How it all started in 2006
This blog started back in 2006, inspired by a Manu Chao‘s Clandestino song and by the fact that I was trying to figure out life in Canada—or life, period—as a brand-new permanent resident.
I wrote my first article in French. Then I switched to English—not because I was fluent, but because I wasn’t. Blogging in my second language felt like the best way to learn, adapt, and fully embrace my new life in Ontario.
Remember the internet in 2006? No smartphones, no Instagram, and I wasn’t betting money on this new Facebook social something. Much like everybody else, I wanted to create my own space online—and unlike everybody else, making money out of it was never a priority. I tinkered with layouts, broke things, fixed them, learned about SEO before it had a name, and wrote about whatever adventure came my way.
By 2007 I moved from Blogger to a self-hosted WordPress site because I wanted more control… and, let’s be honest, because breaking my own website had become a hobby.
Since then, life happened…
I settled in Canada, became a citizen in 2009, survived enough Canadian winters to feel Canadian (and developed a winter phobia), welcomed a little multicultural human in 2012, collected a few white hairs and new skills, found a career I genuinely enjoy, took way too many photos, kept spending months on the road with a backpack, got a bit older, a bit wiser, and not the least tired of speaking five languages, navigating between cultures, and exploring the world.
And I kept writing through it all.
This is where I am—still blogging.
No AI, no ads.
Forgive the occasional typo, eh.
What you’ll find here
Life in Canada
Stories from Ottawa (yes, it’s the capital of Canada), trips to Toronto and small towns, and everywhere in between: immigration, work, cultural quirks and differences, extreme weather, and daily life in Canada.
Travel & Backpacking
From tiny towns to world capitals, I’ve wandered through Argentina, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, the UK, the USA, and Uruguay.
Food & Culture
Street food, snacks, grocery stores abroad, and the surprising cultural clues hidden in everyday meals. I also happen to love people and street photography—we all live very different lives, but at one point, cultures intersect beautifully.
Multicultural Parenting
A French mum and a Chinese dad raising a child in Canada—with three languages, several cultures, and plenty of misunderstandings that make life interesting. Not a parenting manual. More like… field notes from the experiment?
Who am I?
I’m the person behind the posts, the photos, the stories, and occasionally the mess.
If you want the full version → About me.
If you prefer surprises, pick a random article—some days I even write something insightful.
