Every place I have lived has taught me something different.
My Vancouver Island story began 2022, where I started exploring the relationship between people and place — the landscapes, communities, and experiences that shape how we connect with ourselves and the world around us.
I have always been fascinated by the connection between people and place. After living in eight countries, experiencing different cultures, and travelling across the world, I have learned that places are never simply a backdrop to our lives. They influence how we see ourselves, how we connect with others, and often, who we become.
I often wonder why certain places stay with us long after we leave them. Why does a particular landscape remain vivid in our memory years later? Why do some communities feel welcoming before we even know anyone there? Why do certain places appear in our lives at exactly the moment we need them?
Perhaps it is because places hold stories. They carry the memories of those who came before us, the dreams of those who live there today, and the possibility of who we might become when we slow down and pay attention.
Places shape people. And people shape places.
A Life Shaped by Many Places
My relationship with place began early. Born in Uganda, travelled to 5 countries before I was five, and educated in a French school system, I grew up with an awareness that there were many different ways of seeing the world. Culture, language, traditions, food, and landscapes all shaped how communities expressed themselves and created a sense of belonging.
Over the years, I have lived in different countries and experienced many communities. Each place had its own rhythm and personality. Some were shaped by creativity. Others by tradition, ambition, or a strong sense of community.
What fascinated me most was not only the geography, but the people who brought each place to life.
It was found in the conversations around a table, the traditions passed down through generations, the small businesses created from passion, and the everyday moments that revealed what mattered most to a community.
Travel has never been about simply collecting destinations. For me, it has always been about understanding.
I want to understand why people choose certain places as home. I want to discover what creates a sense of belonging and how our surroundings influence the way we live.
Becoming a Student of Hospitality
This curiosity eventually became the foundation of my career. For more than 25 years, I have worked in hospitality, wellness, and creating meaningful experiences for people. Through spas, retreats, and guest experiences, I learned an important lesson:
People rarely remember a place only because of what it offers. They remember because of how it makes them feel.
A beautiful room, a breathtaking view, or a thoughtful experience can create a lasting impression. However, the moments people carry with them are often much simpler.
A warm welcome. A meaningful conversation. A feeling of being cared for.
This is the true art of hospitality — creating spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, with others, and with the world around them.
Discovering Vancouver Island
When I moved to Vancouver Island, I was immediately captivated by its landscape. The mountains, forests, and ocean create a unique relationship between land and sea. The natural beauty is powerful, yet it also invites calm and reflection.
Over time, living at Vancouver Island Retreats | Moonstone Sanctuary has allowed me to experience the island in a much deeper way than I ever could as a visitor. Many mornings begin with a coffee, the first light of sunrise, and a few quiet moments to reflect. Looking out toward the horizon creates a rare kind of space — space to think, to breathe, to write, and to imagine.
Those mornings remind me that not every moment needs to be filled. Sometimes clarity comes when we allow ourselves to slow down and simply notice what is around us. Nature has its own rhythm. It does not rush or compete. It changes with the seasons and follows its own pace, inviting us to do the same.
Like many people who come to Vancouver Island, I was first drawn here by the obvious beauty — the coastline, forests, wildlife, and incredible scenery. However, the longer I live here, the more I discover that the true character of this island is not only found in the landscape.
It is found in its people.
The People Who Give a Place Its Soul
The stories of Vancouver Island are created by the people who choose to build their lives here.
They are the entrepreneurs who turn ideas into meaningful businesses. They are the artists inspired by the natural world, the farmers who care for the land, the wellness practitioners who create spaces for connection, and the hospitality teams who understand that memorable experiences are built through care.
These are the stories that reveal what makes a place special.
A destination is not created by geography alone. The people who live there shape its identity through their choices, their values, and the connections they create.
This is what continues to inspire me about Vancouver Island.
Beyond the postcard views and well-known destinations, there is a deeper story unfolding — one of creativity, resilience, community, and belonging.
Why Place Matters for Wellbeing
Through my work creating retreats at Vancouver Island Retreats | Moonstone Sanctuary, I have witnessed the powerful relationship between people and place.
Guests often arrive carrying the pace and pressures of everyday life. However, after spending time in nature, sharing meals, reflecting, and connecting with others, something begins to shift.
A walk outdoors. A conversation by the fire. A quiet moment overlooking the landscape. Simple experiences create space for people to reconnect with themselves.
Through these moments, I have seen how the places we spend time in influence how we feel and how we live.
The right environment can encourage us to slow down, listen more deeply, and reconnect with parts of ourselves that may have been overlooked.
Perhaps this is why Vancouver Island attracts so many people seeking renewal. In a world that often feels fast and disconnected, the island offers something increasingly valuable: space to breathe, reflect, and reconnect.
What happens when a place chooses us?”
Perhaps that is what I have come to understand about places.
We arrive thinking we have chosen them. A job, a relationship, an opportunity, a change of scenery. We tell ourselves we are making a decision, drawing a line on a map, beginning again.
But what if sometimes it works the other way around?
What happens when a place chooses us?
That is the question Vancouver Island has left me with.
I came here with a lifetime of experiences behind me, never imagining that this island would become the place that asked me to slow down, pay attention, and see my own life differently.
Along the way, I began to notice the people who make a place what it is. The stories behind the businesses. The artists and makers. The people quietly building community. The hosts who create a sense of belonging for strangers. The lives being lived in the places we pass through.
And I began to wonder if perhaps this is how a place reveals itself to us — not all at once, but through the people we meet, the stories we hear, and the moments that stay with us long after they have passed.
That is where The Vancouver Island Journal begins.
Not as a guide to the island, but as a way of paying attention to it.
To discover the stories that give this place its character, and perhaps to understand a little more about what this island has been trying to tell me all along.
Because after a lifetime of travelling to places I thought I had chosen, I am beginning to wonder if the most important journeys are the ones where we arrive somewhere…
and discover that, in some unexpected way, it was waiting for us.
