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I’ve spent my life saying I’m 1/4 Swedish – but the Scandinavian Community Centre taught me why that’s important. Growing up, I was very Swedish. I spent every Christmas singing Swedish folk songs in a choir called Lucia, I had an insatiable desire for herring and gravlax, and I would find any excuse to take…
Visiting all 13 provinces and territories of Canada is on my bucket list and so for a week in May, I went up to the Yukon Territory with some friends to not only get away from the hustle and bustle of big city Vancouver, but also to explore a truly picturesque part of Canada. On…
In June, my wife Sherry and I travelled to Ottawa, the capital of our great country, for the first time. A domestic Canadian trip after a two year hiatus from travelling due to the pandemic felt like a breath of fresh air. Julie, my wife’s best friend, had also moved to the Ottawa area so…
When I think of Brazil, I imagine beautiful beaches, amazing barbequed meat, rain forests and sunshine. Last year I had the opportunity to stop imagining these things and truly experience them on my first trip to South America. One of my best friends comes from the city of Florianópolis, located in the South of Brazil.…
Rome is known to many as the Eternal City. It has lasted for centuries and continues to stand tall even today. Over the holidays in December/January, I went on a mini-Euro adventure that included Barcelona, Paris and finally ended my trip in Rome. Barcelona was full of lively people, and Paris had delicate beauty around…
Paris – a city that you can find close to the top of most people’s bucket list – is known for its beautiful architecture, its delicious food, and its long history. This past December, I decided it was finally time to see this dreamy city for myself. Over the holidays, I started part one of…
I’m in love! But not with a person, with a country. Over the last few years I have slowly been falling in love with the Spanish language and culture. It started with a flirtation, taking Spanish as an elective in high school instead of French. Later, when I moved to Vancouver, the love grew; one…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Beneath the surface of New Delhi traffic lies acceptance. One might easily miss it amid the cacophonous honks, the strain of overworked engines and the veil of smog, but it is persistent. You find it on the face of every driver who is cut off (and honks) or crosses on red (while honking) or slices…
It feels as though everyone in India is an entrepreneur. A fair assumption when travelling the country is that no product or service is too insignificant to bargain over. Even those already in employ, such as IndiGo baggage charge collectors, appear somewhat disappointed not to be cajoled. An expectant look, daring you to twist their…
