The EQ Institute Nature Retreat
The EQ Institute Nature Retreat |
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| Quebec | Canada |
Introduction Work Exchange Program Photos Getting Here Nearby Quebec Hostels My Favorite Hostels Links to things in Cap Chat area
Work Exchange Student Stories Contact Info.
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April 2006 Note. This is an old page. I haven't been to Quebec in a couple years, but if you would like to visit my property, please write me. I could use someone to help me fix it up. It is getting ruined by neglect I'm afraid.
stevehein @ hotmail.com (take out the spaces)
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Here is where I (Steve Hein) come to spend May through October of each year. The location is on the Gaspesie Peninsula in the Province of Quebec, between Matane and St. Anne des Monts. It is surrounded by mountains, rivers, streams, waterfalls, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Chic-Chocs nature preserve, the International Appalachian hiking trail, the Gaspesie Provincial Park and the Forillon National Park.
It is the perfect spot for spending a few days in the beauty of Canadian nature, far from the crowded cities. The retreat is right on the banks of Petite Riviere Cap-Chat and includes a private sand beach. The water is so clear you can see the stones and pebbles of the river bed, so clean you can drink it, and flows so fast that it is always refreshingly cool. In many places it is shallow enough to walk to the other side, but there are also spots to take a short swim. The sound of it cascading over the rocks adds to the relaxing feelings of the natural surroundings.
Here it is a little like a primitive campsite in the woods, but with a few more amenities. It does not have the modern toilet and shower facilities of the city, but if you enjoy nature, camping, exploring the woods, solitude and serenity, you are likely to love it here.
I am a writer on the subjects of emotional intelligence (EQ), personal growth, psychology, education and society. I offer a student work exchange program for international travellers interested in my writing on emotions, emotional intelligence and society.
My work will be of special relevance to those who are interested in alternative child care, alternative education, alternative psychology and personal growth. I say "alternative" because I do not endorse the use of punishment in education and child care, nor do I support the use of mind-altering drugs for children or adults. I believe we can find ways to manage our emotions and brain chemicals without prozac, ritalin, alcohol, nicotine, etc.
My work is based on scientific research, nature, simplicity and a belief in the inherent health seeking nature of humans. It is not associated with any religious or spiritual belief systems. (Because health is highly valued here, campfire smoke only please, not those death sticks otherwise known as cigarettes!)
For more information on the EQI and my writing please visit the EQI Home Page and my personal page, www.stevehein.com
Address: Petite Riviere, Cap-Chat Quebec Canada GOJ 1E0
Phones: Local number during open season is (418) 786-5439 and
year-round voice mail number is (208) 439-4029
Email: stevehein @ hotmail.com (no spaces)
Hostel Webpage: http://eqi.org/capchat.htm
EQI Home Page http://eqi.org
Personal Web Page http://stevehein.com
Accommodation and food are provided for 3-4 hours of work each day.
You can choose any combination of the following work for your exchange hours.
1. Inside work such as translation, research, writing, proofreading, printing, marketing and webpage work.
2. Outside work such as replanting trees, collecting rasberries, making a small vegetable garden, cutting and collecting firewood, making trails, etc.
I am also part of the WWOOFing program, an international work exchange program, but you do not have to be a member of WWOOFing to be in my private work exchange program. The WWOOFing program is more for those interested in learning about organic farming. I might start a vegetable garden in the year 2002, but if I do it will just be a small garden.
Expect to learn a lot about yourself. Expect to have a lot of freedom over what you do and when you do it. Expect to be asked a lot of questions about how you feel, about your family, your relationships. Expect to have your thinking challenged and to be asked for your opinion on many things.
Expect to swim in an icy cold river; to collect and cut firewood; to sit around a campfire and talk. Expect to go on a bike ride on the dirt road along the river. Expect to sleep in a tent and heat your water over an open fire so you can take a hot shower outside.
Gaspesie Peninsula Gaspe Provincial Park Forillon National Park
Cap-Chat
Windmills near Cap-Chap Sunset over the St. Laurence Mountains behind Cap-Chat
I am approximately 6 hours from Quebec City on route 132. It is about two hours east of Rimouski. The "Orleans" bus service is available to the nearest town, Cap-Chat, where I can pick you up. I can also pick you up from the hostel in St. Anne des Monts, which is about 15 minutes away. Because the I travel often and have limited accommodation, please email first for availability and more specific directions.
Transportation Links
Allo-Stop (Ride sharing)
Orleans Bus -
I list the numbers of the local bus stops first because the website often has the wrong schedule information, but if you want to visit the website it is here: Orlean (English) French
Information and short reviews on other nearby hostels in Quebec
Nearest hostels
Other Hostels in Quebec
Some of my favorite hostels & hangouts around the world:
| Australia | Luxembourg | USA |
| Canada | New Zealand |
| Here is a link to the Hostel Handbook which has
online listings. There is also a printed directory which
you can purchase for a few dollars. I have found many
small, independent hostels using it. For example,
Sheila's Farm Studio in the tiny town of Zephyr, Ontario.
Sheila is an artist
from Ireland and when you stay there you instantly feel
welcome and special. Here is a link to her website on her
paintings.
Also, I found Chez Monika in Lanse St. Jean, Quebec. Monika has the
most extensive and beautiful garden of natural herbs I
have ever seen, and she makes her own herbal medicines
from her home. I found it a good idea, though, to check first with the independent hostels before counting on staying there, as sometimes they stop taking hostellers without letting the publisher know. |
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More photos
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Andes/1278/ Site of Jocelle Cauvier
Links to things in Cap Chat area
http://www.eole.org The windmills of Cap-Chat
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/71428.html (Cap Chat current weather)
Clara from Australia was my first visitor to the Canadian program which started in 2001. She arrived in Cap-Chat by getting a ride through Allo Stop. The driver dropped her off at Cap-Chat, then she hitchhiked from there. (About 8 kilometers) By chance she got a ride with a good friend of my neighbor, Pierre! He and Pierre had been visiting at Pierre's house and he just gone into Cap-Chat to get something. On the way back he saw Clara hitchhiking. Luckily he spoke a little English, because Clara didn't speak French! I had given her Pierre's name in case she got lost and I was away from the phone. So she explained where she was going and, voila!, I found her sitting on Pierre's back porch sharing a drink with Pierre and his friend!
Once Clara and I started talking we rarely stopped. Clara was studying psychology and law. We talked about how she was raised in a wealthy suburb of Sydney and was heavily socialized to behave according to other people's expectations. She had been in Canada for about 9 months. This is the longest time she has ever been away from home and she is just now starting to find her own identity. She deliberately wants to expand her horizons. She said she always knew she did not share all of her parents' values and beliefs and that she didn't really fit in with the people she called her best friends in school.
Clara was a "prefect" in an upper class private school. As a prefect she was given authority over other students and was rewarded for helping enforce the school rules. We talked at length about this and how she felt about it. As prefect she had the power to tell other students what to do, and if they did not do it she could report them to the school authorities and they would be punished. One of her duties as a prefect was to make sure everyone was wearing their uniform "properly." I asked her what she would say to a student whose shirt was hanging out. She said, "I would just walk up to him and say "Tuck your shirt in." At the time she didn't think there was anything wrong with this, but hopefully I helped her realize that no one likes to be bossed around and threatened with punishment.
As we talked asked Clara a lot of questions. I asked how it felt to order other students around like this and how she thought the other students felt. I asked her what the purpose of education really is and why it was important for the boys to wear their ties all the way home even after they had left the school property (something which was actually another of the school rules).
I asked Clara how she felt about my questions and she said she felt defensive. We talked about that for a while. Asking her how she felt and letting her explain why she felt defensive helped relax her so we could continue to talk openly.
We also talked a lot about her parents and how she was raised. I asked if she had ever been hit by her parents and she said yes. Then we talked about whether a child ever deserves to be hit. Clara started feeling defensive and insisted she had "good" parents. I then asked her what "good" meant in that context and how she felt about my questions.
Again she was aware that she was feeling defensive and she explained why. She said that it felt threatening to think of her parents not being good. She said that if someone gave her convincing evidence that her parents were not "good," then she would have to face the possibility that there was something wrong with her. She said this is what frightened her when I asked my question.
To break up the intensity of our talks we took a long bike ride into the woods at the end of the road, and at night we sat around the campfire and relaxed. We didn't do much "work," but still I felt satisfied it was a good start to the program!
Errin arrived by bus, but had her bike on the bus. I met her at the bus stop, which is the Petro Canada gas station on the west end of town. She decided it would be nice to ride for a while so she rode her bike part way to my place while I did some errands. Then I met her and took her the rest of the way. Later that day we went grocery shopping and I learned that Errin had strong feelings about a lot of the products in the store. She didn't want to buy things if they were made by US companies, made with chemicals, etc. She introduced me to some new foods, like cous-cous, for example.
That night she made some herbal tea for me and we lit candles and talked late into the night. Errin told me a lot of interesting things over the next few days. For example, she told me about the protest of the Free Trade Agreement in Quebec earlier that year. She told me about how she stopped washing her hair about a year earlier and how her father said it was "revolting" at first. We talked a lot about her father and it became clear that on the one hand she resented his authority, and authority figures in general, but on the other hand she was still seeking his approval.
She cut herself deliberately as a teenager and tried to kill herself three times. Her brother's friend nearly raped her. She said her brother came in and didn't acknowledge what was happening. Later laughed about it as being her "first time."
Errin was used to being told what she "should" do. So she started feeling self-critical when she thought she "should" eat the rest of her oatmeal and that she "should" be working- not sleeping even though she was sick. Not surprisingly she also wanted to tell me what I should do. She said I "should" use recycled paper, for example.
Her grandmother told her to "smile" since she was "young and had nothing to worry about." Her grandmother also insisted they use "Oxford Dictionary English."
She also said that often she felt ganged up on as the whole family criticized her. I suspect all of this is what led her to become such a non-conformist and social activist. It is an outlet for her feelings of resentment. No doubt this is also what led her to use drugs. She told me she still smoked pot and even had some with her. But knowing that I don't support the use of drugs to try to offset emotional problems she respected my preference that she not use drugs while she was with me.
In retrospect, Errin was not quite ready for my program. Though we talked a lot and I learned a lot from her, she was not open to much of what I said. I could see she felt defensive, even more defensive than Clara. She felt a need to debate nearly everything I said. This was fun for a while, it kept me on my toes, but by the time she left we were both drained. From that experience I learned how important it is that the people who come here are open to learning about themselves and are good listeners. This is the only way you will get the most out of our time together.
Something else Errin helped me see was that the ideal person who comes here will have already done some personal growth work. Errin clearly had not done much work on herself. Most of her time had been spent in typical university classes. As is so often the case, she had learned a lot, but not much about things which would help with her own personal problems. From our discussions it became clear to me that, instead of taking responsibility for her life and her feelings, she felt victimized and powerless, something which contributed to her resentment. The only way she could set her boundaries was to get angry. She would then try to hurt the other person, or she would run away from the situation.
I feel sad when I think of Errin. There were many things I liked about her. But I don't feel optimistic that she will find happiness anytime soon. I do hope that she will make good use of what I have written here and that she will keep in touch. Errin was able to see things clearly in other people and because of that she helped me see things in myself. This is one of the things I like about the work exchange program. I am able to constantly learn about myself from the people who come visit me.
St. Anne des Monts (Sainte Anne des Monts)
295 1er Avenue Est
St.Anne-des-Monts, QC G0E 2G0
The hostel at St. Anne is an old school building a few years ago it was completely redone to make it into a hostel. That means it has very new rooms, bathrooms etc. I first stopped there in 1999 and immediately felt comfortable there, largely because of the intelligent, friendly and helpful staff members, Carole, Marie-Eve and Isabelle. Carole was my favorite. She is a bit of a hippie and the first day I was there she told me about a place to go swimming in the river. Later she and I would go there together or meet there on her days off.
Often I still like to go there on the weekends. This year I met and became friends with Stephanie an intern from Germany. We had many good talks before she left to do some travelling around Quebec, New Foundland, Novia Scotia, and New Brunswick.
Something interesting always happens when I go to St. Anne. Sometimes I go to the Vieux St.Anne, the most popular local pub at night. I like it there because the waitresses have never bothered me when I just go and dance or people-watch without ordering a drink, and they have a large outside patio and a large sideroom where it is possible to actually have a conversation with someone even though the band is playing. Thursday nights, I am told are the best, but I haven't been there on a Thursday yet. Maybe this week I will!
Later I plan to tell more of my stories. But for now I will stop here.
Before I go though I will say that the hostel is place to stay if you want to see the beautiful Gaspe provincial park. You can easily walk to the road leading to the park, catch a ride with someone and in 20 minutes be among mountains, rivers, waterfalls and lakes. And not too far from moose and carribou.
English pronunciation Cop O's Oh
(418) 763-1555
The Cap aux Os Hostel is in a big old house. It is more of a traditional hostel with a lot of young people generally hanging around. It is the kind of place you end up staying longer than you planned. It is also a busy place. There are activities (for an extra charge usually) almost every night of the week. Things like going to watch the beavers working, which I haven't done yet, but I heard it is a lot of fun. It is a pretty good place for reading. There is a common area with a small stereo, there is a large front porch, there are couches in the large kitchen and dining room downstairs. And there are picnic tables out front which look out into the Ocean. The owner, Gill, seems to be a very friendly guy. He let me sleep in my car while I was there (which I always prefer to do since I have all my computer equipment, extra batteries, notebooks, books to read, etc. in there, and also because there is no one going in and out at 1, 2, 3 am and no one else snoring there besides me!). Sometimes the hostel managers are skeptical of this, though I don't really know why. Sometimes though they are happy to have me since I am not taking up a bed. And generally I do something to help out around the hostel or at least I offer to.
Links
http://www.gaspesie.net/aj-gaspe/
TheVal David hostel is in an old log cabin in the mountains about two hours north of Montreal. It has the distinct feel of a ski lodge with its fireplace and rough timber beams and wood stairways. It also has an enclosed porch with full length windows on three sides whidch looks out over pine covered hills. It is one of the most picturesque views I have seen from a hostel. The hostel kitchen is one of the best you will find with an abundance of pots, pans, and silverware. The dining room also looks out over the wooded hills.
The front room has two sofas and several big chairs with lamps next to each one, perfect for reading. In fact at night it was the custom to sit quietly and read until the hostel managers went to bed and reminded you to turn off the lights when you were done. It may be one of the best hostels for reading you will find.
It is mostly busy in the winter time when it is a favorite spot for cross country skiers. The owners are a lively couple from Switzerland who speak just a little English. I'd guess they are in the early 60's and typically Swiss as far as being neat and keeping things well maintained and organized. They were a cute couple and seemed to be one of the happiest and healthiest couples I have met in a long time.
I stayed there about two weeks. Then they let me leave my car there while I was in Paris for a week and a half. The day I left I was running a little late and it was raining, so the owner offered to give me a ride to the bus stop which I greatly appreciated. He also let me put my bike inside down in the basement while I was gone.
Behind the hostel are lots of trails in the woods for either walking, bike riding or cross country skiing. The town of Val David is pretty artsy and seems to have a fairly educated population even though it is a tiny town. It is on a quickly flowing river which offers some beautiful small waterfalls and rapids. The bike trail which was an old train track runs almost right through the middle of town. On the weekends it is suprisinly busy. Evidently a lot of people in Montreal have weekend homes in the area or just come up for the day or for the night. There is Internet access in the nice little library, but it costs a coupld dollars an hour as I recall. There is a bus which takes you from Montreal to Val David. From there it is about a 1K walk to the town center and another 1k to the hostel.
Links
http://www.aubergelerouet.com/
Auberge de la Minganie
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Other WWOOFIng Hosts I am familiar with
L'Amitient - St.-Jovite, Quebec
L'Amitient is a special farm where several mentally handicapped adults live and work. When I visited, there were 7 special "friends." Everyone, including the friends, does daily chores. This helps the friends develop a sense of self-worth and accomplishment. Chores include caring for animals such as horses, cows, and pigs; milking the cow; farming, etc.
I agree with the directors of the farm, Luc and Shelly, who believe that contact with the animals, plants and the land promotes a sense of "creative unity with nature."
Much of the philosophy at L'Amitient is based on the work of Rudulph Steiner and the concept of something called "Anthroposophy." There is a spiritual/religious component to the farm life, for example there is a morning prayer, but it is not pushed upon the WWOOFer's or staff.
Each Thursday night there is a pot-luck dinner at the farm. People from the community, travellers, visitors etc. are invited to bring something to eat in a communal supper. Shelly told me people really enjoy this opportunity to learn about the farm and meet others with similar interests.
As of September 2001 there are two full time positions available at the farm. In exchange for work with the farm and with the friends the workers will receive $150 per week in addition to room and board.
Contact information
Shelley and Luc (shelley.mathews@sympatico.ca)
1165 Route 137
St. Jovite, Quebec J0T 2H0
Phone - 819-425-9574
Location: 1.5 hours north of Montreal. 30 minutes south of Mont Tremblant.