At the border
12/04/25 02:03
Recently, I read that tourists from the United States traveling in Europe had told their hosts that they were from Canada. There is a fear of a cold reception or outright hostility in response to the confusing on-again-off-again tariffs and shifts in US international policy, especially the abandonment of Ukraine in its struggle with Russia. I don’t know how common it is for US tourists to feign being Canadian, but I suspect that most of them might not be capable of doing a good job. Despite their Quebecois accent, many Canadians speak passable French, which stands out when visiting Paris. I took French in college but am not fluent in the language. I think I’d come off as from the USA whether in Quebec or France.
I’ve never tried to represent myself as anything other than what I am when traveling abroad. I haven’t made many trips outside of the US, but when I do, I think it is pretty obvious where I’ve come from. I have tried to be careful in my behavior not to be traveling as an “ugly American.” I try to be open to learning about the culture, language, food, and customs of the place I am visiting.
Still, I wear my national identity and origins wherever I go. When I travel in Central America, it is obvious I’m a gringo, even before I speak. Before my hair turned white, I was a redhead. I have pale skin and sunburn easily. When I go to Japan, I enjoy being taller than many locals. I’m not a tall person in most of the places I regularly go.
However, I don’t think of crossing the border into Canada in the same way I feel about traveling to other countries. I’ve lived in states bordering Canada for most of my life, and before the 911 attacks, passports weren’t required for travel to Canada. We crossed the border without much thought or hassle. Of course, there are a few places where I stand out when I go to Canada. I’ve never ordered a double-double at Tim Hortons. I don’t drink coffee these days; when I did, I usually drank my coffee black. However, at least I know what a double-double is (two creams and two sugars). And I know that donut holes in the US are Timbits in Canada. I remember times when the exchange rate was nearly even and when Canadian and US currencies were accepted in border towns. Those days, however, are long gone. The exchange rate is significant enough to require the use of local currency. However, with credit cards automatically making the conversion and being the standard way of paying these days, we rarely use cash. We keep forgetting to bring our Canadian currency when we cross the border. We don’t have much and it wouldn’t go far unless we were buying a dozen eggs.
Despite the bragging of the current US Administration, the cost of eggs continues to rise. The U.S. egg prices reached a new record-high average of $6.32 per dozen. That’s up from $5.90 per dozen in February and $4.95 in January. Across the border, they sell for $4.91, around $3.50 US. However, don’t expect us to start driving across the border to buy eggs. Eggs are one of the things about which the importation rules keep changing. According to the Customs website, it is legal to bring eggs purchased for consumption into the US. However, eggs are an agricultural product that must be declared. When certain diseases show up, eggs are temporarily banned. We were crossing back into the US a while ago when the ban was in place and were advised by the customs people that we could either have our eggs confiscated or cook them since only bringing raw eggs into the country was deemed illegal. Although we had our camper, we surrendered the few eggs we had. We were waiting for a ferry and had our propane shut off and tagged, so cooking them would have been a hassle.
We have a shared park at the border in Blaine. It has been a place where people could meet friends from across the border without going through the official border crossing. Since the recent rise in tensions, it is advisable to make sure you are carrying your identification with you as there are lots of border patrol agents roaming the park, but people still meet family and friends in the park. In the center of the park is a large arch. Across the top of the arch is inscribed “Children of a common mother.” Inside the arch is carved a message: “May these gates never be closed.” Even when the border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, people from both sides could meet for family gatherings and picnics. The peace arch is the official symbol of the Blaine High School, where sports team members call themselves “Borderites.”
There are lots of references to the border in town. Many businesses display both Canadian and US flags. One of our local roads is called Portal Drive, a reference to the border crossing. In the city of Blaine, the road's official name is Peace Portal, which refers to the Arch in the park—many people who live on one side of the border and work on the other. Cross-border marriages are common, and lots of our friends have relatives who live on the other side of the border. When the border was closed, family weddings and funerals were disrupted by being unable to cross freely. And, as I’ve mentioned many times in my journal, Point Roberts is a US community that can be accessed only by going through Canada unless one flies or takes a boat.
In recent weeks, hundreds of people have gathered at the border, usually on Saturdays, for Solidarity with Canada rallies. The local chamber of commerce supported the rallies and issued a statement saying, “In times of uncertainty or challenge, our communities have always found a way to unite. These rallies reflect that resilience. It is a symbolic and meaningful reminder that no matter what policies or politics may suggest, the people of Blaine and British Columbia continue to stand together.”
Despite the goodwill of locals, border crossings from Canada are down 40%. It is one of the very few places where the number of federal employees has gone up while, at the same time, the workload has gone down. Local businesses are hurting, with some cutting back on staff hours. Gathering at the arch and maintaining friendships is a good practice while we wait for political rhetoric to calm down. And we have no intention of decreasing our trips to Canada. I might even stop by a Tim Horton’s and order a double-double with some Timbits to see if I can pass as a local.
I’ve never tried to represent myself as anything other than what I am when traveling abroad. I haven’t made many trips outside of the US, but when I do, I think it is pretty obvious where I’ve come from. I have tried to be careful in my behavior not to be traveling as an “ugly American.” I try to be open to learning about the culture, language, food, and customs of the place I am visiting.
Still, I wear my national identity and origins wherever I go. When I travel in Central America, it is obvious I’m a gringo, even before I speak. Before my hair turned white, I was a redhead. I have pale skin and sunburn easily. When I go to Japan, I enjoy being taller than many locals. I’m not a tall person in most of the places I regularly go.
However, I don’t think of crossing the border into Canada in the same way I feel about traveling to other countries. I’ve lived in states bordering Canada for most of my life, and before the 911 attacks, passports weren’t required for travel to Canada. We crossed the border without much thought or hassle. Of course, there are a few places where I stand out when I go to Canada. I’ve never ordered a double-double at Tim Hortons. I don’t drink coffee these days; when I did, I usually drank my coffee black. However, at least I know what a double-double is (two creams and two sugars). And I know that donut holes in the US are Timbits in Canada. I remember times when the exchange rate was nearly even and when Canadian and US currencies were accepted in border towns. Those days, however, are long gone. The exchange rate is significant enough to require the use of local currency. However, with credit cards automatically making the conversion and being the standard way of paying these days, we rarely use cash. We keep forgetting to bring our Canadian currency when we cross the border. We don’t have much and it wouldn’t go far unless we were buying a dozen eggs.
Despite the bragging of the current US Administration, the cost of eggs continues to rise. The U.S. egg prices reached a new record-high average of $6.32 per dozen. That’s up from $5.90 per dozen in February and $4.95 in January. Across the border, they sell for $4.91, around $3.50 US. However, don’t expect us to start driving across the border to buy eggs. Eggs are one of the things about which the importation rules keep changing. According to the Customs website, it is legal to bring eggs purchased for consumption into the US. However, eggs are an agricultural product that must be declared. When certain diseases show up, eggs are temporarily banned. We were crossing back into the US a while ago when the ban was in place and were advised by the customs people that we could either have our eggs confiscated or cook them since only bringing raw eggs into the country was deemed illegal. Although we had our camper, we surrendered the few eggs we had. We were waiting for a ferry and had our propane shut off and tagged, so cooking them would have been a hassle.
We have a shared park at the border in Blaine. It has been a place where people could meet friends from across the border without going through the official border crossing. Since the recent rise in tensions, it is advisable to make sure you are carrying your identification with you as there are lots of border patrol agents roaming the park, but people still meet family and friends in the park. In the center of the park is a large arch. Across the top of the arch is inscribed “Children of a common mother.” Inside the arch is carved a message: “May these gates never be closed.” Even when the border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, people from both sides could meet for family gatherings and picnics. The peace arch is the official symbol of the Blaine High School, where sports team members call themselves “Borderites.”
There are lots of references to the border in town. Many businesses display both Canadian and US flags. One of our local roads is called Portal Drive, a reference to the border crossing. In the city of Blaine, the road's official name is Peace Portal, which refers to the Arch in the park—many people who live on one side of the border and work on the other. Cross-border marriages are common, and lots of our friends have relatives who live on the other side of the border. When the border was closed, family weddings and funerals were disrupted by being unable to cross freely. And, as I’ve mentioned many times in my journal, Point Roberts is a US community that can be accessed only by going through Canada unless one flies or takes a boat.
In recent weeks, hundreds of people have gathered at the border, usually on Saturdays, for Solidarity with Canada rallies. The local chamber of commerce supported the rallies and issued a statement saying, “In times of uncertainty or challenge, our communities have always found a way to unite. These rallies reflect that resilience. It is a symbolic and meaningful reminder that no matter what policies or politics may suggest, the people of Blaine and British Columbia continue to stand together.”
Despite the goodwill of locals, border crossings from Canada are down 40%. It is one of the very few places where the number of federal employees has gone up while, at the same time, the workload has gone down. Local businesses are hurting, with some cutting back on staff hours. Gathering at the arch and maintaining friendships is a good practice while we wait for political rhetoric to calm down. And we have no intention of decreasing our trips to Canada. I might even stop by a Tim Horton’s and order a double-double with some Timbits to see if I can pass as a local.
