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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…
The first of January marks the start of a new year, but for many people it is also a prompt for celebration. For Vietnamese people, New Year’s Eve is a rather new concept from the 2000s decade. Vietnamese people usually start their new year according to the lunar calendar and not the Georgian calendar, so…
I graduated from law school in 1979, and I entered a profession that knew very little about the history, culture or experiences of Indigenous people in Canada. I had practised for a very short time when I considered leaving the legal profession. I was disillusioned by how little my colleagues seemed to care about Indigenous history,…
This is a fun way to celebrate the new year and share with the neighbours! I like to use a square cake mold if you can find one and once the cake has cooled slightly, cut it into bite size rectangles. Ingredients • 3-1/4 cups glutinous rice flour • 2/3 cup brown sugar • 7 ounces boiling water…
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,…
What’s the big deal about soil? It’s all over the place. And, anyway, it only affects farmers, right? That might be your first reaction upon seeing this headline. That’s because we really don’t talk much about soil, one of our most precious resources. I want to change that. Of course, soil is important for farmers,…
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…
At the end of September, I had my first magical run in with the “Big Apple”. As I passed through the Holland Tunnel that connects Newark, New Jersey to New York City, I decided to celebrate the experience with the song “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift buzzing in my headphones (cheesy I know,…
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…
