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I’ve been roaming around the city and its surroundings for two months, slowly, at my own pace. As a former marketing person, before settling in the most populated city of British Columbia, I did my own research. I spent hours on the web “discovering” the city before even arriving. I found that I would read…
Early in the 20th century, most Canadians’ mother tongue was either French or English. In 1901, about one-tenth of the population declared an Aboriginal language or an immigrant language as their mother tongue. The concept of mother tongue was not defined in the Canadian census until 1941, when it was defined as the first language…
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to grow up where I did. During my childhood, no matter what school I went to, there was always a wide range of students with different racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and different lifestyles, experiences and interests. Not only was everyone included, but everyone was also…
In July, my wife Sherry and I travelled to Québec City for the second part of our Canadian honeymoon vacation. We had previously visited Montréal in December 2018 and we loved La belle province so much we had to come back in the summer to experience one of the oldest and most romantic cities in…
Now that I have been in Vancouver a few months it’s time to jot down my first observations, experiences and reactions, to record how they differ from my usual surroundings. These are the signposts that guide my understanding of the place in which I find myself. I have been lucky since my arrival in this…
In June, my wife Sherry and I travelled to Seoul, South Korea for our first international travel together. We chose Seoul as our first international visit since it’s a traveller-friendly Asian city and my wife’s best friend and maid of honour, Julie, currently lives there. For me, it was the first time I had travelled…
Growing up in Beijing in a typical Nepali household was an experience of a lifetime that I cherish, and I will always be grateful for. However, one thing that I struggled with growing up was accepting myself for the way I am. The standards set by society for women are so specific and, to be…
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…
The demolition of the Farmer Building (foreground of picture) at the corner of Robson and Granville has uncovered the past while making way for the future. Exposed on the Power Block Building beside it is a rare painted movie sign advertising the 1922 Harold Lloyd comedy Grandma’s Boy. We can see a finger in a…
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…
