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LOST IN WONDERLAND
LIVE THE FAIRY TALE WITH VINTAGE ELEGANCE Words by BRADEN ALEXANDER Photography by MELISSA TRAINOR Styled by SULA JOHNSON Hair by HALEY GOLIN & KITTY BERNES Makeup by MEGHAN KINITA
There’s something inspiring about putting on clothes that have lived lives before yours—clothes with history and memory. There’s something to be said for stepping into shoes that have danced along wet streets on long-ago summer nights. There’s a romance to vintage clothing you won’t find among the racks of cloned garments at the mall. For this Alice in Wonderland-themed shoot we took to Winnipeg’s best vintage and vintage-inspired sources to create the fairytale. We raided Lucy’s Hidden Closet, plucked from Ragpickers Anti-Fashion Emporium, sifted through the glorious Vintage Glory, and even chose a few custom-made pieces from Winnipeg’s own acclaimed designer, Alex Espinosa.
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To bring the story to life, SANDBOX teamed up with the wonderful people at Berns and Black salon (who were responsible not only for the hair and makeup, but the intricate headpieces, as well) and the gorgeous girls of Triple Threat who worked tirelessly on scouting, casting, set design, styling, and photography. All this talent came together with the simple mission of making something beautiful and having a little fun. So the next time you’re on the hunt for a look that’s more fun than function, consider clothing with some character. But just as Alice learned she couldn’t live in Wonderland forever, neither should you live every day in vintage vamp. Save the look for days when you need to step out of the ordinary and into the fairytale—just for a little while.
Satin shawl, lingerie romper (Ragpickers). Shoes (Vintage Glory). Cloud tights (stylist’s own).
Lace blouse, velvet embroidered pants (Alex Espinosa). Shoes (Lucy’s Hidden Closet). Headpiece by Berns and Black. Necklace (stylist’s own).
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Vest, pinstripe pants (H&M). White blouse (Vintage Glory).
Velvet dress, striped blouse (Vintage Glory).
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Lace collar (Vintage Glory). Headpiece by Berns and Black. SANDBOX MAGAZINE
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JANUARY 2010 | BEAUTIFUL MAN
BEAUTIFUL MAN JOEL MARCOUX: HOCKEY HOTTIE
Words by JEFFREY VALLIS Photography by ANNA BORYS Could there be more to the typical hockey jock than just rugged good looks and a penchant for macho displays of aggression? We didn’t think so either until we met Joel Marcoux, the 24-year-old journalist/philanthropist who talked to us about the perfect girl, the perfect date, and the best place in the world (hint: it involves 10 naked guys and a shower). MR. BEAUTIFUL MAN… KIND OF HAS A RING TO IT, NO?
I’ve never looked at myself as a “beautiful man.” I barely comb my hair, I barely shave; I’m just like every other guy. I’ve never looked at myself that way. ALRIGHT, SO THE MODELING CAREER’S A NO-GO. WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE PLANNED?
I want to go live in Africa. It’s a unique experience that I think a lot of people should try to do to be level headed. Going to a place like that, where people are living their lives one meal at a time and not stressing about their cell phone bills or car payments, just makes you realize a lot of things in life. YOU SOUND LIKE YOU ALREADY DO HAVE A PRETTY LEVEL HEAD ON THOSE BIG, BROAD SHOULDERS OF YOURS. SO WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GIRL?
The number one thing is personality. I don’t have the most conventional personality. I’m a little bit off the wall sometimes and I like to joke and be sarcastic. I need somebody who can have that back and forth, joke around and make each other laugh. There are so many girls out there that I get into a conversation with and, no matter how attractive they are, after about seven minutes I just want to leave. At the end of the day, there are good looking girls everywhere, but if I can’t talk to you and have a conversation, I could care less. WE’RE GUESSING YOU’VE BEEN ON A FEW BAD DATES?
There have been a few. There have been a lot of bad ones, actually. Not going to lie. I was once with a girl who was a one-upper. Every thing I did, she was always arguing and
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trying to counter me for no reason. Every little thing she would counter. It was brutal. AND WHAT’S YOUR IDEA OF A SUCCESSFUL DATE?
The simple dates are the most fun sometimes. The casual hangout, that turns into doing something random. I like cooking. I would much rather cook a dinner than go out. I just really enjoy cooking and presenting something. WE’LL TAKE TWO OF WHATEVER SHE’S HAVING. NOW, BEFORE WE LEAVE YOU, THERE’S SOMETHING WE’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW. WHAT’S THE HOCKEY LOCKER ROOM LIKE?
The locker room in hockey is the best thing in the world for me. I don’t know how to explain it really. Just being in that room, there are so many stories that get thrown around and friendships you make. I think it’s the best. WE CAN PICTURE IT NOW. A HOT, SWEATY HOCKEY TEAM, SHOWERING TOGETHER AND WHIPPING EACH OTHER WITH WET TOWELS. THAT IS WHAT’S IT’S LIKE. RIGHT?
We always talk about that in the dressing room. We’re like, “If we were getting video taped right now, people would think this was the most homoerotic scene ever.” We’ll sit there, like ten of us, completely naked, in flip-flops, drinking beers. SHUT UP.
Completely naked. YEAH, WE GOT IT THE FIRST TIME.
And nobody thinks anything of it at all. WELL, WE HAVE A THOUGHT OR TWO.
I love showering with the boys, shooting the shit with the boys. It’s the best. YOU’RE KILLING US.
There are certain things you’ll never hear come out of a guy’s mouth unless you’re in the hockey room. It’s just so gay, right? THAT’S JUST RUDE.
I think it’s the best. It keeps you level headed sometimes. WE HAVE TO GO.
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JANUARY 2010 | TALENT & TITS
TALENT & TITS
NIKI TROSKY: WINNIPEG’S OWN GOLDEN GIRL Words by BRENLEE COATES Photography by CINDY TITUS Makeup by MORGAN COMRIE “I feel like I want to be Winnipeg’s hostess or urban ambassador for our city,” says Niki Trosky, grinning, while sprinkling brown sugar over her oatmeal at Stella’s in the Village. After chatting with the infectious Trosky, that feat hardly seems unlikely. So far in her life, it’s as though anything she wants to make happen, she does. Trosky has her first photography exhibit, titled Ah ha! I am here. Here am I: An Introduction to Elemental Magic, running until January 20 at La Maison des Artistes. She is a self-taught photographer/videographer and had
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the honour of showing a short film, One Girl’s Story, documenting her travels over a seven-year period, at the Cannes Film Festival. Her habit of documenting her fun also landed her a position blogging about city living for Destination Winnipeg’s website. Plus, her innate ability to make the banal interesting led to a teaching post at MacDonald Youth Services, where she runs her own unique curriculum. “The idea behind this program is to keep these kids safe. The whole idea is just to hook them and get them to come back,” says Trosky. But Trosky isn’t content with just one career. “To me, teaching is one of the most honourable things you can do. It’s such a noble path to walk,” she says. “I just feel like I’m too selfish to do it for the rest of my life.” And so she finds other outlets for her creative energies, including planning parties like the Halloween blowout Down the Rabbit Hole, where hundreds of would-be partiers were lined up in the street to get into the jampacked event. Trosky pulled it off with the help of two of her lovely friends and creative cohorts, Melissa Trainor and Sula Johnson, together sharing the label Triple Threat. The trio is known for masterminding parties of such original concepts and intricate décor that they are more like experiences than events. The location where their Alice in Wonderland-themed soiree took place was decked out with a Queen of Hearts rose garden, a Mad Hatter’s tea party table, candelabra stuffed with carrots, a croquet court complete with pink flamingo mallets, and a tea bar. But Trosky isn’t just some two-dimensional party girl. The eclectic artist also has two university degrees, is a yoga aficionado, and has a current fixation with witchcraft. At 36 years old, she just ended a loving relationship with a man 11 years her junior and hopes to fall in love again, go to India with said lover, and settle back down in Winnipeg to have children. When I remind her this article is intended for a segment called “Talent and Tits,” she says, “I have really small tits, but they’re fabulous.” Since Trosky is just pushing 5’0”, it’s fair to say fabulous things come in small packages.
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JANUARY 2010 | THE NEW INTERNET SENSATIONS
According to one statistic, one-third of time spent online at work is non-work-related and internet misuse at work is costing American corporations more than $85 billion annually in lost productivity. So who’s to blame for this alarming new trend? YouTube, of course, and other sites like it. With the growth in personal blogs, vlogs and web communities, it’s becoming increasingly easier to toss your work aside in favour of online videos that provide effortless entertainment, or blogs that dish insights and idealities. But we’re definitely not complaining. If we, ourselves, didn’t waste countless hours probing the net for the latest
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in news, music downloads, or entertaining rants, we would have never discovered these web celebs. Each is very different in their approach. With their keen knowledge of music trends, biting commentary on society, hilarious skits about nothing, and daily blogs that boast their nearly naked bodies, each have amassed an extensive following. SANDBOX finds out just what makes them tick, how they became who they are, and if anyone really cares what they do. (Note: the answer is an overwhelming “yes”). Introducing: the new internet sensations.
AGE: 21 LOCATION: OAKVILLE, ON SUBSCRIBERS: 55,498+
AGE: NOT UNDERAGE LOCATION: WINNIPEG, MB SUBSCRIBERS: 3,282+
AGE: 26 LOCATION: RHODE ISLAND, USA SUBSCRIBERS: 53,241+
AGE: UNLIMITED LOCATION: EDMONTON, AB SUBSCRIBERS: UNKNOWN
ANDREW BRAVENER - OAKVILLE, ON Words by JEFFREY VALLIS Photography by ANDREW BRAVENER Put yourself in these shoes. You’re in the finals for the MuchMusic VJ 2.0 search for a new VJ. Your friends are next to you, hundreds of people fill the room and tens of thousands show their support on online. You’re a shoo-in. And then, you get cut. Andrew Bravener lived it, and we all watched it. Now SANDBOX talks to Bravener about that experience, and how a once high school outcast, became an internet sensation. “I was shocked. When he first told me I didn’t get it, I thought, OK, but he’s going to pull a Regis Philbin and say, ‘but you totally got it!’” Looking back at the footage for the first time, Bravener thought, aww, that’s a sad Andrew. “As much as I wanted to be all, ‘I’m really happy that I made it this far,’ I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand.” And evidently, neither did his fans. Within hours of the decision, MuchMusic tweeted, “um… team bravener” in response to the flurry of outraged phone calls and e-mails they had received. “My followers were incredible. Just monumental support from everybody.” That kind of support isn’t uncommon for Bravener, who boasts over 55,000 subscribers on YouTube, the place we were first introduced to the adorable brown-eyed boy. But in one instance, the fan support went a little too far.
After carefully studying his videos, one girl found out where he lived and left him notes on his door. The first read Andrew, I know this is really creepy but I love your videos so much. From your number one fan. At one point, she even left him a telescope as a gift. “It was really nice, but I couldn’t help but think, she’s used this to watch me.” He’s since moved apartments. “She probably can’t find me now, which I’m a little disappointed by. It was endearing. She wasn’t that crazy.” Bravener can relate to that feeling of fandamonium. He, himself, subscribes to other YouTubers like Wheezywaiter, Crabstickz, and Baratsandbereta. He also uses songs from some of his favourite bands in his videos, which in some cases connects him directly to the band. “One of my favourite bands, Hopesfall, e-mailed me and thanked me for making a video with their song in it. I freaked out,” he says. “I can’t believe you’re thanking me. I make crappy videos, you make awesome music.” Not surprisingly, Bravener also has a large gay following, which leads us to question, how straight is straight? “I have a girlfriend,” he says laughing. “I really wish I was gay, because there are so many guys out there that leave me such nice messages and it would be so easy if I was. I love my gay followers.” So what’s his wifey like? They met last year at school (he finishes his two-year technical theatre program this spring) while he was working as a dresser back stage on a play she was acting in. “She would come over and be like, ‘Andrew, can you tie my corset?’ She’s a singer/dancer/actor, so she’s totally in my world.” So much so that he took her back to his hometown in New Brunswick to meet the family, which he has a very close relationship with. “They’re behind me 100 per cent. My dad’s been a dream chaser his whole life, so he’s always been behind doing whatever you love, even if it’s not what everybody else wants you to do.” Andrew Bravener, and his friends from YouTube collab channel VlogCandy, will be at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, ON on December 29 at 3:00 p.m. to hang out and skate. All are welcome to attend. Find Andrew on YouTube at: youtube.com/user/ AndrewBravener.
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JANUARY 2010 | THE NEW INTERNET SENSATIONS DAVEY WAVEY - RHODE ISLAND, USA Words by BRADEN ALEXANDER Photography by DAVEY WAVEY Gay YouTube wonder Davey Wavey is on a mission. According to one video entry, all he wants is to share his love with the world, learn and grow from his experiences, and “teach others about the pervasive oneness of this perfect universe and their own inherent beauty and perfection.” Whether or not he’s a vehicle for world peace, the guy has a following. His videos score tens of thousands of hits and his viewers are begging for more. SANDBOX has 12 questions for Davey Wavey to find out about the man behind the muscle. What inspired you to start this video blog? I started the blog as a journal. I was making a big move to Washington, DC and I figured a blog would be a great way to chronicle my adventures. I had no idea that anyone else would be tagging along. What makes you qualified to dispense advice to strangers? When it comes to life advice, I don’t have any qualifications whatsoever. I don’t know why people keep asking for my input, but I’m usually happy to throw my two cents in. What do you like about so many people seeing your (flawless) body half-naked? I’m really indifferent to people seeing my half-naked body. But, let’s be real, it’s more than half naked. Probably nine-tenths. I’m not an exhibitionist at heart—it doesn’t make my pulse race knowing that people are seeing me in my skivvies. I’m just usually in some state of undress, so it wouldn’t be genuine to show myself otherwise. Do you ever feel like you’re being objectified or do you simply see partial nudity as the best way to disseminate your message to a wide audience? How people view me is none of my business. I just do what I do. Though, I joke with my friends that it’s the skin that pulls ‘em in. But hopefully the content and the substance bring people back. Do you have straight female fans as well as gay male fans? Which ones give you more love? Believe it or not, some straight guys even tune in! Yes, about 25 per cent of my audience is female. I think they love me equally. I’m not going to play sides! Why have you moved 20 times in the last 26 years? Are you an army brat? If I’m a brat, it has nothing to do with the army. I move because experiencing this planet is one of my priorities.
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As such, I created a life that allows me to work remotely. I’m not tied to one geographic area, and so I try to take advantage of this freedom by living in different places. You always seem ridiculously happy. Does Davey Wavey ever have a bad day? Never a bad day. The hardest days are usually the best, because those are the days with the most learning experiences and opportunities for evolution. I don’t always have a smile on my face, and sometimes I’m grouchy, but I do have an undying love for this adventure that we’re all on. How do you feel about negative or hateful responses to your videos? I know my message isn’t going to resonate with everyone. And that’s a good thing! This world would be very dull if everyone thought like me. I don’t get caught up in the hateful or negative responses. If I did, I wouldn’t have time to do the work that I do. What’s your day job? I’m a jack of many trades. I spend most of my “working” hours creating online strategies and websites for organizations and businesses. Where do you see yourself in ten years? I don’t know where I see myself in six months, let alone ten years. In fact, if you asked me that question five years ago, I would have never imagined my current life. I just hope to take advantage of all the opportunities that come my way. Are you in a relationship now? If so, what’s he like? I am in a relationship with a special someone from Toronto. He’s beautiful, inspiring and passionate. Will you ever give your fans the full monty? I don’t know. I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to find out. Find Davey online at: breaktheillusion.com.
S: “And these are my panties.” K: Yeah, “these are actually for a ‘school project.’” S: You should buy some really racy ones and be like, “yes, I wear these.” K: That’s how I should do it; with a full face of makeup and playing with different underpants. “Yes, I wear this dinky little string thing.” S: Let’s talk about your steez. Is fashion a big deal to you or do you roll out of bed and grab whatever? KEO NECRA - WINNIPEG, MB Words by VANESSA KUNDERMAN Photography by AARON COHEN SANDBOX got to sit down with Winnipeg video blog queen Keo Necra. Despite her outrageous personality and crude sense of humour, we discovered that her online voice isn’t only about shits and giggles. SANDBOX: Somebody commented on one of your video blogs recently that they thought you were Tila Tequila. Keo Necra: Oh God. S: What are your thoughts about people confusing you with her? K: Well here’s the thing—are you blind? She’s a pretty girl; I can admit that. It’s just the fact that she’s not the smartest person. She doesn’t have the appreciation for proper grammatical syntax, as I do. I like to talk like I’m a human being, as opposed to a rapper. S: Do you aspire to have anything like Tila Tequila has? K: I’m more the type who wants to do something that will help other people. When I have kids I want to be able to tell my kids that mommy has a job that helps people instead of just saying that mommy is in next week’s Cosmopolitan. It’s all about creating a good example. S: The next Oprah. K: I’m too poor to be the next Oprah. S: Have you ever been recognized in Winnipeg or anywhere else? K: Oh yeah! I’m always caught in the most compromising places. The most recent one was me going to Walmart when I was in the women’s underpants section. I was holding up a pack of underpants and some girl walks up to me and is like “You’re Keo Necra!” And I’m all, “Oh... Yes, I am.”
K: I roll out of bed and grab whatever is clean. It used to be a big deal to me when I was 19 and then I just realized, you know, fashion is really expensive! I wear tights, t-shirts and kicks. S: How old are you, now? K: How old do I look? S: Between 20 and 87. K: Just know that I’m not underage. S: What’s something that we don’t know about Keo, that we can’t find on the Internet? K: That my name is Karen. A lot of my friends started calling me Keo after the video blog and I found it a little strange. S: You started your video blog in 2008. What vlog received the most hits so far? K: Surprisingly, the serious video blog. It was the one with me talking about rape. My sociology class was discussing it and we were talking about statistics of people who don’t report it and I found it really alarming. Fifty-seven per cent of people don’t report rape because they’re too ashamed or too embarrassed. V: So it’s not just about tampons and kicks. Where do you see Karen in five years and where do you see Keo in five years? K: In five years Karen will probably be helping someone at the gym lose weight and feel good about themself. And, as for Keo, I’ll probably use that as a segue to actually help with that. I want to do videos that can help people feel good about themself and, you know, tips on working out. Find Keo on YouTube at: youtube.com/user/KeoNecra.
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JANUARY 2010 | THE NEW INTERNET SENSATIONS
WILLIS HIP (VINYL & VODKA) - EDMONTON, AB Words by TAYLOR BURGESS Photography by WILLIS HIP If you’re looking for an alert, young-minded look at the independent music scene, Edmonton’s Vinyl & Vodka is one such blog noting the next alternative generation. You know the ones, this generation that has been won away from the charts by crossover groups from later in this decade, like Vampire Weekend, Santigold, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. V&V founder Willis Hip, however, still posts about Lady Gaga in heart-shaped phrases whenever she unleashes another audacious video. Vinyl and Vodka is the second incarnation of Hip’s first blog, Mossip. The combination of coarse celebrity commentary and prolific updates on music earned him a nomination of Best New Blog for the 2008 Weblog Awards. “How did I feel?” asks Hip. “Well, I was happy when I saw it, but it wasn’t the Grammys.”
Obviously, he’s quite ambitious. Though V&V still has the same celeb-gossip punch as Mossip, Hip changed the name because of his change in taste. “[When I started Mossip] I was just listening to mainstream music. But then I matured and I’ve fallen in love with alternative music.” Hip’s at the helm for most of V&V’s rapid-fire posts, but he has “around nine” regular writers that he occasionally passes work off to. “In the summer, I could post every day. But as the school season came closer, I put out a call to writers.” Hip says that he received a hundred replies, some as far away as NY and LA. Hip and his pared-down staff of writers have just released the first issue of their online magazine, with some blog content familiar to V&V regulars, as well as a couple new interviews. With so much on his plate, Hip has a secret to his success. “I lack sleep. I’ll stay up for hours a day perfecting something. I can’t let something be not good enough.” If that’s not enough, Hip makes his own clothes, and goes to school, taking writing classes, dance, and art. When I ask how old Willis is, he pauses. “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,” I say. “OK. Good. Just put down ‘age unlimited,’ or something.” Willis Hip: age unlimited. Find Vinyl and Vodka at: vinylandvodka.com
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BUCKET LIST 10 REASONS TO RUN FOR MAYOR BEFORE YOU DIE
Words by KAJ HASSELRIIS Photography courtesy of KAJ HASSELRIIS SANDBOX magazine’s favourite fag-about-town Kaj Hasselriis ran for mayor of Winnipeg in 2006, winning 22,401 votes as well as Uptown magazine’s award for best election night party. Here are Kaj’s top 10 reasons why you should run for mayor before you kick the bucket. 10. Plenty of cute and eager-to-please young campaign volunteers. 9. Publicity shots for political pamphlets can also be used for online dating sites. (Face pics only, of course—until the campaign is over.) 8. Kiss babies... and DILFs.
7. Act like you (almost) own the city. 6. Election rules allow you to access hard-to-penetrate venues like seniors’ care homes, Legion halls and the Moose locker room. 5. Celebrity endorsements from A-list Winnipeggers like that hot student union leader and the cute barista from the River and Osborne Starbucks. 4. More friends you don’t know on Facebook. 3. High-profile publicity in glossy magazines like this that haven’t actually been published yet. 2. Free rides in police helicopter. 1. If you win, people have to call you “Your Worship”.
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JANUARY 2010 | LIFE STORIES
LIFE STORIES
THE GIRL WHO CROSSED CANADA IN JUST THREE WEEKS, WITH ONLY $1,000 AND AN APPETITE FOR ADVENTURE Words by EMILY BARON CADLOFF Photography by EMILY BARON CADLOFF I woke up on a cold cement floor, just as a boot was about to kick me in the face. I jumped up a little, and then remembered I was confined by the row of plastic chairs above me. Since I couldn’t move, I yelped. All right, so sometimes I can be a sissy. But to be fair, the boot was big, and moving at my face at an alarming speed. The man jumped out of his chair and turned around. I poked my head out from beneath the seats and smiled sheepishly at him. He turned red and started yelling in French. I understood roughly every sixteenth word, but I got the gist. Basically, the dude was not happy. Clearly he doesn’t come across young girls sleeping under seats at the bus station very often. When I started my cross-country trip, I didn’t expect to be sleeping in bus stations either. Or converted jail cells, or mansions. I couldn’t know how many people I would meet or the things I would see. I couldn’t imagine how strong I could be when faced with challenges. I just wanted to see the country. So, the summer before my last year of school, I decided to take a chance. I needed an adventure. I worked out a little time frame and budget that I thought was pretty reasonable. I was going to travel across Canada—from Halifax to Victoria—in only three weeks, and I wasn’t going to spend more than $1,000. Before I left, I tried to plan as much as possible. I looked at places to stay, to eat, people to connect with along the way. I only had a grand to my name, so I had to be prepared. But as most travelers know, no matter how much you plan, some things will always be out of your control. Which brings me to the bus station floor in Québec City.
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I had made it from Halifax to Québec City in about four days, and everything was going well. I had met a bunch of new people, I was on budget, and feeling pretty good about this trip. I mean, four provinces in four days? I was motoring along. And then VIA Rail went on strike, which meant that everyone planning to travel by train was shifted over to the Greyhound bus system. Which meant that my bus to Québec City from Fredericton was overbooked. Which meant I was out. I was bumped to another bus, an express bus, which brought me into Québec at around 3:30 a.m. with nowhere to sleep. Did I mention I don’t speak French? The rest of the trip through Québec, however, was lovely. I passed through Montreal and drank sangria on a roof top garden. I saw the parliament building in Ottawa and slept in a hostel that used to be a jail (I had cell number three). I hit Toronto and got swept up by the big city. Everything was going according to plan—until Thunder Bay. Now, I’ve got nothing against Thunder Bay, specifically. But I’ll be straight with you: I had an awful time there, and I don’t want to go back. Maybe it was the 25-hour bus ride from Toronto. Maybe it was the raccoon the bus hit on the highway that blew a tire and filled the air with the smell of dead raccoon while we waited to get transferred to another bus. Or maybe, just maybe, it was that I arrived in Thunder Bay on the day of my 24th birthday. Personally, I think it was the last one. I got into Thunder Bay 25 hours after I had left Toronto, and I wasn’t in a pleasant mood. The bus ride had been long, and I’ll never forget the pungent aroma of squashed raccoon for as long as I live. I hadn’t showered or slept properly in a few days and I was really feeling the strain of the trip. I wanted more than anything to be with family on my birthday, and instead, I was in Thunder Bay. Alone. While walking around trying to find somewhere to get
birthday cake, I got lost and somehow found myself in the industrial centre of town. Cue the rain. That’s when I broke down. It was my birthday, I was stuck in Thunder Bay totally alone, I was in some random parking lot in the rain, and worst of all I didn’t even have any cake. I sat down in the middle of the parking lot and started to cry. After I’d been there a few minutes with the rain pouring down on me, a car drove up. It was a taxi, and the driver jumped out looking very concerned. She asked me if I was all right, and I explained my somewhat unique circumstances to her. So she bundled me up in her car and drove me over to what she called the “best restaurant in town.” I got myself some French toast for lunch (it was the closest thing they had to cake), directions to the only bus stop in town, took myself to the movie theatre, and spent my birthday watching the new Harry Potter and blowing my food budget on popcorn. By the time I got myself back on the bus to overnight to Winnipeg, I was feeling much better. I got through the prairies fairly smoothly. I saw my family in Winnipeg, and tried my first CouchSurfing experience in Regina. When I got to Saskatoon, I was pleasantly surprised. The city was small, but very pretty. There were statues all over town and everyone was friendly. Everyone, except Vincent. Vincent, friends, is a rapping preacher. He travels from city to city rapping about “the lord Jesus” and trying to get homeless people to convert to Christianity. How did I meet Vincent? Well, he yelled at me in a park because he thought I was drunk. Ah, Saskatoon. You had so much going for you until this. Okay, here’s what happened. I was a little sleepy, it was late afternoon, I’d just had a big lunch, and I was wandering around Saskatoon when I spotted this park on the bank of the South Saskatchewan River. I saw a bunch of office workers lying on the grass getting their daily allotment of sunshine, and I sat down to join them. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being shaken violently.
“Wake up! You don’t need the demon alcohol!” Vincent—based on my unkempt appearance, smell, and the fact that I was sleeping in a park—decided I was homeless. Also, drunk. Vincent wanted to make sure that I was OK, and also that I was all right with the big man upstairs. I was a little confused, understandably, which didn’t help matters, because everyone sounds a little drunk when they first wake up from a nap in the sunshine. He started rapping at me about casting away my vagrant lifestyle and embracing the lord. I just sat there for a moment before I could process what was happening to me. I finally convinced Vincent that I a) wasn’t drunk, and b) was just fine with the Dude. As I hightailed it out of the park and away from Vincent, I realized that Saskatoon was lovely, but it might be time for me to continue on my way. I took a night bus to Edmonton where I had some of the best vegetarian Indian food ever. From there I went to Calgary, where I stayed in the basement of a very rich family (there was a TV in every room. Every room!). I CouchSurfed again in Kamloops, where I stayed with a girl who made art pieces out of found feathers, and then moved to Vancouver for some cheap sushi. And exactly 21 days after I started, and $919.53 later, I was in Victoria, looking at the Pacific Ocean. The feeling of completing the trip was like nothing I had ever felt before. I wanted to jump, cry, scream. I felt overjoyed and sick at the same time, to have accomplished such a monumental feat. Getting to Victoria took three weeks and nearly $1,000 but I did it. I did it by myself, with nothing but a map and my wits. And all the things I’d seen and the people I’d met were nothing compared to the well of strength I tapped into when I was looking out at the ocean. And now that I’m back home, I keep wondering: where should I go next?
SANDBOX MAGAZINE
17