From Mexico to Vancouver: Expat Interview With Christine Delano

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Entrepreneurs, Interview
1 comment

Christine Delano is originally from Mexico City, and her mother is Canadian. She has agreed to answer a few questions about her experience as a graphic designer and expat entrepreneur in Vancouver, BC. Through vivid images and evocative words, Christine talks openly about the fear, the loneliness, and the growth we all go through.

A very rich interview, full of inspiring lessons for expats not only in Vancouver, but all over the world.

- Can you tell us what brought you to Canada, and how that move has shaped your career?

I wanted to learn more about my Canadian heritage, and although I understood the importance of this, I don’t think I fully realized the magnitude of it, or the impact it would have on the person I was becoming. Having been born and raised in Mexico City, I knew very little about vast open spaces and the profound changes they produce in people.

Canada is full of people unpacking their personal and cultural treasures. The land is silent, but welcomes dreamers. The space acts like a blank canvas, and being far away from everything that is familiar gives you a different perspective on who you are because there are no longer any givens. The context is completely different and that forces you to re-examine, re-evaluate and re-define your core. You sift through your cultural baggage in an effort to hold on to what makes you, you – and the rest is taken by the wind back to where it came from.

Canada has changed me. In good ways. This awe-inspiring landscape – holder of truths – beseeches us to question not only who we are, but also what we do and how we do it.
I started craving a more organic approach to design and remembered my first two years of university, where the use of the computer was strictly forbidden. Hands on – ink, paper, scissors. Me, and the world forgotten, in a room.

I started imagining graphic patterns. I took a letterpress course. I started drawing again. I bought a letterpress… Ink, paper, scissors. Handmade magic, gently held by the mountains that surround me, and deeply infused by the rich colors that inspired me to begin.

- Was there anything – good or bad – that surprised you about Vancouver when you moved here?

Moving to a different country is an incredible experience, but it certainly has its challenges. The first time I came to Vancouver I fell in love with the city and its radiant bustle. The vast array of cultures, languages and traditions immediately intrigued me.
I instantly knew it was the right place for me, so within a few months I moved.

Vancouver has no mold; anything goes and there is something here for everyone. But there’s a learning curve. I felt lonely, and I hadn’t expected it. I never imagined having this feeling while being surrounded by so many people. I felt homesick… I was terrified. If only I had brought my friends along for the ride… The city and its people felt cold to me and I wanted to hide inside a box with the lid shut tight.

Building solid relationships takes time, and I’ve found that you have to be very patient. Over time, I realized that there are few true Vancouverites, which means that most of the people living here had to go through that same transition, and it’s a scary thing to admit to, let alone talk about it with people you barely know, especially when you’re feeling vulnerable, but once you figure that out, it lightens the load. You have good days and bad days – and you carry on, letting the city in and letting yourself out.

- You’re currently launching your new business, Texture & Finery, a line of haute couture wedding invitations. What are the main challenges you are facing as an expat entrepreneur?

It’s a circus and you’re on the tightrope, trying to stay on your feet, while juggling 500 things and holding a baby that needs all your attention. It’s scary, so you try not to look down, and sometimes it feels like you might just lose your balance so you compensate by shifting your weight here and there.

Learning the balancing act can be extremely tricky at times. There’s a lot of push and pull back and forth. You’re an expat AND an entrepreneur: that’s two jobs, both equally demanding.

I think one of the most challenging things for me has been learning to listen to my own rhythm. Sometimes you just have to stop for the day, and sometimes you have to go go go and then go some more. I think it’s about integrating both the expat and the entrepreneur… one needs more attention than the other on any given day, and acting upon that is crucial.

The second challenge is fear. It’s the part of me that actually looks down when I’m on the tightrope, and it’s paralyzing. Nothing moves, time stops and the world goes so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Sometimes you just want to run back and hide in the box with the lid shut tight and cry. So you cry a little. Ok, so you cry a lot, but you keep on juggling, and balancing. And you make room for fear, because it’s real, and because you’ve also made room for excitement and optimism and they all just need some room to be. Just accepting that it’s there makes it easier to zoom out and look at the big picture. And when you do, it’s extraordinary.

- Any advice you’d like to give to fellow expat business owners?

Breathe. Breathe in and out. And give yourself some credit. Starting a business is not easy, and you have to fight fight fight for it. And it’s exhausting and beautiful and worth it. And we’re all going to be okay. And we learn so much from this. And we have to learn to breathe.

- What are the most important lessons life abroad has taught you?

Living abroad changes you forever. You become a mixture of old ways you choose to keep and new ways you learn. You become richer, deeper, stronger, better, wiser, weaker, calmer. Big adjustments take time, so it helps to be patient. Very patient, with yourself and others. Things are not better and they’re certainly not worse: everything is just different, and being able to understand that makes all the difference.

Originally from Mexico City, Christine Delano is a graphic designer living in Vancouver. She is currently launching her new business “Texture and Finery”, inspired by the haute-couture tradition and providing custom designed, hand-crafted letterpess wedding invitations and stationery.

Did you find this interview as inspiring as I did? Share your biggest takeaway in the comments. What advice would you give to expat entrepreneurs?

Emmanuelle

Images by JOHN CORVERA (top) and Anna Gay (bottom), both via Flickr Creative Commons