Storyteller: Gagan (he/him) My name is Gagan, and I was born in Ambala, Haryana, India. Ambala is a city with a rich cultural history and a close-knit community, known for its lively streets and vibrant traditions. Growing up in such a place shaped my values and gave me a strong sense of community, which I’ve carried with me throughout my life. In 2019, I made the decision to move to Canada on a study visa to pursue higher education, seeking new opportunities that would help

Storyteller: Yathil Srinivas (he/him) My name is Yathil and I’m originally from Bangalore, India. Back home, I come from a lively and vibrant city with a rich mix of cultures, languages, and traditions. In India, I completed my education and started working as a hairdresser, which eventually led me to explore opportunities abroad. I moved to Antigonish in 2021 on a work permit. I currently live in Stellarton but work in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. I recently received my permanen

Norah Quirk Interviewer: Tavneet Kaur Interviewee: Norah Quirk In this interview, Norah Quirk, a young community member who grew up in New Glasgow and moved to Antigonish for university, shares her experiences. Norah is a final-year student at StFX, majoring in History and minoring in Fine Arts. Norah enjoys photography and filmmaking, which fuel their creativity. Accompanied by a special guest, Norah's therapy cat Tiki, Norah reflects on how the town has changed for the bett

Neeti Bhatnagar (she/her) Interviewer: Tavneet Kaur Participant: Neeti Bhatnagar In this interview, Neeti Bhatnagar, a community member originally from India, shares her journey to Antigonish. Neeti moved to Canada in 2023 to join her husband, who had arrived in 2021 to work at NSCC in Port Hawkesbury. After spending a year there, they decided to settle in Antigonish. Neeti, a chef by profession, had a catering business in India and did some catering work in Port Hawkesbury b

Nadeeka (she/her) Interviewer: Tavneet Kaur Participant: Nadeeka In this interview, Nadeeka, a 45-year-old permanent resident of Canada, originally from Sri Lanka, shares her journey to Antigonish. She moved to Canada in April 2022 with her husband and two young kids, following a recommendation from her husband’s Canadian friend, who lives in Antigonish and introduced them to the town. Nadeeka graduated with a Bachelor of Education from StFX in May 2024. She recounts that she

Asad Ali (he/him) Interviewer: Bhavpreet Singh Arneja Participant: Asad In this interview, Asad Ali, a 25-year-old international student from Pakistan, shares his journey from Dubai to Antigonish. After spending 19 years in Pakistan and five years in Dubai for his bachelor's degree, Asad moved to Canada on August 23, directly settling in Antigonish. He met the StFX recruitment director at a conference in Dubai, where they discussed Asad’s plans to move to Canada, and the dire

Patrick (he/him) Interviewer: Bhavpreet Singh Arneja Participant: Patrick Patrick, a final-year student at St. Francis Xavier University, shares his journey from Nigeria to Antigonish. He moved to Canada in stages, first arriving in Vancouver on August 30, then Halifax, and finally settling in Antigonish on September 1. Growing up in the southern part of Nigeria, in a small but capital city where the community was tightly knit, Patrick draws parallels between his hometown and

Anonymous A sunny day captured in the town, captured on September 17, 2021. Copyright @art_nouveau___ As a Canadian student from British Columbia, moving to the small town of Antigonish in the winter of 2022 was a big change for me. I had grown up in a city and was used to the busy, bustling lifestyle, so the quietness of Antigonish was a bit of a shock. However, I was excited to experience a new environment and learn about a different way of living. One of the main problems

Anonymous One of the best ice cream spots in Antigonish, during the summers. Copyright @art_nouveau___ Moving from the busy city of Toronto to the charming town of Antigonish in the fall of 2020 was an exciting experience for me, eh. However, like any big change, it came with its own set of challenges. Here, I share my experience of the problems I faced and how I overcame them, eh. One of the biggest challenges for me was getting used to the slower pace of life in Antigonish.

Anonymous A beautiful sunset, clicked on February 12, 2022. Copyright @art_nouveau___ As an international student from Bangladesh, I came to Antigonish during the winters of 2022 with high hopes of pursuing my higher studies. However, my experience was not without its challenges, and the biggest of them was the language barrier. When I first arrived, I found it hard to understand the accent of the locals. Though I had studied English in school and had a good grasp of the lang

Original author: Dhruv Patel (he/him) Editor: X Helping Hands This photo was taken on December 28, 2022. Copyright @art_nouveau___ I am a final year student in the Bachelor of Science program at X. I am from Gujarat, a province in India known for the beautiful handicrafts, arts, sculptures, the historic temples, and most importantly, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, a great leader and the source of inspiration for the Indians during the early 1900s, who played an active role

Original author: Shivaang Antil (he/him) Editor: X Helping Hands A view of Morrison Hall captured on December 5, 2021. Copyright @art_nouveau___ I am a Bachelor of Business Administration student at StFX. My hometown is Delhi, the capital of India. I arrived in this close knitted town during 2020, and as an international student, I did share lived experience with homesickness and struggled to manage my life in a totally new country. As a high school graduate from India, it w