During my fledgling years as a new immigrant in Vancouver, the first step that I took towards independence was moving out of my aunt’s house and partially trying it out on my own by living with room mates. I had lived in three different apartments with different sets of people, most of whom have become my good friends. On my last year at the last apartment where I stayed at before eventually moving to my own place (a one-bedroom condominium unit that I purchased in an up-and-