Homeschooling and one-of-a-kind community celebrations
Tahsis is a remote village at the end of the Tahsis Inlet, a little over an hour’s drive past Gold River. The population is about 350 in winter but nearly doubles in summer.
My family is coming up to our third anniversary of moving here. We opened a café that we run our chocolate business out of and where my younger brother Bran and I often help out. The school here only has about 25 kids in it, but Bran and I are homeschooled. We were before we moved, and decided to keep it that way.
In the mornings, we get up, have warm drinks, and read our books for at least a half hour. Then we get started on schoolwork, taking a break at breakfast time. Schoolwork is usually finished at about 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. and we might do something outside after that.
On Wednesday nights I have an online cello lesson, and on Thursday afternoons a local piano instructor is teaching me musical theory. I also love to read. The library here is great, and Bran and I go there once a week to pick up our books.
I am 13 and Bran is 11. There are not many kids my age, but we have a few friends that we hang out with. There is an amazing recreation centre that Bran and I often go to. It has a gymnasium, bowling alley, pool table, and even an actual pool!
The hardest part of living here is that the closest grocery store is two and a half hours away. Once a week in the summer and fall, and once every two weeks in the winter and spring, we all drive into town. It is a lot of driving, but we go to the climbing gym while there. In the drier months, we go climbing outside at Crest Creek Crags, and in winter we go skiing at Mount Cain.
Tahsis is a fishing community in the summer. The marina is full, and in the early mornings, you can hear boats leaving for the day. We got a fishing boat very soon after we moved. I made sure to get my operator’s license right away, and now I am usually the one to captain the boat as we troll for salmon. We jarred most of the salmon we caught this past year, and now have it for dinner a few times a month.
When it comes to holidays and events, Tahsis has it figured out. We even have our own holiday: Tahsis Days! Each year has a theme—the year we moved it was tropical, then pirates, and this year under the sea. There is always a scavenger hunt that lasts the whole three days, and people organize different activities. Last year we organized a game of Capture The Flag, and this year a running race. Also, for Halloween, there is a pumpkin carving contest, a costume contest, and an amazing fireworks show. There is also a spring and winter bazaar; Bran and I were vendors in the spring one last year.
Tahsis has the ocean on one side and dense forest on the other. We often go for hikes and runs on the local trails with our dog, Leo. We frequently see wildlife from squirrels and deer to bears. There is a rocky beach that we often swim at or have fires at—and practice lighting one without a lighter or matches.
Overall, I love living here. We see whales from our window, and everywhere in town is within walking distance. There are hard parts too, like the long drives and not seeing our old friends as much, but there are hard parts anywhere you live. Out of anywhere, I’m glad we chose here.
