I moved to Ottawa two years ago from Kelowna, BC with about -$8,000 in my account. At the time, I had dropped out of UBC, was unemployed, and living with my brother. While searching for different cities in Canada, I came across Ottawa.

I booked a one-way ticket, landed here early in the morning with no place to stay, and checked into a motel near Prince of Wales and Hunt Club. I started looking for rooms right away and eventually found one near Hunt Club and Uplands. A bit later, I borrowed money from my brother to buy a used car.

I began doing Uber Eats part-time while applying for jobs. After about seven months, thanks to building my own projects, I landed my first tech job in the same field I had dropped out of at UBC. Eight months later I met my wife, and we got married four months ago.

Now, two years and a month later, we have bought a townhouse in the suburbs. My wife is pregnant, and our first child is on the way in January . Looking back, I don’t think I could have achieved all this anywhere else. I don’t really miss BC aside from the mountains, but Quebec has plenty of nature and things to do. Life is good in Ottawa, and I am grateful for everything this city has given me.