St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador — Canada

So you're moving to Newfoundland

Nobody warned you. We will. An honest guide to living on The Rock — written by someone who came from away too.

Cape Spear · 47°N
What you need to know

“The official guides tell you what the province wants you to hear. This one tells you what you'll actually find.”

For international students, new immigrants, and anyone moving from away — the gap between brochure Newfoundland and real Newfoundland is significant. The fog is thicker. The winters are longer. The people are stranger, and warmer, than you expect. This site exists in that gap.

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All Posts

Mummering, capelin, renting, bakeries — everything about this place, from someone who learned it the hard way.

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Categories

Filter by topic: culture, food, living here, history, fish and sea.

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About

CFA: Come From Away. Written from that position — close enough to know, far enough to notice.

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About this site

Written by someone who came from away

CFA: Come From Away. It is what Newfoundlanders call everyone else, with affection and mild suspicion in equal measure. This site is written from that position — close enough to know, far enough to notice.

No sponsorships. No tourism board partnerships. Just what it is actually like to live here.

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The Capelin Roll: When the Newfoundland Comes Ashore

Slug: capelin-roll-newfoundland · Category: Fish & Sea · Tags: capelin, capelin roll, Newfoundland fishery, Mallotus villosus, marine ecology, Iceberg Alley For a week, sometimes two, in late June or early July, the beaches along Newfoundland’s east coast fill with people carrying buckets, dip nets, and sometimes even laundry baskets. They stand at the edge of the surf and watch the water until dark. Then the waves begin to move differently. ...

May 3, 2026 · 10 min · 2118 words · Newfoundland Saga

Torbakery

On the way to Torbay Beach, there is a small bakery called Torbakery. It is hard to miss: a bright, sky-blue house that seems to glow even from a distance. When visitors ask me, “Where’s a good local bakery around here?” I usually recommend this place and Georgetown Bakery. It is not that one is better than the other. It simply depends on where I am heading that day, and which one is closer along the way. ...

April 30, 2026 · 2 min · 399 words · Newfoundland Saga

Mummering Explained

Newfoundland’s Banned Christmas Tradition That Came Back to Life Walk through the arrivals hall at St. John’s International Airport sometime in late December and you may see a small group of figures standing near the Christmas trees. They are wearing pyjamas, with bras pulled on over winter coats and pillowcases on their heads. They are carrying decorated sticks that rattle when they move. If you are a Come From Away, you assume something has gone wrong. ...

December 3, 2018 · 10 min · 4596 words · Newfoundland Saga