Well, the anniversary day is here and like all milestones, one must ask the age old question? Where did time go? How fast is the world turning ? It seems I only arrived here a week ago....
Well instead of boring myself and my readers with that sort of doldrums what I would like to do instead is highlight some Good and Bad Aspects of Living on PEI (for me only). Others may not find yucky the same things I find yucky and of course, a real Islander, of which I am not, doesn't like their precious Island dissed, so I won't, too much....
The shorter list is the "what I don't like" so let's start with that....
***Taxes. Holy frig, no wonder these people have to leave the province to support themselves. GST on everything as we all in Canada know, than once that is ADDED in, add another whopping 10 points on the total. OUCH. You go to get a sandwich for 3 bucks you're gonna pay 3.50, Hello when you buy something big like a car....How do people do it I don't know. The income taxes are double off your paycheck compared to Alberta. If you're making 10 bucks and hour in PEI your taxed $50.00 per pay as opposed to the same amount in Alberta, $25.00 taxes. I do understand the taxes pay for the huge EI and Welfare dependency but, perhaps if the government taxed alot less, people could stay in low paying jobs all year and support their families without having to find higher paying income which is just seasonal....Come planners, plan. Make it work. This is Canada. there is industry here, there are jobs, something just isn't fitting right in the picture. And please don't tell me that the people here are lazy, as an Albertan for 40+ years I have witnessed plenty of laziness there as well...Taxes here are lethal.
****Pollution, what a shame. This Island and it's people deserve so much better than the commercialization, exploitation, of their livelihoods and their precious island. It will be lost environmentally long before next generations of young farmers want to harvest their own crops and herds. Many won't eat the fresh stream fish anymore. I personally won't eat any non-organic veggies or fresh water fish. The chemicals are killing these people with record numbers in cancer rates but nobody is doing anything to stop it. I am reminded of Chernobyl. Only after the fact did anyone react. Scary.
****Gossip. As long as you live a good life and are pretty boring in your comings and goings, nothing to fear here. It is the daily pastime for both genders, all walks of life and no matter what part of the island you are from, everyone knows what you are up to. I suppose it could be used to your advantage like, you wouldn't have to waste time and energy on writing up invitations to a function. Just tell one person...there you go, they all know. If you are in trouble, this is a positive. No one needs to be told twice on this Island that someone is in need, they ALL come forward to assist. So, this I suppose is Good and Bad....
***The breeze. Hello, breeze. I explored this aspect of island life before making the move as weather is important, to all of us, in deciding where to set up for the next phase of our lives...All PEI literature said breezy, it's breezy from the water. I'm thinking, yeah that's nice, cool down kind of ocean breeze, hair flowing softy while the sun and colors of the island glow on your skin. My first winter here showed me the truth. Winter winds ripped a door off my house, my back shed and some siding went astray. One afternoon my first winter here I ventured out of the house into the "breeze" and walked through waist deep snow to get to my mailbox. Once I had the mail securely in my windblown hand I tromped back to my back door only to be knocked over by my very playful Rottweiler Diago for playtime. Once down in the snow I found the wind was so strong I could not get back up. My mail went dancing in the drifting snow, covered in seconds by more snow and I lay ed there beside the regretful Diago thinking that perhaps, this was the end of me. They will find me in the spring, dumb Alberta woman and her dog, getting her mail in a winter Breeze, what's wrong with these folks from away??? PEI tourist people really should use the word wind, gale, near tornado, and call it correctly.
That's it for dislikes, May I now introduce my likes.....
****Peace & Serenity & Quiet, that's why I came, that's what I got. I can go to any beach within 5 minutes driving, 40 minutes by horse and be ALONE on the world's most beautiful beaches. No matter what time of year. Alone with the birds, the crickets , the stillness or the raging of the water, tide in tide out, shells of every color and shape. Beauty and silence. Guaranteed.
****Beautiful, landscapes. Breathtaking no matter what season, vivid three dimensional scenes fall before your eyes no matter what corner you turn, beach, woods, field of corn, sunset on the water, sunrise on the clover field. Breathtaking from every direction, every day no matter what time of day or year. Cameras can not do justice of this place.
****The mentality of people and their values. When I first moved here I noticed something remarkable about the initial exchange between people. In Alberta you meet someone, "hi what's you name, what do you do, where do you live?" It's all about status and income. Here, "Hi what's your name where are you from? Who are your people?" It's all about who are you, who you are related to, and where do you hail from. Totally different priorities in first impressions. I prefer the island way. I'd rather be known from where I come from or who I am than what I have or don't have. More wholesome and no pressure to have better the the Jones's.....
****Gossip. Yes I know I mention this in the negative but there is a positive. Not only does everyone know your business, but they actually care about you, like your one of their own. They know all your troubles and they actually try to help you, some of them behind the scenes as you never actually meet them, you just hear about it... I lived this with the death of my son two+ years ago. Everybody knew shortly after I did and they came for days with sweets, buns, homemade preserves, fruit and veggies, hugs and tears and sit down chats about death, funerals etc. People I had never met would pass me on the road, take their hats off and nod at me. Some in their tractors would do this as soon as they noted my vehicle coming home from work they would slow down, hat off or tipped and a solemn nod. Wow, I would think, they know. The last two Mother's Days I jumped up on Jodi my horse for an early morning ride/cry/ride/cry cause that's what I need to do on Mother's Day. I usually go really early so that no one is around and I can start my day off on the right note. There has been the occasional neighbour in his/her car stop the car, turn off the motor and wait for me to pass in silence. I watched another car with a neighbour see me , waved and tipped his hat, went ahead of me and held the other neighbours barking growling dog until my horse and I passed by, again hat in hand ,head nodded in respect. I would have never expected such touching remembrance from anyone but those close to me, but I live in PEI. They are all close to me.
That's my four year summary....I say the pluses win 'cause I'm stayin....I love this place and it loves me right back.
This is a spot on earth filled with love, compassion and beauty. Truly a place that I was meant to be right now. Others may not find what I did here, but maybe there's a reason for that for if everyone loved it and moved in than it wouldn't be as I described any longer; would it?
Thanks PEI , I love you.
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2 comments:
We love you right back, Deb; thanks for the tribute to the Island. Now about the wind: take it from a gal currently in Newfoundland - PEI has only a breeze :)
Way to go Deb you made it 4 years and hope that your here for many more. Maybe someday real Islanders will forget that your from away and think that your one of us cause your fitting right in. I have been to NFL to and Ellyn is right this is only a breeze.
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