A conversation with Marie Aubry

We met with Marie in the house she’s been renting with her sweetheart for the last three years on the shores of Lake Timiskaming. The forty-something French woman radiates happiness and entertains us with her sharp sense of humour.

Her journey from Grenoble to Ville-Marie inspired us. She recounts her love story with Témiscamingue with ease and authenticity before the camera (“Who me? Oh, I’m always in front of the lens,” she says jokingly).

“The friend I was travelling with had done a student exchange in Lorrainville years earlier. He had already made some friends here, which is how I discovered the quintessential Quebecois 5 à 7 (happy hour). Grenoble is a big city, and there isn’t as much sense of community, so this was really touching to me. This place was full of people who were truly close, they had a friendliness I had never seen before. From there, we headed to New York, but after just two days, I didn’t feel right. I said to my friend, ‘That’s it, we’re going back!’ Témiscamingue was calling me. When I returned to France, my life goal became clear: to one day call Témiscamingue home.”

She pauses for a moment, amused by something that suddenly catches her eye. “Well, are you going to film the squirrel and cat fighting, or not?” she says, laughing, before picking back up again. “Back in France, I met a man, a professional hockey player. After three dates, he told me that his dream was to live in Quebec. I thought, ‘Score! I didn’t like you that much before, but now we’re talking!’ », she jokes.

They did everything they could to obtain their working holiday visas, and at the very last minute, when they were almost beyond the age limit, they were finally approved. “We started off living in Montréal. We tried it, but quickly realized it wasn’t what we were looking for. It was hard to make friends, to find our place. A friend from here had lent us her apartment in Montréal, but to get our own, we needed a pay slip, a bank account… I couldn’t believe everything they needed from us in order to rent. And all that time, Témiscamingue was still calling me, so I said to my boyfriend, ‘I’m taking you somewhere. Trust me. We’ll give it two months, and then we’ll see.’ When we arrived in Ville-Marie, we saw a notice in the paper for a house for rent on the waterfront. I called the owner, who was away at the time. She said to come visit it, that someone would be there to show us the place. We instantly fell in love. We called her back that evening, and she said, ‘Great, go ahead and move your things in.’ She didn’t ask us for any documents. She just trusted us. That’s what really stands out here. We had just arrived, no one knew us, yet they trusted us.”

Another pause

In the field next to us, a gaggle of geese takes off

“I would have a really hard time going back to France now. Here, you eat your cereal by the water in the morning and watch the ducks touch down on the lake. In France, this lifestyle is reserved for the elite! We have close friends here, we’re happy, we forage wild mushrooms, go for walks, play tennis. Everything is nearby, and we have everything we need. There are bars, and there’s the Cimonak which opened recently. Everyone is so helpful and lends a hand.”

She often travels around the region as part of her job as a maple syrup representative (a French woman selling maple syrup—how exotic!). She shared her favourite finds with us: “I really enjoy Duparquet, next to La Sarre. And when I go to Rouyn-Noranda, I never miss a chance to eat at Paramount (now closed). My boyfriend and I love going to see the animals at Refuge Pageau and visiting Parc national d’Aiguebelle.”

And to think that before coming to Témiscamingue, she had always lived in big cities and never thought she’d live in a village… for fear of being bored!