Let’s talk about hometowns: Vancouver, Canada

Capitals, cities, towns, villages, neighbourhoods. We all come from somewhere and it’s time to meet each others’ hometowns and who knows, we might put some new places that we have never heard of on our bucket list! In this post, we hear from Monique about her hometown of Vancouver, in Canada.

1. Who are you, how long have you been living in the Netherlands and why did you move here?

I am Monique Cameron, from Canada and I have lived in the Netherlands for 1.5 years. I moved here from London to study traditional Chinese medicine and escape Brexit 🙂

2. What’s your hometown and where is it? Where you born there? How long have you lived there?

My hometown is Vancouver, located in British Columbia in western Canada. I was born and lived there for around 32 years.

3. Is it a big city or a small town? What is the population? How far is it from the main city/capital?

It is considered a small city and it is around 4000 km from the Canadian capital Ottawa, with around 2.4 million inhabitants in its greater metropolitan area.

4. What are some things in Vancouver that are part of history? Is anyone famous from there?

Vancouver is a main business hub for trade with Asia and the Pacific Rim. It is also the birthplace of Greenpeace. The spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle lives there and Chip Wilson, the founder of the athletic apparel Lululemon, is from Vancouver.

5. What is your favourite season in Vancouver and why?

My favourite season is summer because the beaches are lovely and the city comes alive.

6. What is the happiest memory you have from your hometown?

One of my happiest memories is when we were exploring the Canadian islands during summer.

7. Do you miss Vancouver? What do you miss the most?

Yes, I mostly miss my family and friends and the delicious sushi we have there!

8. What do you like most about your hometown? What would you like to change about it?

The thing I like the most in Vancouver is its wild nature and I don’t like the fact that is so far from almost anywhere, so the time and the cost are too big when you want to travel.

9. Do you think you will return to live there one day? Why or why not?

It depends on the state of the world. If COVID-19 or other pandemics arise, it could be a possibility in order to be close to family.

10. How often do you visit your hometown and how do you spend your days there?

I visit Vancouver at least once a year and, when I am there, I spend my days catching up with family and friends.

11. What are the main attractions in Vancouver and what would be your personal recommendations?

The main activities you should do if you are in Vancouver are hiking, skiing and dining. You should definitely go for sushi, drive to Whistler or hike the Lions Trail. And don’t forget to try a japadog!

12. What are the main traditions, festivals, traditional food and drink of your hometown?

We have the Festival of Lights, which is a large fireworks competition in the summer at the beach. Usually about half a million people attend! As for traditional food, I’d say it has to be sushi. Our main traditional events are the Pride Week and the New Year’s Day polar bear swim.

13. Do you find any similarities with Haarlem and Vancouver? What is the biggest difference between them?

Some similarities with Haarlem are perhaps the abundance of restaurants and a somewhat close proximity to the sea. Vancouver city is a fairly new city that founded in 1886 and Haarlem in 1245, so I’d say there is a large difference in architecture.

Thank you Monique for introducing us to your lovely Canadian city!

Read about the other hometowns we traveled to: 🇮🇹 Boscotrecase, 🇧🇲 Bermuda, 🇧🇷 Fortaleza.
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We are looking forward to hearing about other expats’ hometowns! Just go to our questionnaire copy and paste the questions, fill in your answers and submit them via Facebook Messenger or by sending an email to info@expatshaarlem.nl. If you also wish to share some photos of you and/or your hometown, please do so!

The idea is for expatsHaarlem readers to get involved and share insights about their hometowns