Dollar forty Nine Day Woodwards
By Sharon SistersonI remember it was this large department store downtown called “Woodwards”. We used to catch the bus in the early morning and take a trip straight down Hastings Street right into the heart of the city. In fact it was only blocks away from where we first started our journey in coming to Canada. The […]
Why Vancouver is part of me now
By Delaney SmithI moved to Vancouver in 2001 from Ottawa. I had visited California and one morning while taking a walk a guy walking his dog said “Hi”. This was unknown in Ottawa as people were pretty tunnel-vision there. I thought “Wow, the west coast is great people acknowledge you there”. So I packed a suitcase and […]
Vancouver, My Stage (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the City)
By Diana SquiresWhen I graduated with my BA in Drama, I had no idea what to tackle next. My body knew it wanted to act, I had recently discovered directing, and visions of running my own theatre company had started to turn in my head like a kaleidoscope of possibility. The summer after graduation consisted of popsicles […]
The Lion’s Roar
By Susan Stenersen GerleA three year old child questions everything. My granddaughter, EmmyLou, was no different as she looked up at me. I was perched on one of the lions guarding the doors of the the old Vancouver Court House, now housing the Vancouver Art Gallery. “Grandma, why are you sitting on that lion?” I grinned down at […]
To Be Free
By Melanie StewartThe Pacific Ocean crashed over the rocky shore, with the hum of her spirit ringing in the salty air, as the seagulls dove down into the waters below; I looked out into the ocean and let out a long sigh. Embraced by the wind, and the knowledge of another chapter closed, I thanked my God […]
The Flinging Place
By Suvi TeigenI come from the prairies, from wide-open spaces that fling their arms in welcome to newcomers in ways only wide-open spaces can. The meals and conversations are long and lingering, the laughter is infectious and hearty, and if the door is locked, you know where all the keys are. Court is held at a thousand kitchen tables […]
Moving to the Big Smoke
By Shari Van SpronsenMy daughter asks my husband Ivan: What kind of money would you need to earn in order to get you to live in Vancouver? My husband replies wild-eyed but convinced: About $200,000. The next day he was offered that amount for a job in Surrey. But he would have to move from Dawson Creek, a […]
The City at the End of the Road
By Fernando Villasmil BarberaI moved here almost a year ago pursuing something that, and I think it’s safe to say, everybody wants. A better life chasing your dreams. Mine is writing for any screen and so I found myself attending VFS. It wasn’t easy getting here but at last I made it, and it has been the adventure […]
My Journey From NYC To Vancouver
By Lisa WarturMy very first flight ever from New York City to Vancouver was scheduled for September 14, 2001…. As a native New Yorker growing up in Queens, the city of Vancouver, British Columbia had never been on my radar. In fact, I’d never spent much time in Canada at all, with the exception of a brief […]
When the Rain Goes Away
By Becca WertmanVancouver, Vancity, Van, or whatever you want to call it, is home to a diverse ethnic community of individuals many of whom have one thing in common – they do not want to leave this amazing place. Having been voted the third most beautiful city in the world, and possessing the unique blend of ocean, […]
