Vancouver is often said to be a city with no culture. Perhaps, but what it does have is a great feel for social diversity. As soon as I arrived, I was struck by how considerate Canadians are towards others, erasing social, cultural and ethnic barriers.
A simple stroll around downtown Vancouver lets you witness the ethnic and social diversity that makes up the city. Walk 50 meters on Granville Street and – with a bit of imagination – you’ll get a glimpse of Paris, New Delhi, Shanghai, Beirut, Tokyo, Mexico City and Milan, so diverse are people and restaurants. Grab a plate, head downtown and travel the world!
International village. Photo by Ana Chi.
I have been fortunate enough to live in Chinatown for two months, which greatly influenced the way I see Vancouver. I consider this neighbourhood to be a cradle of social diversity. I, a Frenchman, shared an apartment with a Korean, a Taiwanese and a Czech in Vancouver’s Chinese neighbourhood! In fact, a brief visual scan of the area reveals how populations mingle: Canadian, Italian or Japanese cafes and restaurants can be found at the entrance of the Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain station, where businessmen talk to construction workers and Asian vendors sell vegetables to students from around the globe, while youngsters practice hip-hop on Keefer Place.
The T&T supermarket, which mostly sells Asian products, is also a major symbol of culture. In this huge supermarket, all people mingle together once again. Teenagers, couples, elderly people, Canadians, Asians and Europeans all come to buy their favourite Asian goods. The pastry aisle is as diverse as the city itself. Canadian, Chinese, French, Filipino and even Portuguese specialities can be found on the shelves.
Whether you are a CEO, a director, a team manager or a factory worker, in Vancouver everybody will see you first as a human being. No matter what your social rank is, you are a person, like anyone else. A few days after I arrived, I was having a drink with a friend of mine in a pub downtown. At the next table, two 50-year-olds were chatting while sipping their beer. We easily engaged in a conversation with them, despite the age difference, and discovered that one of them was a prominent civil servant and the other one a labourer. I myself experienced this lack of social barriers when I started working as a sales agent in a large company. The director himself made me feel comfortable in order to foster a more friendly relationship between us.
While chatting with different employees in the company, I noticed once more how open-minded this city is. Those working in the human resources department, for example, all had different backgrounds. One of them was a former flight attendant, another used to be a landscaper, while a third had previously worked as a cook in the UK. In other words, in Vancouver, where you come from is not as important as where you are going.
Everyone has a chance, so take yours. While in most places social barriers create tensions, in Vancouver they disappear in favour of the diversity that gives the city its charm.
Translation Coralie Tripier
