i followed my parents (literally and figuratively) and immigrated to canada. my parents have been in canada since 2000 but they didn't get immersed in the outdoorsy culture of canadians.

i arrived in canada on 31 december 2008. my dad picked me up at toronto pearson airport. i remember my first words as we came outside to go to the bus stop: "dad, there's aircon outside." (AIRCON = AIR CONDITIONING)

when i first moved here, i never thought about going to and doing things in nature. my parents didn't get introduced to it, and I'm sure they never even thought about it. and it became the same with me. all i knew was that i am now in a new place - there's snow, a lot of it. it's cold. spring blooms. cool summer breezes under the shade of trees. leaves changing colours in the fall. it was all so different from the tropical climate that i grew up in.

when I would join my parents to go to niagara falls, the bus would drive through these roads where i would see these views of trees, bodies of water and mountains; they were all different from where i came from. i WAS intrigued by my new environment, but i didn't know how to discover it. i had no clue where to start.

in october 2020, my (ex) partner took me on my first hike and first real experience of any kind of canadian nature and outdoors. she grew up in quebec, near nature, doing a lot of outdoorsy things. i have always been someone who immersed myself in new things, and tried new experiences. and because of my attitude, my partner more than happily immersed me to the quebec culture, her world of art and the outdoors. she introduced me to so many nature activities that i have never done before - i experienced so many new adventures because of her (i'm so thankful and lucky).

as a person of colour and an immigrant, i hope to find ways to show how nature doesn't choose who should experience it - as humans, we should remember that we should be in harmony with nature, and not separate from it.

this series explores my introduction to the great canadian outdoors, how i'm discovering and embracing my new environment.