Why did you choose Gaspésie?

My childhood was spent vacationing in the Gaspesie because my mother is from Shigawake. All of my summers were filled with trips to the coast and memories helping my Granny in the garden, eating seafood, and attending the Shigawake Fair. After teaching and traveling in Colombia for 7 years, I returned to Canada thinking I would settle back into my hometown of Ottawa. However, my Granny Lois Williams, who lived alone in Shigawake, was beginning to need some additional support, so I decided to relocate to the Gaspesie. I picked up a 4 month teaching contract and thought I’d be home by Christmas… I had no idea what was to come.

Luckily I had family and childhood friends who lived in Shigawake, so I had a built-in support system who helped welcome me to a very different type of living. I used to wait for donkey carts filled with fruit to cross the street in Colombia, and now I wait as tractors loaded with hay bales make their way down the road. Also, Gapsesians are some of the most friendly and good-hearted people I have had the privilege of meeting; everyone welcomed me with open arms and has helped me to fit in.