Something magical happens when Newfoundland women, most of them from the Burin Peninsula, step foot on the islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon. These little islands are only about twenty kilometers from the Peninsula; so close you can see their lights twinkling at night. Yet the place is worlds away.

For these islands with their language and culture are undeniably European. They were settled by French Basque in the seventeenth century drawn to them by the fishing. Today seven thousand inhabitants of those first settlers still live on these tiny, windswept, foggy islands that are still own by France.

The Newfoundland women who ended up here came for many different reasons; some for economic opportunity, others for a cultural experience like Kelly Osbourne. She was studying French at Memorial University in the immersion program. She was surprised that such a small community has such a vibrant night life where she met a lot of locals and became friends with many. Particularly Renaud Hutton who helped out with conversation in the French language classes for the students.

Why she returned and ended up staying is the same reason for all the Newfoundland women Land and Sea met. It was a matter of the heart. Kelly fell in love with Renaud and now several years after their first meeting, they’re married with a baby daughter. The story is the same with the other women. But the Newfoundland women also fell in love with the French people, their language and their culture. Kelly loves the pace of the island where the people “work to live, not live to work”. It’s a place where everything stops at noon so families can gather for a meal together. Shops, schools, offices all close up so that no one is left out.

All the women will tell you the same thing, it’s a French connection they’re all glad they made.