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French by birth and daughter of immigrants, I have known many different cultures and traveled to a great many countries during my lifetime – Switzerland, Belgium, Israel, Italy, Malaysia. I have experienced a lot of different cultures and met a lot of fascinating people. Each country had its own identity, traditions and conventions. Being accustomed…
This world will become one – I have found the way. Race. Tribal affiliations. National borders. Even my face will become irrelevant in the times to come. The world I envisioned will finally become a reality. It will make mankind whole again. That is an almost-verbatim of a narrative found in the MGS V: The…
I arrived in Vancouver in October 2018. Montréal had been the first city to welcome me on Canadian soil, and I stayed there almost three years during which time I felt as if I was in a small cocoon, in an easy routine surrounded by French speakers. In the meantime, I returned to France to…
I was in for a culture shock when I moved to West Vancouver, B.C. Having spent 22 years of my life living in the bustling multicultural metropolis that is London, England, I initially found myself feeling anxious when greeted by the stark shoreline of Vancouver. My instinctive reaction was restless and antsy, dreaming of being…
When I look at you, walk along you, discover you, I have the song Whirlwind by Joseph, in mind. Vancouver, you surprise me but also throw me. You are both welcoming and recalcitrant. You open the door but do not let me in. You enthrall me by your lightness and your sweetness of life, and…
I come from a very settled place. It’s a city, but it feels like a town. I know families who have lived in the same neighbourhoods for generations and grandparents who attended the same high schools as their grandkids. Even my dad has lived in the same neighbourhood ever since he was a kid. When this…
I remember running in the rain along the Arbutus Greenway – an old railway line converted into a pedestrian and bicycle path – and despite the pouring rain that had plagued the city for weeks, a thought kept repeating itself in my mind: I love you, Vancouver! I was living in Seattle, WA and occasionally…
For a while it had become my daily routine to get lost in the streets of Vancouver. One minute I would be asking a stranger for directions and the next, I would be zooming in on Google Maps just to get more confused. Relying completely on Google Maps is never a good idea and I…
To go on a quest for a comforting place outside of one’s home is essential. To leave your hometown, to discover the world and to then share your experiences – all to enlighten the dreamy eyes of those who stayed put and let you go with a heavy heart. Western Canada has attracted me since…
Those who travel frequently expose themselves to the nuances of each new “world” even when they exist in a shared country. From the true metropolitan cities to small, mountainside villages each place has a breath and pace independent from the rest. There is a tradeoff though, an exchange of city bustle and diversity for the…
“The important thing is to just be passing through.” Eugene Dabit I really like this quote, which perfectly illustrates my journey since I arrived in Canada 18 months ago. Armed with a work permit a year and a half ago, I was thirsty for a new adventure and to “see something different” as they say.…
I grew up in a rural community in southern Ontario. I grew up knowing every person that lived on my long country road, and I had gone to school with the same group of kids from kindergarten to grade 12. Although small town life has its charms, it also lacks a sense of diversity that…
To those who ask me to describe it, I like to compare Vancouver to the forests that surround it and through which I travel so often. Cedars, pines, cypresses – so many varieties make up this green ensemble. One who takes the time to look can distinguish all the nuances, where each variety has its…
