Everyone knows Vancouver is a great city to live in. The mix between large urban buildings and nature makes the city attractive to all kinds of people. Vancouver is consistently named as one of the top five worldwide cities for livability and quality of life. Besides that, it’s also the third largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York, earning it the film industry nickname “Hollywood North.” Maybe you’re watching Vancouver right now at the movies without knowing it.

I could spend all day writing about the many qualities of this city, but I’d rather talk about its best qualities. In Vancouver, you’re free to be yourself. Yes, here you’ll be accepted with all your virtues and imperfections. No matter what you are, how you dress or where you come from, you’ll be accepted equally by others. This makes all the difference. Not even the rain that falls a good part of the year affects the freedom of conscience that Vancouver gives to you.

Here you feel part of the city. No one says what you should or should not do. As long as you respect the rights of others, you are free to be whoever you want. Vancouver is a home for everyone. Having a place to call home gives us a sense of security, control, belonging, identity and privacy. A sense of connectedness and engagement in the places and spaces that matter to us is critical for our physical and mental well-being. The city gives us all that and much more.

Even though I’m a Brazilian, Vancouver has always made me feel at home. Before I arrived here I faced several obstacles, but the most difficult of them was to become who I really wanted to be. Myself. First of all, I was a lawyer. Boring! So, I decided to become a storyteller, but what I didn’t know was that I would find an even greater passion: Vancouver. Here is the place where I started my dream to becoming a writer. Vancouver Film School was the place that I chose to begin this journey. The change of career, and English as a second language, made the courses even more difficult. However, despite all the obstacles, I received my diploma in Writing for Film and Television.

Now I’m in a new phase of my journey. I want to specialize in Social Media and Digital Marketing in Vancouver. I am sure that once again the city will welcome me and help me in my goals as it has done from the beginning. I never thought I could change so much in so little time, but one thing I’m sure of is that Vancouver helped me find my true personality. Let’s be fair here, it is very easy to talk about multiculturalism in this city. However, in a world that seems to be walking backward on the subject, it is never too much to talk about it. Vancouver is a good example to be followed and is here to remind us that being yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest achievement that anyone can have.