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I’ve always been fascinated by travel, but, I’ve never been tempted to get to know my own country. I’ve always preferred visits abroad to domestic flights. But here I am, bound to stay in Canada. I therefore chose to come to Vancouver, mainly for its geographic location since it’s the furthest city from my own: Quebec City. [Read more...]
Verbatim
From Québec to Vancity
I’ve always been fascinated by travel, but, I’ve never been tempted to get to know my own country. I’ve always preferred visits abroad to domestic flights. But here I am, bound to stay in Canada. I therefore chose to come to Vancouver, mainly for its geographic location since it’s the furthest city from my own: Quebec City. [Read more...]
My sense of belonging
As much as I belong everywhere, I don’t belong anywhere. I’ve lost my footing on my origin and now I float in a giant limbo. Is this a common phenomenon in Canada, the giant melting pot of cultures? It is often the easiest thing to do: to lose sight of your motherland and convince yourself that you belong everywhere. It is almost an inevitable characteristic of all living organisms. We change to adapt and we evolve.[Read more...]
Vancouver: open, but not so open
What brought me to Vancouver is neither poverty nor the hope for a better life or even solid projects. Nope, boredom did. The fatigue from seeing my beloved France going back to its old demons, career prospects as empty as an ice field on a foggy evening, or a love life as exciting as a five hour documentary on stamp collecting in Victorian England. [Read more...]
Gumballs: that’s my first memory of Vancouver
The Mount Pinatubo eruption of 1991 made headlines; made records for the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century and made a future in Canada a permanent reality for me. Swept in a stream of flowing lava, my sister and I landed on Vancouver’s doorstep. Ok, fine – we flew. [Read more...]
Laughter is the best medicine…
Life in a new country is never easy. Before coming to Canada, I really thought that I could live anywhere without making clumsy cultural mistakes. I was very wrong. [Read more...]
By the sea
I wanted adventure. Faced with the choice of an in-state school in Colorado or travelling to the Great White North, I chose the beautiful University of British Columbia. So, up I came with my laptop and twin extra long sheets in tow, expecting hockey fans and maple trees. [Read more...]
The peach and the coconut
Travel broadens the mind, they say, so here I am in Vancouver. What kind of culture shocks should I expect? What culture clashes will open my mind and make me grow … again? [Read more...]
From Prince George to Surrey
Last February I moved to Surrey immediately after graduating from the University of Victoria in order to start up a new business –Class Act Painters. I had a hell of a time, for two reasons. One, because starting a new business is a lot of work, and two, because living in Surrey is … well, it’s living in Surrey. I find Surrey to be much like a larger version of Prince George, where I grew up, except it’s easier to leave. [Read more...]
Unexpected surprises
More than anything, I wished to move to an English speaking country for a year, to become bilingual and work in my field, which is accounting. In France, during a job fair, I found an organization offering to their members to enroll in a paying language school in Vancouver for six months, and to be allowed to work in Canada, evenings or on weekends coupled with work experience in my field for the following six months. [Read more...]
Confessions of an Anglo-Montrealer
Languages are a passion of mine. I studied English literature at university and taught it for four years in a Montreal college. I’ve also taught English as a second language, both in Montreal and in my newly adopted home of Vancouver; and if I’m not studying or teaching English, there’s a good chance I’m reading an Albert Camus novel, watching a Montreal Canadiens hockey game, or trying to chat up some francophones… [Read more...]
