From São Paulo to Vancouver: One Year That Changed Our Lives

A dream that started later — and proved it’s never too late

In 2025, we made one of the biggest decisions of our lives: we left São Paulo to spend one full year in Vancouver, studying English alongside teenagers and young adults.

Débora is 33. Adriano is 46. We both grew up in simple neighborhoods, without many opportunities to learn English. But life taught us something essential: it is never too late to start again.

This dream had been living inside us for years. Débora left her job. Adriano took on the challenge of continuing his work for Brazilian clients from abroad — with a five-hour time difference.

For Adriano, returning to Vancouver was especially meaningful. He had studied at CEL Vancouver (formerly St Giles) in 2018 for six months, and coming back felt like returning to a place that once opened a door to the world.

Arriving at CEL Vancouver: More than we expected

We arrived at CEL Vancouver in January, hoping to learn, grow, and live something new. What we found went far beyond our expectations.

We spent 48 intense weeks studying, running, laughing, making mistakes, and celebrating every small victory. We studied English five days a week and ran three times a week, discovering the city step by step — parks, bridges, forests, mountains, and views that felt almost unreal.

For the first time in our lives, we experienced all four seasons.

In Brazil, we joke that we only have summer 1, summer 2, summer 3, and summer 4.

Running, learning, and living Vancouver fully

In May, we lived one of the most unforgettable moments of our journey:

We ran the Vancouver Marathon together — Adriano’s seventh marathon and Débora’s very first. A memory we will carry forever.

We also traveled beyond the city, exploring Seattle, Victoria, Jasper, Banff, and Kelowna. Each place added new stories, new photos, and new perspectives to our year abroad.

School traditions, global friendships, and real support

At CEL, we created our own traditions.

Every Friday, during the graduation ceremony, we played a song to celebrate our friends — a simple ritual that made every goodbye warmer and full of life.

We met people from all over the world.

We listened to their stories, learned about their cultures, and shared our dreams.

Our teachers and the CEL team supported us at every step. They encouraged us, believed in us, and helped us see that we could go further than we ever imagined.

A family away from home

From our very first days, we were lucky enough to find a family away from home: Akiko, Tatsuya, and little Namihei.

They walked with us through quiet days, difficult days, funny days, and unforgettable days. They made everything lighter, kinder, and more human.

What we truly gained from our English course abroad

Looking back now, we understand something deeply meaningful:

We didn’t come to Vancouver only to study English.

We came to live a year that changed us.

We grew as students.
We grew as partners.
We grew as human beings.

We returned home stronger, more open, and more aware of the world — and of ourselves.‍

CEL was not just a language school.

‍It was home.
It was community.
It was family.

And the journey continues

Life didn’t pause while we were studying abroad — it evolved.

In our final week of classes, Débora received a new job offer in Brazil.

In August, Adriano became a partner in a startup and returned home full of new ideas and projects.

And we are already dreaming ahead: visiting Akiko, Tatsuya, and Namihei in Japan — and running the Tokyo Marathon in 2027.

To see more photos from this unforgettable year, you can follow Adriano on Instagram: @redator.

Here you can learn more about learning English in Vancouver with CEL.