Things they say in Thunder Bay

 

Flag of Thunder Bay

Dart - At first I thought a lot of people just enjoyed the game with the bulls-eye. I started to get suspicious when you could get 'a pack of darts' from the convenience store and "go out for a dart". So Dart here means cigarette. 

Seen - "I seen it happen", "I seen that", "I seen this thing the other day." This made my eye twitch at first. Then around month 5 I started to accept it as a part of my surroundings. Then last month it happened, it became ingrained in my vocabulary and I said it... seen. Steph was the only witness but I'm fessing up, I used seen in the grammatically wrong way.

Inner-city - One of the first malls in Thunder Bay, Intercity connects Port Aurthur and Fort William. The T just gets vacuumed out, like the second T in Toronto for Toron-o Locals.

P.A. - Stands for Port Aurthur, the city although called 'Thunder Bay' is still divided in two parts.

Wes Fort - The West Fort part of Fort William... lets not go there.

Shag -  "Please come to my Shag." is something you're bound to hear every week in Thunder Bay. It's basically a Jack and Jill (for you Southern Ontario folk), a joined bachelor/bachelorette themed party to raise money to cover the expense of a wedding. They are usually themed. Because I work most every Saturday I have been saved from going to one, but I have already bought or been given many a ticket.

Persian - Not to be confused with a person's nationality, this is a type of very gross pink doughnut that people fawn over for a reason I still have not uncovered. Amazing for doughnut lovers maybe but I can't really imagine it.

Camp - Instead of the Southern Ontario word for cottage people up here in Thunder Bay say camp even though they clearly mean: a solidly formed structure on a designated plot of land (usually including a sauuu-na), not to be confused with a tent in a campground.

Right ______ - "It's right cold out there", "That's right horrible", "He's right crazy" There's a lot of 'right _____' going on in this town.

Sauuu-na - The proper way to say Sauna here in Thunder Bay is a little 'cat got your tongue' when you get to the u. The Finnish/Dutch pronunciation is rampant here.

The car broke down, so I got a job and an apartment

Photo credit Courtney

I've been asked a lot how I came to move to Thunder Bay, so here's the story: 

TUESDAY
Back in July, I got invited to a tree planters wedding in Toronto and since I was still in the extended summer plant, I didn't think I would be able to make it. Then I found out the plant was shortened and we were going to finish the contract early, but not close enough to make the wedding. Then, the week leading up to the wedding, on the Tuesday night, the supervisor mentioned he was headed to the nearest town (2hrs away) at 3pm the next day, to drop someone off who was leaving two days early...

Something stirred inside me and I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned till 1am and finally went to try and use the internet. Teddy, my tree runner for the first weeks was heading on a road trip from Thunder Bay to Toronto to go to the wedding, and had offered to give me a ride. (He had left the plant early to take care of some things before going to Toronto)

So, I sent Teddy a message:  

Hey Teddy!!! Since the moment you left I wish I'd gone with you. If you're still in TBay tomorrow, I'm coming!!

He messaged me back seconds later:

haha aww, treeplanting is hard :(
I was going to leave tomorrow morning sometime but I'm in no rush, I can definitely wait up for you if you want :) let me know

It was set:

Yes!! I'll hop on a bus to T'Bay and call you in the afternoon.
What's your number?

I finally went to bed, super excited that I was going to be DONE tree planting, AND that I was going to make it to the wedding AND that I got to have an Ontario road trip with one of my favorite people from tree planting. 

WEDNESDAY

Photo credit Courtney, Treeplanting supervisor

I ambushed the supervisor at 5am and told him I'd be leaving with him too, at 3pm. I spent the day packing up my things and figuring out the Greyhound bus. Calling a number of times through MagicJack, riding off the internet I finally got a phone call through. No, I could not buy a ticket the operator told me, but I could wait on the corner of Manitouwadge and hwy 614, and the bus would see me and stop... A little apprehensively I waited with my bags and realized I was fully prepared to set up camp if a bus never came. 

It was the sweetest bus ride ever, no more bumpy bush roads, no more bugs, a comfy seat and AC! I was amazed at how beautiful the scenery was. There were people taking this bus across Canada and checking off marvelous lakes on maps as we passed by. I couldn't help but think again, I could live up here.

Photo credit Courtney

I stepped off the Greyhound in Thunder Bay and looked around for Teddy. He picked me up in his sisters car and broke the news; Teddy's car had just broken down and was towed to the nearest mechanic. We'd be stuck in Thunder Bay awaiting his car's diagnosis. Everything had been smoothly operating but while waiting for me, he went on an errand and the car broke down completely.

THURSDAY

Photo credit Courtney, Teddy and Luna

I stayed at his sisters house and enjoyed a free day, so happy to be in a house instead of a camp, and free from planting. The freedom embraced me and I took so much pleasure in branching off on my own and walking around town. I was jonesing for a bookstore and after asking around and was directed to a small bookshop.

I started talking to the lovely lady at the counter and asked if they were hiring. They only accept volunteer's, so I offered to volunteer and left my email address. We continued to talk, I told her about my blog, she told me about possible writing groups, I asked about job leads in the area. Then I asked about apartments in the area. I really liked this part of town as it's already where I know some good people live. "Actually... we have an apartment upstairs, but you'll have to talk to Margaret about it."
 
I met back up with Teddy and did some online work for my aunt. The car's diagnosis was not good, and we started checking flights to get us to the wedding. Air fare was more than double the price for a last minute ticket so we bought the Monday flight and hung our heads that the wedding was out of reach.  

The t-shirt says Front: A breed apart
Back: There are everyday men and women...and there are treeplanters.

That night, since we weren't leaving till Monday, drinks were in order. A group of us cleaned up tree planters went to the Sovereign room and Foundry, the popular pubs of T Bay. Before we left each I asked about a good time to stop by to drop off a resume, and was told to come back in the afternoon. I came back to an email from the book store, to come by anytime between 2:30 and 6 the next day. 

FRIDAY
I printed out my resume at the library and headed The Sovereign Room. A most popular spot, with cool decor, eclectic beer list, and amazing food. That's where I really wanted to go, I had thought about working there the first time I came in, and had my first tasty bite of jalepeno empanadas. As luck would have it, the manager checked out my resume and had also been to Bocas del Toro, had also spent time in Toronto and just found out he needs someone in the middle of August. I could be here mid August... so we shook on it.

Pretty thrilled about that, I headed to the book store. The rent was more than I was looking to spend for a room so I went upstairs to see the place. It wasn't just a room as I had expected, but a full apartment with art and writing studio space. Freshly painted with lots of nice natural light and the only furniture: a big writing desk with chair. "It's like we were just waiting for you and it was meant to be." said Margaret. So I put down a deposit right then and agreed to moving in mid August.
 

the desk

The whole place reminds me of when I lived in High Park and Bloor West Village. I would have never been able to get an apartment close to this size for the price in Toronto. The best part is in 30minutes I can be in the wilderness, in 5minutes I can be by the water front, in 3minutes I can be at work, in 30seconds I can be in a bookstore. 

Then it was time for some crazy bush party, the supervisor was having a Fun in the Sun party that would last the whole weekend for all the tree planters still in the area. Teddy and I had to participate. So I should let you know, it was a surprise for me to leave to road trip to the wedding, so you can imagine the surprise for my boyfriend. Then the car breaking down was also a surprise to me, and so continuing with the surprises we just showed up at Fun in the Sun. I was oblivious, but the relationship was already toast and he evacuated the courtship faster than it took to say bookstore. All the other people made it an awesome party and I laughed till my sides ached. 

Photo credit Courtney

A lot of tree planting relationships start and end with the season. It was so hard to accept that it was over when it was. I didn't pause about Thunder Bay though. There were other great people who would make my transition here seamless, thanks Shannon and Steph!
 
Actually I had wanted to move to Thunder Bay when I was seventeen. I held the acceptance letter to the pilot program at Confederation College in my right hand and the course catalog for Holistic Studies to stay in Toronto in my left. I figured I wanted a foundation for life before anything else and the Holistic Health program could give me that, and figured I could get my private pilot license when I was 50, or whenever I happened to get to Thunder Bay...  

MONDAY
You may remember this facebook update and maybe now it makes more sense:

What a weekend!! Tried to make a wedding and ended up staying in Thunder Bay, where I got a job and an apartment: You're looking at the new resident writer of a Bookstore! And got dumped, surprise! My stomach hurts from laughing so much at Nolalu fun in the Sun and have a plane ticket to Toronto in the morning. To all you Torontonians, LETS PARTY!!

So there it is, the story of how I came to live in Thunder Bay, and also this song (thanks Larsen!):

 

What a doozy

Wow, today, September 24th marks the two year anniversary of jumping on that first one way plane ticket. I'm closing that chapter, the two year long journey, and I feel like I'm losing a part of myself. I accomplished things I desperately wanted, I found things I didn't know I needed, and made connections that will last a lifetime. To anyone who's considering dropping everything to chase a dream, I support that decision and wish you the time of your life. 

Sunset in Panama, Bocas del Toro

For a sense completion to this period I bought a round trip ticket for a visit to Toronto. I may take other short trips but I will stay living in Thunder Bay for a time, to live a quiet life and write. Write about my travels, some short stories, and other such things. I still have some blog posts to catch up on, like moving to Thunder Bay, the epic road trip with Jenn, and what it's like to move to Northern Ontario.

stand up paddle boarding with Angus

I can't help but feel a little startled by this pause. Just five months ago I was living in Panama with 'snorkeling' and 'jungle walk' on my to-do list. Now it's 'laundry' and 'clean the kitchen'. Three months ago I was living in a tent with my nightly check for ticks and night by a fire. Now it's checking that the door is locked and blowing out a few candles. A month ago I was on a road trip and didn't know where I was going to sleep or what State I was going to be in next. Now it's a trusty bed and a scheduled work week.

Sunset in Panama

It's true about the human condition, we can become accustomed to anything. I normalized the traveling lifestyle such that getting back to the norm is foreign. It's nice though, and Albert Einstein said "a quiet life stimulates the creative mind." which is just the environment I was seeking to focus on my writing.

Paris, photo credit Jenn

So far it's been a battle to write and set up a new apartment. My mind already wandering to living in Italy, backpacking in Thailand, and exploring New York. Spain calls, France tugs at my heart, Panamanian sunsets sit behind my eyelids...

So my friends, this two year stint of only buying one way tickets is officially at a close. It's a time to replenish funds, relive through writing, enjoy having my own apartment again and who's kidding who - planning the next adventure.

Let it snow!

It has been a hard transition coming back to Toronto. With my arrival I seemed to bring a week of warm weather, which I was not fond of, and a hockey truce, which I was pretty thrilled about. This week though, when I looked out the window of Cafe Novo, and saw a guy peddled his unicycle up the hill like it was no big deal, while it was snowing, I felt pretty at home. 

I was probably one of the only people in Toronto made blissfully happy by the new fallen snow and drastic cold temperatures. It was -18C which felt like -23C with the windchill factor. A radio broadcaster warned, "I don't care how pretty you are, cover your face, it's really that cold." Luckily in my quick pass through Panama City, I found an awesome winter jacket on sale and couldn't pass it up. It might be the best I've been layered in all my Canadian winters.

Going to a hockey game was a whole other homey feeling. The CN Tower was blue and white in support of the Leaf game. Since it was the opening game everyone was given a nice "Welcome Back", with free beer, t-shirts, scarves, and food. My Grandfather used to take me to the Maple Leaf Gardens and going to a few games a season is always a treat. It was a great atmosphere, I loved being surrounded by Canadian accents, talking about Canadian things.

I was checking out of my favorite Canadian comic's, Jillian Thomas, and this is what she had to say about the cold...

"Dear Teenagers walking down the sidewalk bitching about how cold it is, zip up your coat, wear a hat, try on a scarf and some mitts."

"Actually to all you bitching about the cold, wear some f*cking layers and remember most of you are Canadian. We don't bitch about the cold we apologize for it."

"My brother is a life long Winnipeger, he just wrote "Watched the first Jets game back, it's been snowing for 2 days straight, it's -38 with a high of -20 today, going to order a pizza and get a slurpee." That's how you deal with the cold."

Samantha from Panama to Canada

I'm sad, a little heartbroken. I miss the jungle and the simple island life. When I got out of bed this morning I put on a long wool sweater and wool socks to take myself downstairs to breakfast. I'm back in Toronto and although there's no real snow yet, I could still see my breath when I went for a walk outside. I miss the jungle already. I have a nice desk in my room that looks out to a leaf-less tree... What happened to all the green I just saw? Culture shock is in motion.

I can't break the habit of using the waste bin in the bathroom for toilet paper instead of the toilet. I was so confused when I just turned the nob on the stove and didn't have any gas to light. I've been asked to not open any windows. After living with half walls, this is very hard for me, but it makes sense, we don't want to let all the cold air in and the hot air out. I feel like my skin has been sapped of all moisture. I was in 89% humidity and now down to central heating. I wake up in the middle of the night because it's too quiet, no fan, no chirps. 

Once I see my best friends, and my little cousins, and more family, I'll know I've made the right decision of coming back. I also came back to be responsible and make some money. I've spent all my savings, and gone into a bit of debt, nothing that a few months hard work in Toronto can't replenish. I'll probably get into my normal 'three jobs workaholic grind' in no time. I have an art studio and apartment to check on Monday, and at least two possible jobs I can start right away, but my mind keeps wandering to flight prices back to Panama.

Then I watch this video, all shot in Toronto. I know a trip downtown to my favorite places will also make this trip back North worth it. There are so many things I absolutely love about this city, I know in a few weeks it will all feel like home again.

Sometimes I just miss everywhere I've been... ♥

No matter how much I may enjoy where I am, I'll get a wave of missing where I've been. As a traveler I've been asked over and over, "Where's your favorite spot?". That's the hardest question to answer. Like when someone asks, 'What's your favorite movie, book, song?" How do you pick a favorite song when there are so many great ones? I don't think I'm the only one afflicted by this.

When I want constructed beauty with secret spots, I miss Paris. When I want loud laughter, sunshine and instant friends, I miss Barcelona. When I want to walk for miles from sun up to sun down, I miss the Camino. When I want to refuel on love, good food, and easy living, I miss the South of Spain. When I want to sit on the floor drinking wine, chatter over coffee, and laugh till I pee my pants, I miss Toronto.

I have one month till I return to Toronto. Ask me a month ago and I had very solid reasons for returning. I was very firm in why I was going back. I knew myself so well though that I bought a ticket then... because if I didn't, I'd get caught up in the moment, and who knows how many months it would be before I felt the pull to go back. I have important people to see, jobs to attend to, a life to 'get in order'. Right? Well, listening to the waves of the ocean, that all seems impossible. I've made promises that I need to keep, but otherwise I feel like everything else can wait. Maybe I have Bocas fever and a case of Hotel California Syndrome but I think it's safe to say, the 'live by the seat of your pants' is the lifestyle for me. I don't think I'll be grounded in one place for too long, even a place I've missed so much. I give myself three months before these itchy feet are ready to roam again. I cringe and smile to start the ticking clock, 30 days till I touch home snow.

  

WEBSITE COUNTDOWN WIDGET

Photo credit starting from top, Paris by Jenn, Barcelona by Nat, Camino by Alex, South of Spain by Alex, Outside Toronto with Jus by Kate.

Coming home for realsies!

I'll be coming home Jan 10th, 2013. To buy my plane ticket I put my residence as Canadian, my passport as Canadian but my card as French with a French address that's linked to my Spanish passport while buying in American dollars... I though I had fritzed the system because it refreshed three times to tell me it was changing currency and did I approve? Then took me to a page that didn't seem quite like a confirmation. A few hours later I got the ticket delivered to my inbox so it's really true. Bitter sweet but coming and going always is.

October 2nd was the first time I ever cancelled a plane ticket. I was to fly from Panama City to Florida and figure out where to go from there. On cancelling my ticket I got half back. The ticket was less than $200 to begin with so it wasn't a big loss considering I get to stay in paradise. I learned recently that paradise came from 'walled garden' or 'enclosed park', also referred to as a limbo then finally as idyllic place. I would agree to all of the above.

This year I've been on more planes then I could remember so I've made an effort to track them. It's been a hell of a year:

Toronto to Paris (Train to Spain)

Malaga to Paris

Paris to Barcelona

Barcelona to Ibiza

Ibiza to Barcelona

Barcelona to Paris

Paris to Calvi (Train to Paris)

Paris to Toronto

Toronto to Miami to Panama City

A quick search on Goolge of "make a map of your plane trips" allowed me to make this map:



Fun Facts since my plane trip from Toronto to Paris on September 24, 201l:

Approximate time spent in flight: 28hrs

Miles covered by Plane: 12,749

Kilometers covered by Plane: 20,518

Surprise Toronto! The Visit

Sorry for not announcing it big and loud and clear that I was heading to Toronto, it's because I'm already gone! I only stopped in for a short visit and was very excited to make it a surprise for some family members.

I snuck myself into Toronto with the intention of giving my mom and Grandparents a great surprise. We've had the ritual of going to Sunday morning breakfast (never to be confused with brunch!) for the past few years. It's always been an interesting time especially since Sunday morning follows Saturday night. I missed these breakfasts and have thought for a few months about how fun it would be to just surprise them by showing up one day. It's been hard to keep in touch without an 8 am phone call promptly followed by a knock at the front door to be driven away for breakfast. Being away for nine and a half months I thought it was important to check in, even if it was only for nine and a half days.

I had a great time picking up things for Panama, spending time soaking up high park, along with sipping drinks with my best friends. I was fortunate enough to head to the cottage with Kate and Justine. It wasn't until I traveled that I realized going up to the cottage is a very Canadian thing to do.

 


Right now I've made it to my dream home in Panama!! I'll tell you all about the journey tomorrow!

Quick update

I jumped on a plane from Paris to Barcelona on May 5th, it was only 121.98€ return and I used my fave airfare search website, kayak.com which led me to easyjet.com. Since I was working a lot I woke up on Saturday at 1pm with three hours to do my laundry, shower and pack. I want to say it's the first time I've had to run through a terminal to catch a flight but I think it might be my third. I got into the line to board with fifteen minutes to spare and just my regular small backpack as a carry-on. It saves sooo much time and money to only travel with a carry-on.

I met up with some friends from Toronto and as soon as I put down my bag and changed we were off for paella and a beach party. The next day I was convinced to go diving for the first time and although the water was cold it was a really cool experience that I'm eager to try again. If I end up somewhere tropical I'll get my licence for sure. It's really like entering a whole new world, photos and video to come. 

Then before I knew it we got on a 6€ flight to Ibiza. Party season doesn't start until the end of May but any complaints were soon forgotten with the distraction of beautiful beaches, sun and sangria. It's such a small Island we saw each of the 'big towns' and quite a few beaches. I'm starting the summer with a great tan and two new travel buddies. 

It was the best getaway I could have asked for. Airbnb.com was used for all accommodations around Spain, so we always had the nice comfort of being in a home with a kitchen. I got to show off my mojito making skills and cook a few well received meals. I got a much needed dose of Toronto and Spain in the same trip. 

I left for the weekend to make a short visit to the South of France which allowed me to pass by Figueres; The home of Dali's birthplace, first art show and current theatre museum. I've been wanting to stop here since I saw the first castle with eggs photo years ago. Post on just this museum to come. 

I'm sure I have a lot more to say about the past ten days but I just wanted to give a quick update on where I've been running around. Right now I'm on a beachside cafe in Barcelona drinking my last cafe's con leche and people watching. I have six hours until my flight back to Paris, so I'm going to soak up as much Spanish sun as possible. (Don't worry Babi, I am wearing suncream) 

Ps. My Spanish has gotten so good I've had three Spaniards confused as why I speak such good English or how I'm from Canada! Maybe my French has hope to get that good when I start consistently reading in French. 

Lots of love!

The Joy of books

I just love this...

"If you love the Toronto Public Library, you need to come to her defense right now!"

I just signed this petition and hope all my friends will do the same.

http://ourpubliclibrary.to/

Having libraries around while I was growing up kept me out of trouble. It was a safe place where I could do my homework, read, and go on the internet when I wasn't able to do so at home. If it wasn't for access to the public libraries of our city, I don't know if I would have made it through high school. I spent most of my spare time in the library during my adolescence. I always find comfort and knowledge in them.

Lets go on a fairy walk...

Lets go on a fairy walk..., a set on Flickr.

Do you see what I see? JUNE 2011

Do you see what I see? JUNE 2011, a set on Flickr.

My photo art for June