When The Puffins Call You Must Follow

I got a lovely letter from some fellow Ontarians who are hearing the call of the puffins – you know the one that says “you must move out east” – and so decided to break from my round-the-clock job of creating Newfoundland’s latest great export, book trailers, to write back and post a blog post all at the same time.

Dear Patti, this is for you.

Yes, I must say when I had “the calling” to move out to Newfoundland, I was quite astounded. This is because I always thought I would end up in a big cosmopolitan city like New York or Paris (yah, I know, how unoriginal is that?)

But when I first got here to St. John’s, in Oct 2005, I was immediately enchanted. It sounds a bit airy fairy, ya-fer-sure, but wow, when your inner energy matches with the outside energy, it’s magic. Nothing less.

Before I moved out last summer, when people asked why I was moving I’d answer because Newfoundland is magical. They all nodded their head in agreement. Except for one person, but she was from Mississauga, ON, and so that says it all there.

The first week of my arrival I was down at my favourite pub, The Victory, where I am sure to always end up in a cool conversation about Noam Chomsky or some other big head, or singing in three part harmony with some brand new buddies till the wee hours of the morning, when I told one young person that I had recently moved here from Toronto because I loved it so. He nodded and said, “Newfoundland is magic,” then he kissed me on top of the head.

It was like the prophecy was sealed.

Now, not everyone will like getting kissed on top of the head by unknown youngsters half their age in the a tiny local bar where almost everyone knows your name. Some people will actually prefer the anonymity of the suburbs where all the houses look the same, with garages and driveways proudly on display, where you can gate yourself away to feel safe from the so called “others” and spend lots of time in your car driving to and fro from work, or the mall, until it’s time to come home to tend to your lawn.

But not me. I liked it. It was affectionate – and sweet.

I also like it when storekeepers or cashiers half my age call me darling -and even dear. I like it lots, and it it still shocks or “wakes me up” each time I hear it. I did not grow up this way. I was a gumba, or a “retard”, or just ignored. I was never a darling.

I think I missed out.

So when everyone else in the world tries to cultivate an image of “coolness” by being reserved, distant and non-committal, I’ll take the province where sweet “bon mots” are doled out liberally, and where being defensive is not a priority, and there is nothing to gain by keeping your distance.

In fact I have found the people of Newfoundland the least afraid people I have ever met.

I call it the the “Galapagos Islands of people.”

Yes, I do. In fact, I have been testing that phrase around town, just to see if someone will be offended, and true to Galapagos form, no one is.

That is because my totally unscientific research has shown that Newfoundlanders are indeed not defensive, and certainly not aggressive. My theory goes like this – just like the animals of the Galapagos islands, the residents here have no natural predators (well, not anymore) and so they need not be fearful, because noone here is “out to get them.”

In other words, it’s nice here. The people are nice. They are the least pretentious I have ever met. It’s small enough that there is still a sense of community. You aren’t just a faceless person in the crowd. And it hasn’t been ruined by capitalism. Yet.*

As a smart political journalist I met while browsing at a souvenir shop told me “Newfoundland is the only place in the world where it’s OK to be poor.”

I think that’s what he said. Or was it “no one cares that you are poor.” Hmm. Is there a difference? To some academic or literature major perhaps there is. But here, I think, nope. It all boils down to the same thing: less predators, less defensiveness, more welcoming, non-judgemental, nice and willing to lend a hand.

I have been to 4 fundraisers all ready since moving here. One most recently for Canadian Idol finalist Jennie Gear’s dad, who is ill with cancer (click here to donate.) All are wondrously attended, with people generous to a fault, donating time or prizes and buying up silent auction goods.

And so, back to them puffins.

Pat, you say you and your hubby both lost your jobs, and though people urge you to go west, your guts want to go east.

What I say is honour your guts. Always honour the guts. Guts know best.

My guts, for example, don’t hear any messages coming from the west. A few visits to Calgary, the rockies and British Columbia interior, and yah, they were right. It is not my scene.

One trip to St. John’s and it was insta-love.

But do visit first and check it out. Of course.

Check the scene/energy/spirit. Is it what you like? I traveled from Toronto to Newfoundland and back last summer in a car taking 3 weeks, exploring along the way, and it was a hoot. I found Newfoundland to have the most character. The other provinces were nice, but they can best be described as “Newfoundland lite.” They just don’t have as much spirit as NL. I am all about spirit.

Just remember that if you drive..it’s far! It takes 17 hours to get here from Halifax. Thats 4 hours to Sydney through Cape Breton single lane highways (we had summer construction and almost missed our ferry), 8 hours for the ferry, including waiting times, then a 10 hour drive from the ferry dock to St. John’s. Wait. that’s 22 hours. Who told me 17? They were definitely speeding. The ferry isn’t cheap either. It’s about $175 for one car plus 2 people.

If you decide to move, don’t think you have to do it all at once. Be creative. Maybe rent your house out furnished for a year, or let “Cousin It” stay in it for a bit taking care of the plants and Fluffy the cat until you find a place to live here. Moving is overwhelming, so if you can spread the chores out, you will have more time to make decisions, and be less stressed out. I for one figured it’s not worth taking my furniture across the country, so I gave it to family, friends, or to the cottage. Now I can start all anew. You’d be amazed at how fun that is.

Jobs – bien sur, this is important. Do check out the online job boards. The weekend Telegram has lots of ads. The paper edition has a lot more job ads than the web sit . I hear there are jobs for skilled trades and labourers in St. John’s – especially in the oil trade. Same for construction or house contractors. But it’s still a small city, so there is less variety than in Toronto, and much less in the other parts of the province.

Try the Chamber of Commerce, or metro governments to see what services they offer. Business directories and business associations may have list of companies that you can contact directly.

The housing market out east is still hot, and last year St. John’s led the country with 12% growth. That said, houses are still affordable..and often not much more than rent.

Do be careful though..there is no natural gas on the island, so heating is with oil or electricity, and oil prices for an old house can run upwards of $500 a month.

Contact other bloggers. Gary Kelly of Cornerbrook is a nice guy with a cool blog. There’s the Newfoundland blog roll too, with over 150 blogs listed.

So, would I recommend moving out East? Yah, definitely. I love it here. Absolutely. What I think is important, or care about, is here. The only thing I complain about is the weather, and come on…we complain about the weather everywhere in Canada.

Is it for everyone? Probably not. But just before I left Toronto I heard stories of other other people who split out east, and none of them regretted it. They all cited the same reason for enjoying their new adopted provinces… their quality of life improved.

You just have more time for life here. And that life is fun.

So, hope to see you soon.

*this came from a conversation I had with a smartypants saying that historically, whenever oil money comes to town, it ruins it. Oil money never improves a town never leaves it better. I haven’t done the research to back this up, but I’d say get here quick. It’s nice now, and things change.