🇨🇦 So… We’re Canadian Now

Alright, this still feels slightly surreal to say.

I’m writing to you today as a newly minted Canadian citizen.

Actually — make that four of us. Me, Belinda, Connor and Angelique all stood there on Friday, right hands up, said the oath… and just like that, it was done.

After years of forms, uploads, background checks, refreshing portals, and wondering if we ticked the right box somewhere — it’s official.

And because we clearly now enjoy lining up for government milestones, this morning we were back in a queue from 7:30am until nearly 9:00am submitting our passport applications. If all goes to plan, in about 10 days we’ll be holding those blue Canadian passports in our hands.

That’s still a strange sentence to type.

Next up: NEXUS interviews on March 13th. That feels like the final boss level. If we pass that one, we’ll be crossing into the US like we belong there — no long lines, no interrogation vibes, just scan and go.

On the one hand, it’s a proud moment. It’s big. It matters. We’ve worked toward this for a long time.

But here’s the part I didn’t quite expect.

For years, citizenship wasn’t just a goal — it was the big checkpoint. Almost every major decision quietly depended on it.

You want to buy property… but hang on, let’s see what happens with citizenship first.
You want to make long-term plans… well, that depends.
You want to fully commit to something… let’s just wait until that’s sorted.

It influenced timing. It influenced risk. It influenced how far ahead we were willing to look.

It was always there in the background.

And now… it’s done.

Which leaves you standing there thinking, okay — now what?

When you finally reach the checkpoint that everything else was waiting on, you suddenly have to plan without that “we’ll decide after citizenship” line in the back of your mind.

We’ve climbed that mountain.

So now it’s time to look around and figure out which one we’re climbing next.

For now though — we’ll take the win.

Four Saffas. Officially Canadian.

Still braaiing. Still saying “howzit.” Just with a blue passport in the drawer… and a slightly bigger horizon ahead of us.

In This Week’s Newsletter:

• 📅 Upcoming Events

• 💭 Saffa Thought of the Week – Let’s Start Talking Again

• Bits & Pieces

• That’s a Wrap

📅 Upcoming Events

🍻 Pub Night – Small Group, Big Fun

We had our monthly South African Pub Night at Sailor Hagar’s last night and it was such a good one.

Eight of us pitched up. A couple of new faces, which I always love. There’s something about meeting someone for the first time and within 30 seconds realising you’ve got shared context — whether it’s calling a robot a traffic light or complaining about Canadian winter like it’s a competitive sport.

We played a bit of pool, chatted nonsense, and solved world problems as usual.

I did have to duck out slightly earlier than normal because apparently becoming Canadian requires standing in a passport queue at 7:30 the next morning 😅

But genuinely — if you’ve been thinking about coming to Pub Night, just do it. It’s simple. No pressure. Just good people.

🏉 Rugby Sevens – Let’s Go

Now this is the big one coming up.

HSBC Vancouver Sevens
📍 BC Place
📅 March 7–8, 2026

So I’ve decided to go to the Sevens this year.

Actually, full disclosure — Riaan is the one who convinced me at Pub Night last night. Somewhere around the fourth beer he informed me that it’s officially time I come back to the Sevens.

And honestly… he’s probably right.

It’s been a while. And if you’ve been before, you know — it’s not just rugby. It’s gees. It’s costumes. It’s noise. It’s a proper vibe.

And here’s the good news: Rugby Canada has given the South African Institute of Canada some proper discount codes.

20% OFF Two-Day Tournament Pass - Promo Code: SAIC720

10% OFF Single Day Tickets - Promo Code: HSA710

Important: You need to enter the promo code before selecting your seats. There’s an “Unlock” button on the ticket page — enter the code there first, then choose your seats. Don’t wait until checkout or it won’t apply.

If you’re keen, grab your tickets.

And if enough of us are going, let me know — we can try book seats in the same section and make it a proper Saffa block.

Let’s not just watch highlights. Let’s actually be there.

💭 Saffa Thought of the Week – Let’s Start Talking Again

Becoming Canadian this week has done something interesting to me.

It’s made me realise I don’t really want to sit quietly anymore.

For the last few years, while we were in that long citizenship process, there was always that voice in the back of our minds — don’t rock the boat. Don’t talk politics too loudly. Don’t say something that someone could misinterpret. Just get through the process.

When you’re in limbo, you keep your head down.

So I did.

Not because I don’t have opinions — but because stability for the family came first.

But now we’re citizens.

Now we vote.

And that changes something.

What’s been bothering me for a while — not just in Canada, but globally — is how divided we’ve become. People don’t really talk to each other anymore. They talk at each other. They sit in their own little feedback loops, listening only to voices that confirm what they already believe.

Left. Right. Doesn’t matter.

Blindly following a political party like it’s a sports team is a problem. When we stop thinking for ourselves and just repeat slogans, that’s when things start going sideways.

You could probably label me centre-right. I lean conservative in a lot of ways. I believe in logic. Practical outcomes. Sense and sensibility.

But I don’t think any party has it all right. Not even close.

And I don’t think shouting at each other fixes anything.

What we actually need is conversation.

Real conversation.

The kind where you’re willing to hear the other person out — not just waiting for your turn to respond.

You don’t have to agree.

But you should at least try to understand where they’re coming from. Understand their logic. Understand their fears. Understand their priorities.

If we only listen to our own side, we shrink.

Rights matter. Of course they do.

But rights come with responsibilities.

And one of those responsibilities is to engage like adults.

To think.

To question.

To weigh trade-offs honestly.

To admit when something doesn’t make sense — even if your “side” supports it.

This is my country now and I don’t want to just benefit from it.

I want to participate in it.

That means voting carefully.

It means speaking respectfully.

And it means being open enough to say, “Help me understand your perspective.”

Maybe that’s the real shift for me this week.

Not just a passport.

But ownership.

Bits & Pieces

• We Have a Winner! 📚🔥
  The live draw for The Democratic Republic of Braai is done — and we officially have a winner!

  If you missed it, you can watch the live draw here:

  👉 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18KeJRcePH/

  Thanks to everyone who followed along and got involved. We’ll definitely do more of these — that was good fun.

• Best Chilli Bites & Droëwors Competition – Closed 🌶️

  Entries are officially closed.

  We’ll be placing the final orders and shipping everything out by the weekend or early next week. Once parcels start landing, the tasting begins.

  I’m genuinely curious to see which brand takes the crown — there are some strong opinions out there already 😄

• Tax Season Is Coming 💸🇨🇦

  With tax season around the corner, Maslow Pro Financial Services — run by Gwen, one of our SAIC Founding Members — is a great option if you need help.

  She understands the Canadian system and the South African context, which honestly makes life easier.

  And who doesn’t like saving a bit of money… legally?

  👉 https://howzitcanada.ca/sa-businesses/maslow-pro-financial-services-inc/

• South African Businesses – Get Listed 🇿🇦🇨🇦

  We’re continuing to update and expand the Howzit Canada business listings.

  A few of you have already submitted your forms — thank you! We’ll be loading those over the next week.

  If you run a South African-owned business (or supply South African products or services), here’s the form to submit your listing:

  👉 https://form.jotform.com/260376126137051

  Let’s make it easier for Saffas across Canada to find and support each other.

• Got Something for Bits & Pieces? 💬

  If there’s something you’d like featured — an event, a business update, something worth sharing — hit reply and let me know.

  This section works best when the community uses it.

That’s a Wrap

Alright, that’s it for this week.

From becoming Canadian… to pub nights… to rugby gees… to thinking about rights and responsibilities — it’s been a full one.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

And hey — let me know how I did in today’s newsletter. Is there anything you think should be better? Anything you want more of? Less of?

I respond to all replies, so give me a shout and let me know what you liked, what you didn’t like, what we should talk about next.

Always good to hear from you.

Until next week ;-)