We’ve never known people like the people here. To begin with, they’re unbelievably friendly and unfailingly kind-hearted. When we first arrived on the hill, we were gifted with everything from work clothes to free welding. Our mailbox post was a gift, as was the roof bracket that secures our stovepipe, and oftentimes our dinner was compliments of a kind neighbour. When we ran out of wood our first winter, a team of snowmobiles arrived, firewood in tow, driven by concerned individuals who, like everyone here it seems, expected nothing in return for their quite substantial efforts.
Simply amazing…an experience so rare as to be priceless in our city-dwelling existence. And I have to say that in the face of such kindness and generosity, I was—and am—filled with great pride to be able to stand up and say “I am a Newfoundlander”.
We have learned that life can be very harsh in rural Newfoundland. The weather is extreme, the land itself is untamed and the living is often difficult. Yet, though they have known the hardest of conditions, Newfoundlanders are an easy-going lot, quick to laugh and always ready to celebrate life. And while they are fiercely proud and protective of a distinct culture that is theirs alone, they nonetheless welcome the stranger as a friend.
Perhaps it’s the longstanding need to pull together for survival that engenders such spontaneity and acceptance and the willingness to lend a hand. Or perhaps it’s got to do with being surrounded by water and more or less forgotten by the world. Whatever the reason, the inhabitants of this island are a breed apart
We’re thrilled to be counted among them.