Can you tell us more about yourself? 

Capricorn, silly, eclectic, spiritual, dope, honest, supportive, resourceful, tall, mom of two, kind, balanced and an entrepreneur.

How long have you been living in your city?

I have been in Philadelphia my entire life.

Why did you want to start hosting experiences on blackvoyageurs ? 

Partnering with Black Voyageurs was a no brainer, this platform aligns with Philly Experiences mission to amplify Black voices, Black businesses and keep the dollar circulating in our communities longer.

What makes your experience unique? 

Morals & Murals: Tales from Our Hood is a true one of a kind experience that dives deep into the inner city culture with a local Black expert and native. This intimate storytelling journey on public transportation allows guests a day in the life exploration into the art, sights, and sounds of the hood before and after they are negatively affected by gentrification. 

When you are not hosting, what do you enjoy doing? 

When I am not hosting, I enjoy healing, loving on myself, overthinking (and working on it) 

Tell us a fun fact about you? 

I never learned how to properly stop on roller skates or ice skates so watch out..I am heading for the wall lol!

Can you share some of your favorite songs that come to mind when you think about your city (please provide a link to 1 to 3 songs)

Eve ft Beanie Siegel- Philly Philly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuhitNJNudI

Jill Scott – Long Walk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSYMKUtNuw8

Freeway- What We Do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1swlUtEkXZ0

The post Host profile – CHRISSY – Morals + Murals: Tales from Our Hood appeared first on blackvoyageurs.com.

By LaShay Carr

Ever since I was a child, I always knew I wanted to live abroad. I didn’t even understand the concept, but I just knew I had to get out of Brooklyn, N.Y. I loved to read and used books as my escape to foreign lands and exotic cities. Two days after I graduated high school, I was on my way to attend college upstate N.Y. It still wasn’t far enough for my own taste but it was all my family could afford and I was granted a full scholarship and grants for my first and second year. I became obsessed with traveling after my year of studying abroad in Ghana and London and haven’t stopped traveling since!

Fast forward to the present day, I had no idea that I would end up as a dual citizen of America and Canada. Actually, I had no idea that a career in the film industry would allow such opportunities to work and live abroad. In 2011, a job opportunity in post-production for a VFX studio became available for my spouse and me. We worked in Adelaide, South Australia for 6 months. We loved it! The studio even helped pay for relocation, rent, groceries, and a cell phone too. The cost of living in Australia is very expensive in comparison to America, and having extra financial support helped a lot. It was an amazing experience!

The Journey

One year later, my spouse’s employer closed their office in Albuquerque. N.M.and offered to relocate us to their Canadian office. Having just returned to the United States only a few months ago, my spouse and I were both hesitant to move again and knew nothing about Vancouver, B.C. After checking out a few videos on YouTube and talking to a few friends who already lived in Vancouver, my spouse and I both fell in love with what the city had to offer; beaches, mountains, high-rises, and public transit. I thought the move to Vancouver would last for about 2-3 years and then the journey working abroad would continue. I was wrong, Canada is now my home country!

My spouse and I decided to make Vancouver our home due to steady employment in the film industry. When I was living in America, my spouse and I were both freelance artists which meant contracts were really short, a typical contract was only 2 weeks long. My spouse did get a long contract with a VFX studio in Albuquerque, but I was constantly looking for work. I also work part-time teaching dance cardio. New York City is filled with talented choreographers, and I would not have had the same opportunity due to the saturated talent in the Big Apple.

Canadians are really nice people! It has been very easy to make a lot of good friendships in Canada. Vancouver is so similar and very close to the United States. A road trip to Seattle is only 2.5 hours and visiting our family back in Brooklyn is a 5-hour flight away. Another bonus of living in Canada is healthcare. I have had little out of pocket expenses, co-pays are not a thing here. I was very insecure about my teeth and was able to fix my smile for a few hundred dollars, it would have cost thousands of dollars in America.

Vancouver is very safe, having grown up in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y. I have yet to experience adversity, hardship, racism, or harassment. I don’t have to worry about the cops stopping me or my spouse and asking for identification. The weather in Vancouver is very mild, especially in the winter. I love driving up to the mountains to go skiing or snowshoeing. In the summertime, I usually hop on my bike and head to the beach. Downtown Vancouver has a few beaches that you can easily access just by walking or biking! I am still getting used to all the rain but I will take rain over icy sidewalks any time!

The only con I have about living in Canada is the cost of living is very high. Vancouver’s housing market is one of the highest in the world behind China. I recently purchased a condo downtown Vancouver with my spouse and let’s just say we won’t be catching flights to exotic places anytime soon! I also miss the diverse fashion scene in New York City. The distance from family is very hard, especially during the beginning of moving abroad. I try to visit my family in Brooklyn at least once a year.

For anyone looking to move abroad, my advice would be to seek out a country where English is the predominant language and to consider a country with universal healthcare. It also helps to have a family member or friend in the country you want to move too, it makes the transition a lot easier!

Another tip is to consult with an immigration lawyer. Immigration lawyers usually offer free consultations. My spouse and I hired an immigration lawyer to file our paperwork for permanent residency. We used the same lawyer when we were eligible to apply for citizenship. Having the lawyer made everything go smoothly! Immigration into Canada is at an all-time high and a lot of our co-workers were denied permanent residency for many different reasons; missing paperwork expired documents etc. My immigration lawyer saved the day numerous times.

If you do decide to move abroad, make sure you have enough money in your checking and savings accounts. Immigration agents will often ask for proof of income or a letter from an employer. If you do not have a job upon entering a country, you will need to show a bank statement with your funds to prove you can provide for yourself until you find a job. Moving abroad can be a long journey but it is worth it. You can always visit the country you want to move to with an end date set to see if it’s the right choice for you. If not then you can try another country or return home.

Have you made the choice to move abroad? I would love to hear about why you made the big leap to move abroad, feel free to share your journey in the comments below!

The post From Brooklyn to Vancouver: Why I Moved Abroad appeared first on blackvoyageurs.com.

If there’s one question I get asked more than any other, it’s “Why did you move to Canada?”

I always pause, wondering whether to give them the real answer or my politely constructed answer I reserve for when I don’t want to break it down.

The truth is for as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to live abroad and I was open to many places, however Canada had a less vigorous process and fewer restrictions. Under the International Exchange Canada (IEC), also known as the Working Holiday Visa you can live and work in Canada for up to 2 years. If after 1 year you claim this land as your own forevermore, you can apply for Permanent Residency. 

Whilst suppressing the urge to cry about turning 30, I told myself it was now or never to do something this selfish because perhaps this would be one of the last times in my life I wouldn’t have to take another person (or a mini person) into consideration.

Without hesitation, the next question that always follows is, “How are you enjoying Toronto”?

“Cold!” always gets a chuckle and it beats breaking down the very intricate experience of being a Londoner here, because having experienced 25 paid vacation days from work, the night tube (which runs 24 hours on weekends) and not having to file taxes has added an extra layer to living here. It’s a comparison only few can understand and can give a negative impression but the truth is, the 2 cities shouldn’t be compared. Toronto is great in its own way. I remember when I first explored Downtown and I would strain my neck looking up at the buildings. The Toronto skyline is beautiful! Every so often, I’m reminded of the scale of Canada, Toronto resides in a province called Ontario and I’ve been told you can drive for 24 hours straight and still be in Ontario! 

I love the fact that I can go to the beach, the mountains, or even whale watching. Another thing is, the levels of creativity in this city are on a hundred. Street art is not just confined to alleyways but postboxes, shop fronts and whole sides of apartment blocks. I also love having earlier access to artists like H.E.R, JMSN & DVSN without waiting for a ‘European Tour’.

H.E.R.

Tone Stith 

JMSN

DVSN with live orchestra 

The thing I love most about Toronto is the way the city transforms between summer and winter. It’s like living in 2 different places. In that way it’s a city of extremes – toboggan down snow covered hills at Broadview Park in winter and get on your paddleboard at Toronto Islands in summer.

Let me tell you the height of summer is hot, hot, hot! Last summer got close to 40 Degrees Celsius with humidity. The vibe is so fun, ‘Patio Season’ is a real thing- after hibernating for months and sticking to subways and underground PATHS, almost every restaurant and bar opens a patio along the sides of the roads in summer. Also the annual Caribbean carnival ‘Caribana’ takes place early August and brings visitors from all over the world – it is not to be missed! 

Having just celebrated a year of being here, I’ve witnessed 3 epics events in that time. First, I landed around the time the bill to legalise Weed across Canada was passed, Viola Desmond – the “Canadian Rosa Parks” became the first the first Canadian woman and first person to colour to grace the national currency. She has proudly been printed on the $10 bill. Last but not least, Toronto Raptors WON a NBA final for the first time in history. The city went wild each game, gathering in mass at Jurassic Park (a location to watch the games) and celebrating like crazy after. It’s truly been such a special time to live in Toronto. #WeTheNorth

If I could only say one thing to you, it would be that…if there is a lingering thought in your mind about wanting to do something, that is a calling and a desire far beyond you. The only way to appease it is to explore it; it’ll bring you peace, alignment, creativity and your future. Please, please, please do not stand in your own way because resources and opportunity will come but fear is by far the biggest obstacle to overcome.

There’s nothing I had that made this transition any easier for me than it would be for any other person. I had no family (that I knew of) before arriving, I didn’t come with anyone and I had only saved for a few months. I left my job and my flat, landed and figured it out. I networked my ass off to find my current job and still did 2 other jobs before that. Now I work for a major movie studio! I viewed basements of college students trying to make money on their empty room over the summer and a bunch of other funky spaces -and people- before finding my current place and I spent every waking moment Facetiming my best friend back home before finding friends that I can sit in silence around (because that’s when you know it’s real). 

A year later the hardest things are the little things, guessing which way a door opens, or the light switches on/off or know exactly North, East, South & West.

If you want to find out more about moving to Toronto check out the Government of Canada website. When I moved and to this day my city bible is Narcity and BlogTo. There are so many forums and blogs detailing the process but you can always reach me on social on Instagram: @Runaway.bae and Youtube: Britsinth6. 

The post A Jamaican born east Londoner in Toronto! appeared first on blackvoyageurs.com.