My experience of living in Vancouver as a 22-year old Indian student has observed that there is more to city living than working during the day. There is a charm, strength and energy in late nights. When we get home after classes or homework or part time jobs, we all want  a late, warm, and cozy place. Street food is availiable till late in India . Late night food in Vancouver is secure, homely, and awkwardly varied. Restaurants and cafes, food trucks and small places, these are not just where people can eat, they are social spots, a place to study and even a place to get emotional, at least to young adults like me. The late-night food culture saves the life of many Indian students. I remember that there were nights when I had to complete numerous assignments, got barely any sleep, and was exhausted. The thought of sharing a small apartment with someone, cooking, was getting boring for me but. Entering one of 24-hour diners or a cafe around Broadway was like crossing the border to a different world with the neon lights, the smell of fries, brewing coffee, and the muttering of people in the background. You automatically feel alive as though the city is awake only to you. I would take a plate of something disappointing that has been loaded such as a loaded burrito or cheesy pasta and sit at the window and work using my laptop and listen to the noise in the air. It was a combination of concentration and relaxation. because of presence among people including strangers was relaxing. There  is different types of incredible late-night places in Vancouver. We have old-fashioned diners, small cafes , sushi bars that remain open until late, ramen shops, burger shops, vegan cafes, and food trucks parked on streets. Every spot has its crowd of its own. In the streets of Commercial Drive, there is a likelihood of finding local artists having a table with students, and at Granville Street, bartenders who have just finished their work shifts taking a quick bite before going home. This blend of people we can see on these late-night spaces very energetic and secure to all people. You may be a student who is doing exams, you may be a worker who is working at some night shift, you may be a person who is only feeling like having a snack, you will find your people here. These spaces also provide a sense of independence to the Indian students. We live separately, and in these situations, we have to figure out our way home alone on late nights. Mothers would be making us late snacks back home or watching us. In this case, the late-night food environment creates some comfort. The employees are friendly, the atmosphere is secure and the city seems to be breathing even at 2 a.m. It is also good to know that you can feed, study, socialize or even just relax without necessarily having someone to around you. The other reason why these spots are treasured is the food variety. Menus in late nights are often craving-based spicy noodles, loaded fries, deep-fried desserts, vegan tacos, ramen, and even decadent desserts such as milkshakes and cookies. I remember one night when I sat at a small food truck outside Kitsilano and had a Korean BBQ taco as I spoke to a friend about an assignment. It was not only food, but it was comfort, and energy and inspiration for my assignment. The late-night food availability in Vancouver represents a mixture of familiarity  to Indian students who have been fimiliar to the culture of street food at home. These late-night places also bring about different types of  cultural . There are people of every kind, students, artists, musicians, night-shift workers, tourists, and the locals. The dialogue switches between Punjabi, Spanish, English and Mandarin. I have remembered that one day I was dining with a local musician and a group of international students. We began discussing music, examinations and food. At the very end of evening, it was a little village, temporary but worthy. Even such short talks will allow a young adult to feel connected and not as lonely in a new city. The atmosphere of the late-night food areas is special. The lighting is not  enough to cause eye pain. The music is not bad. You get a place to study in a quiet place or a socializing place at the counter. The cafes and diners in Vancouver tend to follow the atmosphere of the visitors, quiet and concentrated, busy with chattering and laughing sometimes. I discovered that the place could be changed according to my mood to make the late nights nice. On certain nights I wanted a noisy cafe to complete essays, some nights a  diner with bright neon lights sounded the ideal escape of being alone. There is also a large role that mental health plays. Stress, homesickness, and loneliness are experienced by many young adults especially international students. These 24 hour food joints are a safe place to think. Even being seated calmly with a hot drink in front of you watching those people around, provides emotional warmth. You understand that you are involved in something bigger life does not end in your room, life is all-around us, active and beautiful. The more knowledge of that makes the city feel more like home and eliminates stress. The beauty is increased by the geography and climate of Vancouver. When it is cold and wet outside, you will enjoy having a nice interior, hot meals, and smiling people. I recall a wet November evening after leaving a library, wet with rain, and walking into a small ramen restaurant in the area of Downtown. The coziness of the location, the broth scent, and people talking immediately melted my fatigue. This serene but energetic scene is relaxing in comparison to the hectic and noisy streets in India. Another reason why late-night places are necessary is their affordability. A large number of young adults have a low budget. The ability to afford to fill up on a meal, a snack or even a hot beverage is important. You do not feel bad taking comfort food; you simply take advantage of the convenience and coziness. With time you can also know where to go as a student, where the food is cheap and where the staff are friendly. The social media is also a factor. Instagram or Tik Tok make young adults learn about the existence of many late-night cafes, diners and food trucks. You read reviews, peruse menus, and go to new locations. I recall how I was subscribing to one of the local foodie pages and discovered a little-secret dessert cafe close to Yaletown. I attended there one night when classes ended late, so good pastries, music, and kind employees. without of social media, I would not have even heard about the  this place.

If I talk about more briefly, the late-night food in Vancouver is not actually a quick-fix it can be a life savior to newly graduated adults, in particular, Indian and other foreign students. It provides comfort, security, food, companionship and inspiration. Cafes, diners, food trucks, and restaurants are new temporary places of staying where you can get a rest, work, relax, or meet people. They combine home-like feeling with the freedom of living in a new city and provide some experiences which define our nights, our studies, our friends and our creativity. To Indian students such as myself, these late-night joints are not just about satisfying your stomachs, but also your mind, your soul and your spirit in ways that are invaluable when you are in a foreign land away from home.

I am a student from India in Vancouver. The coffee shop here was not likely a place to purchase coffee and I soon discovered. They are like little worlds. They are tiny spots of comfort and social existence, specially to the youth, such as myself. Chai or coffee at the local stalls in India was fast: drink, pay, leave. Every coffee shop in Vancouver is their second home. On streets, people in a hurry, a pleasantly warm light in the cafes makes it seem like going into a little safe haven. My coffee shops in Vancouver can be an ideal third place. They are in place between school or work and home. To Indian students who take a long ride to a cold distant city with their busy and busy family homes, cafes provide a feeling of community even though they do not have to talk to us. I recall this time that I happened to enter a small coffee shop close to Kitsilano following a rainy day. I was wet  and my jacket dripped. The smell of roasted coffee, the subdued jazz, individuals quietly working or reading served like a warm greeting. I ordered a latte and sat there by the window and observed the rain. One  more thing is that we can feel  relaxed in an urban environment that might seem depressing. That little experience taught me why these cafes are a life line to young adults. Cafés are very diverse. There are plain ones with plain wooden tables and there are also artistic ones with wall paintings on the walls. Small indies exist where local students drink chai or cappuccino and are writing an essay or doing a presentation. During off-weekends you can now find small groups of friends sitting in groups of three, some working on laptops, others on notebooks and sketches, and even single visitors with headphones staring out the window. Each cafe has its audience and ambiance. The barista in my favourite cafe close to the Commercial Drive now knows me by name. Not only coffee, but it is a feeling of belonging, and no one really knows me. It is not easy to be a young Indian adult in Vancouver. The cost of rent is high, apartments are small, we all share a place to live, the commute is long, and the deadlines will never end. A blessing in that life is to have a quiet place in society where you can sit and comfortably drink your coffee and feel like you are working. There are family and friends everywhere in India. In this case we create our own supports groups in cafes, libraries and social places. It is emotionally comforting just to sit and watch other people lead their lives, in a cafe. It is weirdly reassuring and serves to remind you of the fact that you are in a bigger world. Weather is also a major factor in Vancouver. The rainy days are lengthy and gloomy and entering a warm cafe seems to be like entering a sheltered home. It was a wet evening in November when I was sitting in a small cafe close to Downtown. I was sipping a hot chai latte as I observed the wet streets of neon lights. I noticed students who were studying to take exams, artists who were sketching and a young couple quietly talking. This attention, imagination and free conversation make cafes magical. One has the feeling that they are in a tiny, communal, invisible group. The other aspect that I observed is the integration of cafes into everyday life. Individuals frequent the same cafe on a daily basis. You get old faces, old fragrances, old habits. It is near ritualistic getting coffee, checking the mail, two hours of studying and leaving. Baristas are adopted as close friends and the cafe itself is a place of refuge to rest. It is unbelievable that a cup of coffee can bring sanity in an unstable life. The cafe culture in this country is not the same as that of home to Indian students. Coffee in India is primarily energy giving. Here it is part of a lifestyle. It provides emotional escape. The café helps where you can be yourself and at the same time be among other individuals. You may concentrate, take some rest, breathe, find friends, negotiate on projects, or just watch the rain outside. That is freedom that is not easily encountered in small apartments of the type that share the kitchen and roommates. The cafes in Vancouver facilitate creativity as well. Cafes are impromptu workstations that are used by students, musicians, young professionals. Dell is visible in cafes all over the city, laptops, headphones, notebooks, cameras, even musical instruments. Young adults continue to make, learn, and construct their future within small spaces of coffee shops. One day I observed a friend to edit a video as a part of a school project, and I observed someone to sketch a comic strip another one, and both of them were silently encouraging each other with the energy of the room. Multicultural interactions are also exhibited in cafes. Vancouver is diversified to the extent that we find native Canadians, Chinese immigrants, Indian students, and Europeans occupying the same space. I recall once in a cafe at Granville Street. I heard a crowd with Punjabi speakers and one with Japanese anime buyers. The air servies with varied languages, musical and ideas. It is like a smaller version of a United Nations. In my case, this multicultural experience is rewarding and I feel like I belong to a city of the world even out of my home. Concisely, Vancouver cafes are not purely coffee houses. They are emotional sanctuaries, social centers, creative places, and homes of the community. They educate young adults, particularly, immigrants such as me on how to move around the city, how to strike a balance between work and rest and how to feel belonging. They provide freedom, solace and belonging. They are silent spectators to our tribulations, little wins, and inspirations. They are a third home to Indian students in Vancouver, which feeds the body, mind and soul.