“I grew up in a very little town in Bulgaria. We were part of the Communist regime. In the nineties, things started changing. Borders opened, so we were able to travel more. People finally had the opportunity to get out and explore the world. I don’t remember much. Everything changed when I was nine or 10 years-old. I’ve got little memories, but I hadn’t experienced much of it.

“The first 19 years of your life – those are the best years. I had loads of friends there as a teenager. When I was 12 to 18, it was all about drinking, partying, and meeting new people. Slowly, everyone started moving out, and the town just died. So I thought, “okay, it’s time for me to move out now.” I wanted to see the world and I always wanted to learn English. That was the reason why I visited London. I fell in love with the town. I went there for a little holiday, but then I stuck around for 17 years.

“I was involved in the bike scene there – the motorcycle scene, so I met tons of interesting people. You don’t feel lonely in London, even if you don’t know anyone. You can go to a coffee shop there, just like how I’m having a coffee now, and you won’t feel lonely. There’s always someone to talk to.

“There’s something that makes you feel lonely [in Vancouver]. I noticed it pretty early when I moved here. I don’t know if it’s the people – I guess it is the people, but that’s a long topic…”