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I arrived in British Columbia over a year ago, and I’ve been in Vancouver for nine months. Time flies. I had no particular expectations when I left Paris other than to improve my English, practice more yoga and live close to nature. I believe that all these objectives were successfully achieved: I became a yoga…
I came to this city as an international student from Kenya. Living on campus and going to a university outside the country I grew up in opened my eyes up to a variety of people from an array of cultures and backgrounds. Through living on campus and just generally going to classes, I met some…
I have known many geographic latitudes and multicultural societies, starting with my island of origin. I come from a land of mixed races and cultures, Reunion Island. For me, diversity is natural. I always felt a little cramped, uncomfortable, in mono-cultural societies. I have explored different lands, always looking for a balance in post-colonial societies,…
I think that for travelers, whether over the short or long term, the search for meaning and identity follows them everywhere. Having arrived in Vancouver on October 22nd 2019, I would never have thought of being part of such a mix of cultures. And yet, diversity is something I had always experienced in my native…
Act One I remember a smooth landing, except for three hours of wait time afterwards to go through customs at YVR. My flight arrived in the afternoon, but it felt like evening in the waiting room. The waiting area was packed, and luggage sat or stood in the aisles. Bags of various sizes, colours and…
I’m not sure why, but I always imagined I would write a column to celebrate my first seven years of “marriage” with Vancouver. I would have called it “The Seven-Year Itch,” an homage to Billy Wilder’s movie in which Tom Ewell tries not to succumb to the temptations of Marilyn Monroe and cheat on his…
Where are you from?” A familiar question. One I’ve heard ever since I moved to Canada at age 16. I remember how my classmate’s face wrinkled in confusion when he heard the answer. “But you’re not…” “There are all kinds of people in South Africa.” I hadn’t realized my skin colour would be a surprise.…
Originally from Le Havre, an industrial city in the west of France, I arrived in Vancouver in June. Since 2012, I have been fortunate to live and work in various countries, collecting lessons and teachings along the way: I’ve experienced hard work in Atlanta, discovered work-life balance in Ireland, learned about management at a Cameroonian…
If you were to see me in school, I’d most likely be surrounded by Asian friends, but even though they all look more or less alike, their roots sprawl across the entire globe. One of them is an international student from Vietnam, and another grew up in rural Japan. I think that having friends of…
I’ve been roaming around the city and its surroundings for two months, slowly, at my own pace. As a former marketing person, before settling in the most populated city of British Columbia, I did my own research. I spent hours on the web “discovering” the city before even arriving. I found that I would read…
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to grow up where I did. During my childhood, no matter what school I went to, there was always a wide range of students with different racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and different lifestyles, experiences and interests. Not only was everyone included, but everyone was also…
Now that I have been in Vancouver a few months it’s time to jot down my first observations, experiences and reactions, to record how they differ from my usual surroundings. These are the signposts that guide my understanding of the place in which I find myself. I have been lucky since my arrival in this…
Growing up in Beijing in a typical Nepali household was an experience of a lifetime that I cherish, and I will always be grateful for. However, one thing that I struggled with growing up was accepting myself for the way I am. The standards set by society for women are so specific and, to be…
