When did you arrive on Bowen?
August 28, 1996 at 11 years old.
How did you come to be on Bowen?
My dad got a job in Vancouver. We had family friends who lived on the island and my parents were looking for places all over the Lower Mainland and realized that Bowen was beautiful and way cheaper than everywhere else. And my dad was willing to commute for 20 years on the ferry into downtown Vancouver. So it worked out that we ended up here.
And you recently came back?
I was living in Victoria for three years. And then when COVID started, I kind of came back thinking, Oh, I’ll just be back for a week or two. I brought no clothes with me – nothing except my instruments. And then I ended up staying pretty much until now. But I did also move back 2012 to 2016. I was teaching abroad and ended up getting a teaching job at IPS and taught there and stayed here for four years. I guess more connections as an adult are through teaching on the island and doing theater on the island.
Where on Bowen do you live?
Bluewater.
What’s your favourite place on the island?
Oh, that’s a tough one. Right now, I’ve spent so much time on Crayola Beach, I think that’s maybe my most magical place. But a lot of the Bluewater trails as well, I just love and feel a very close connection to. I take my dog for walks every day. And I know these trails really well – they feel like home to me.
What’s your favourite Bowen story?
With all of the changes happening so quickly here on Bowen, I like to think back to the beginning and imagine the stories about what the land was like for the people of the Squamish nation before the settlers came here. The creation story of Turtle Island is a powerful one for me and I recently learned that in the Squamish peoples’ creation stories, Xwlil’xhwm is referred to as the place where the deer were created. Even the name of our island meaning “fast drumming ground” for the sounds of the deers’ hooves beating the earth is a beautiful one to remember and connect with.
What’s something Bowen Islanders have in common?
I think the friendliness aspect for sure. I mean, it’s changed so much too, so I feel like community was a really big thing and with a lot of people community is really key. So yeah, having welcomeness and a friendliness and a keenness for community building.
What’s been keeping you going during COVID-19?
For me it was connecting with young people because I was teaching at IDLC and seeing them. We just tried to keep going, you know, and connect. I think the theatre last summer was amazing for connecting with other people, and really making the extra effort to do that was really important to me. It also allowed for the sense of normalcy, in a way, of feeling like I could still connect, even if it was outdoors, through a walk in the park or with my students.
