Seat
      Sale:
      Mission
      Katimavik
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Katimavik
      what
      is
      that?
      That
     
     
      was
      what
      I
      was
      wondering
      as
      I
      sat
      on
      a
     
     
      bus
      for
      15
      hours
      going
      to
      Quebec.
      All
      I
     
     
      really
      knew
      was
      I
      got
      paid
      to
      go
      and
     
     
      that
      I
      could
      travel
      to
      3
      different
     
     
      provinces
      in
      Canada.
      What
      I
      didn't
     
     
      know
      is
      that
      it
      was
      going
      to
      be
      the
     
     
      turning
      point
      in
      my
      life.
      The
      program
     
     
      consisted
      of
      living
      with
      12
      other
      par-
     
     
      ticipants
      for
      7
      and-a-half
      months
      and
     
     
      not
      trying
      to
      kill
      each
      other
      by
      the
      end
     
     
      of
      it.
      (Trust
      me,
      it
      was
      hard!!).
      You
      also
     
     
      had
      to
      work
      8
      hours
      of
      volunteer
      work
     
     
      each
      day
      which
      you
      got
      paid
      a
      gross
      _
     
     
      sum
      3
      dollars
      for
      the
      whole
      days.
      work.
     
     
      Oh,
      let
      me
      not
      forget
      the
      learning
     
     
      clubs;
      environment,
      healthy
      living,
     
     
      second
      language,
      culture,
      and
      media.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      think
      they
      said
      some-
     
     
      thing
      like
      this
      "I
      wonder
     
     
      what
      the
      new
      hot
      guy's
     
     
      name
      is?”
      (Not
      really
     
     
      but
      I
      thought
      it
      would
     
     
      be
      kinda
      cool
      if
      they
     
     
      did.)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      fell
      asleep
      on
      the
      bus
      and
     
     
      woke
      up
      in
      La
      Pocatiere
      at
      2:00am.
      As
     
     
      I
      crawled
      of
      the
      bus
      I
      looked
      to
      my
     
     
      right
      and
      I
      saw
      a
      big
      herd
      of
      people
     
     
      walking
      my
      way.
      All
      I
      was
      thinking
      in
     
     
      my
      head
      "Shit-
      my
      first
      time
      in
     
     
      Quebec
      I'm
      getting
      mugged".
      As
      one
     
     
      of
      them
      stuck
      out
      their
      hand
      and
      said
     
     
      "Are
      you
      Shawn?"
      With
      a
      sigh
      of
      relief
     
     
      I
      stuck
      out
      my
      hand
      and
      said
      yes.
      "Hi
     
     
      I'm
      Guylaine
      I
      your
      project
      leader
      for
     
     
      this
      rotation."
      ;
     
    

    
     
      The
      herd
      and
      me
      travelled
      to
     
     
      the
      van
      as
      I
      struggled
      with
      my
      luggage
     
     
      and
      we
      all
      climbed
      in
      and
      I
      sat
      down.
      I
     
     
      sat
      in
      by
      a
      girl
      with
      bright
      green
      hair
     
     
      and
      cookie
      monster
      back
      pack
      while
     
     
      there
      were
      two
      other
      girls
      sitting
      in
     
     
      the
      back
      talking
      back
      and
      fourth
      a
      mile
     
     
      a
      minute
      in
      French.
      I
      think
      they
      said
     
     
      something
      like
      this
      "I
      wonder
      what
      the
     
     
      new
      hot
      guy's
      name
      is?"
      (Not
      really
     
     
      but
      I
      thought
      it
      would
      be
      kinda
      cool
      if
     
     
      they
      did.)
     
    

    
     
      One
      hour
      later
      we
      arrived
      in
     
     
      our
      hell
      hole,
      I
      mean
      our
      home
      which
     
     
      we
      would
      live
      happily
      for
      2
      and-a-half
     
     
      months.
      Well
      kinda,
      if
      we
      didn't-mind
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ih
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      inch-thick
      dead
      flies
      on
      the
      floor.
     
     
      (Don't
      worried
      we
      cleaned
      it
      all
      up)
      As
     
     
      soon
      as
      I
      arrived
      I
      had
      to
      go
      to
      the
     
     
      bathroom
      (being
      on
      a
      bus
      for
      that
      long
     
     
      you
      REALLY
      have
      to
      go).
      As
      I
      walked
     
     
      up
      the
      sink
      there
      was
      a
      sign
      saying
     
     
      "Ne
      pa
      bouir
      de
      eau"
      I
      was
      wondering
     
     
      what
      it
      meant
      until
      I
      looked
      under
      that
     
     
      and
      it
      said
      "Don't
      drink
      the
      water".
     
    
   
   
    
     
      All
      |
      was
      thinking
      in
      my
     
     
      head
      "Shit-
      my
      first
     
     
      time
      in
      Quebec
      I'm
      get-
     
     
      ting
      mugged".
     
    

    
     
      Don't
      get
      me
      wrong
      St.
      Louis
     
     
      was
      not
      that
      bad
      at
      least
      to
      some
      peo-
     
     
      ple.
      They
      got
      to
      enjoy
      it
      at
      work.
     
     
      Except
      me
      and
      3
      other
      people
      we
     
     
      worked
      at
      the
      Leisure
      Centre
      scraping
     
     
      paint
      off
      boards
      and
      repainting
      them.
      I
     
     
      could
      not
      wait
      until
      Lockeport
      our
      next
     
     
      rotation.
      Trust
      me,
      it
      could
      not
      come
     
     
      quick
      enough.
      Like
      I
      said,
      you
      had
      to
     
     
      live
      with
      these
      people
      for
      7
      and-a-half
     
     
      months
      so
      we
      all
      travelled
      together
     
     
      which
      was
      quite
      a
      sight
      to
      see
      a
      group
     
     
      of
      teenagers
      wondering
      like
      lost
      dogs
     
     
      speaking
      in
      different
      languages.
      But
     
     
      painfully
      enough
      we
      made
      it
      to
     
     
      Lockeport
      a
      booming
      little
      town
      in
     
     
      Nova
      Scotia
      with
      only
      600
      people
      (but
     
     
      at
      least
      they
      spoke
      English).
      Time
      in
     
     
      Lockeport
      seemed
      to
      fly
      as
      we
      lost
      4
     
     
      participants.
      I
      was
      sad
      to
      see
      the
      3
      of
     
     
      them
      go
      but
      I
      was
      happy
      to
      kick
      the
     
     
      other
      out
      the
      door
      and
      tell
      him
      never
     
     
      come
      back.
      My
      job
      in
      Lockeport
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Shawn
      WOO
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rowdy
      youths
      take
      a
      break
      from
      representin’
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      really
      enjoyable
      as
      I
      work
      on
      a
      Youth
     
     
      Fair
      and
      Work
      at
      a
      museum.
      I
      found
      at
     
     
      a
      lot
      of
      interesting
      facts
      about
     
     
      Lockeport.
      Here
      a
      little
      timbit
      for
      you
     
     
      readers:
      Did
      you
      know
      that
      Lockeport
     
     
      had
      one
      of
      Canada's
      biggest
      drug
     
     
      busts?
      I
      think
      it
      was
      about
      23
      million
     
     
      dollars
      worth
      found
      on
      a
      boat.
     
    

    
     
      As
      the
      final
      days
      came
      to
      in
     
     
      Lockeport
      we
      were
      all
      really
      busy
     
     
      helping
      out
      with
      ECMAs
      which
      was
      a
     
     
      great
      experience
      for
      the
      other
      partici-
     
     
      pants
      since
      they
      had
      no
      clue
      what
      the
     
     
      ECMAs
      were.
      Finally
      we
      left
     
     
      Lockeport
      and
      travelled
      to
      Hamilton
     
     
      Ontario
      which
      was
      going
      to
      be
      a
      big
     
     
      change
      from
      living
      in
      such
      small
      place
     
     
      to
      a
      huge
      city.
      Hamilton
      was
      the
      great-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘est
      place
      I
      lived
      if
      you
      didn't
      mind
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      noise,
      which
      I
      found
      really
      hard
      to
      get
     
     
      use
      to
      since
      I
      lived
      in
      the
      country
      all
     
     
      my
      life.
      While
      in
      Hamilton
      we
      all
      had
     
     
      jobs
      that
      we
      enjoyed
      and
      we
      had
      a
     
     
      project
      leader
      that
      was
      fun
      and
      outgo-
     
     
      ing
      so
      we
      were
      always
      having
      fun
      like
     
     
      having
      a
      fondu
      fight
      to
      having
      a
      water
     
     
      fight
      in
      the
      house.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Did
      you
      know
      that
     
     
      Lockeport
      had
      one
      of
     
     
      Canada's
      biggest
      drug
     
     
      busts?
      I
      think
      it
      was
     
     
      about
      23
      million
      dollars
     
     
      worth
      found
      on
      a
      boat.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      worked
      at
      Hamilton
      AIDS
     
     
      Network
      which
      I
      created
      a
      database
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      there
      clients
      and
      really
      kept
      the
      clients
     
     
      feeling
      at
      home.
      I
      really
      enjoyed
      this
     
     
      job
      because
      it
      made
      me
      feel
      like
      I
      was
     
     
      making
      a
      different
      in
      someone's
      life,
     
     
      instead
      of
      just
      painting
      a
      fence.
      While
     
     
      in
      Hamilton,
      we
      were
      able
      to
      meet
      all
     
     
      the
      groups
      in
      Ontario.
      As
      all
      the
     
     
      groups
      travelled
      down
      to
      Toronto
      we
     
     
      had
      a
      street
      hockey
      contest
      help
      fund
     
     
      raise
      for
      Big
      Brothers
      or
      something.
      I
     
     
      really
      can't
      remember
      but
      it
      was
      for
      a
     
     
      good
      cause
      and
      we
      all
      had
      fun.
      In
     
     
      Hamilton
      we
      always
      had
      something
      to
     
     
      do
      from
      walking
      around
      the
      town
      try-
     
     
      ing
      to
      find
      something
      for
      3
      dollars
      to
     
     
      just
      socializing
      with
      people
      we
      met.
     
     
      Hamilton,
      I
      was
      really
      sad
      to
      say
      good-
     
     
      bye.
      Also
      for
      the
      program,
      we
      all
      had
     
     
      to
      go
      our
      separate
      ways
      in
      life
      and
      say
     
     
      ‘see
      ya
      later.'
      On
      April
      nineteenth
      I
      had
     
     
      to
      leave
      my
      family
      of
      8
      to
      go
      back
     
     
      home
      PEI
      to
      be
      with
      my
      real
      family.
      I
     
     
      was
      really
      hard
      to
      say
      our
      goodbyes
     
     
      but
      I
      finally
      moved
      on
      and
      hopefully
     
     
      this
      article
      give
      you
      some
      idea
      what
      a
     
     
      experience
      Katimavik
      can
      be.