother, all in Washington just outside of Seattle. Your father and I are divorced – he lives in Washington also, but I don't know where.”

She was given her older sister's (Jessica) phone number and Tracey was excited. Jessica answered the phone and quite happy. “I somewhat knew there was one other when Michael came along as I was four at the time.”

Tracey said, “Alright. Well, our grand-aunt wants me to visit the United States over my Spring Break in March.”

“Please, come to Bellevue. You can meet me, your twin brother Michael, your younger sister Rachel, and your Dad if you come to us. It's a cheap US$30 train ride from Vancouver and we could meet you in Seattle.”

“That might sound like fun. Is there any other family in the States,” Tracey asked.

“Yeah, we have several cousins. Most live in Virginia and there's one in Rhode Island.” Jessica started crying.

“What's wrong,” Tracey asked.

Jessica sniffled, “Our Aunt Betsy – Dad's sister – died recently. She's the one who lived in Rhode Island with cousin Joey. Our Grandmother is still there, but it still hurts.” Tracey started crying as well. She was upset that there was some family she'll never get to meet.

Trying to change subjects, Tracey asked, “Do you speak French by chance?”

“No, I don't. Neither does anyone else in the family down here as far as I know,” Jess responded.

Tracey said, “I lived the first 8 years of my life in Montreal, so that's how I learned both languages. I can easily hold a conversation in both English and French. Maybe if I get a chance to come down and visit, I can teach some French.”

Jessica had to get going, but Tracey was quite happy to know there were plenty of other family members.

Tracey spent the night with her grandaunt & granduncle and planned to head back to her dorm the next day.

Sure enough, on Saturday, she headed back to John Everett University. She bumped into Pierre. “Hey Pierre,” She said as she hugged him. Knowing Pierre was more comfortable with French, she planned to have her conversation in French.

“You seem happy about something,” He replied, speaking in French.

“It turns out that I have family in the United States. It also turns out that I'm a dual U.S.-Canadian Citizen, although I feel more Canadian than anything since that all I knew for all my life. This coming up Spring Break, I'm heading down to Seattle to meet my two sisters, brother, and father. My older sister Jessica suggests I take the train since it's only roughly $30 U.S. and it's only a four hour trip. Sure beats flying considering Seattle is so close to us. So, yes I'm excited. Though I will admit I feel bad since in my English class there was an extra credit welcome to class assignment: What I like most about Canada. I wrote how we don't support the Iraq invasion, but now I feel bad about it,” Tracey responded in French. She continued as tears started flowing down her face, “I can't believe all these years and now this revelation! Please understand if I'm upset about it.”

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