When we think about Vancouver as one of the most multicultural and diverse cities in the country it’s important to consider how this diversity is represented in the social and geographical makeup of the city and what kind of diversity this suggests.

Growing up in Vancouver, I learned to distinguish between neighbourhoods based on their dominant ethnicity, and I found I could explain my cultural background simply by listing a few activities I participated in. There is an understanding among residents of Metro Vancouver, much like the well-known attitude of New Yorkers, that the neighbourhood in which you live says something about who you are.

In 2011 the Vancouver Sun created an online interactive map, which outlined ethnic enclaves in the Lower Mainland, notably Chinese Richmond, South Asian Surrey and Filipino Burnaby. Within Vancouver proper there are also similar neighbourhoods defined by their ethnic makeup such as Little Italy on Commercial Drive and Greek West Broadway.

The idea of diversity in Vancouver has always seemed paradoxical to me for this reason: Vancouver is home to many different ethnicities and cultures; however, these seem to be largely segregated into separate enclaves and neighbourhoods.

This then leads me to consider the follow-up question of whether this “mosaic” of cultural diversity, as it is often referred to in the Canadian context, offers more than a cultural assimilation or “melting pot” approach.

Although I was born and raised in Vancouver, my paternal family immigrated from Croatia and my maternal family from Germany and Poland. When I consider the experiences of my family and of other similar European families, I am always convinced that the “mosaic” is preferable.

Leaving one’s home in search of a better life someplace foreign is understandably one of the most difficult, and admirable, things a person can do. To arrive in a place like Vancouver, which is home to a multitude of cultural communities, makes this transition that much easier; you are instantly welcomed into something familiar by people who understand your way of life and are empathetic to what you are going through.

When my dad first came to Canada with his sister and parents, they struggled with the change. However, another Croatian family took them in – literally offering them a place in their home – something that would not have happened had there not been a cultural identification. Being part of a Croatian community established around the church, cultural centre and soccer team, among other things, eased their transition into life in Canada.

I see this as a major benefit of the cultural “mosaic” we have in Vancouver as it allows immigrants to retain their own cultural identity as part of a community as well as allowing their Canadian-born children to feel a part of it too. Though I dreaded Friday nights as a kid because it meant going to Croatian school, I now see what a privilege it was to have this opportunity and to be a part of the larger community.

Some might argue that assimilating immigrants into the larger Canadian cultural identity is preferable to having distinct ethnic groups defined by geography as well as by churches, community centres, schools or athletic clubs. However, this inspires the complicated question of what is the Canadian cultural identity.

More than the fact that it is near impossible to define what it means to be Canadian – save for the stereotypes that we are hockey-loving and plaid-wearing people – every immigrant and child of immigrants that I know would resent being labelled as simply Canadian. The cultural “mosaic” of Vancouver allows immigrant families to maintain their ethnic and cultural identities and furthermore, to take pride in their heritage.