Sabrina - "Out & About in Flin Flon, Manitoba" - Tuesday, April 19, 2005
When I travel on business I am always excited about going to new places
where I can experience the world as "Sabrina". Funny, most don't want to
travel, yet I jump at the chance for an "all expenses paid" trip which
always includes some quality "girl time". So when I had a business trip
up to Flin Flon, Manitoba, I looked forward to adding Flin Flon to
my map of
"out
& about"
places.
Going
out
in a big
city like
Winnipeg
has been such a wonderful experience these past few years and it has really
helped me know that I can simply "be myself" when I go out, no mater where
"out" is.
On Tuesday, April 19, 2005, I was finished work by 7:00 PM and back at my hotel by 7:05! Give you an idea how "small" Flin Flon is?? I don't like to rush getting dressed and doing my makeup because I enjoy that experience as well. Yet if I was going to be able to go anywhere before places were closed I had no choice. Perhaps what takes the longest time when getting ready is looking for where I put whatever. So with this outing in mind I did the smart thing and took care of that ahead of time! I wasn't going to be able to make it a late night either, since I had to be up pretty early the next day.
By 8:30 PM I was ready to venture out into this small northern mining town....wearing a black leather mini skirt, black tights, high heeled boots, a white long sleeve top and a black jacket. No quite the outfit you would see a girl wearing in Flin Flon. But I dress to make ME happy, not everyone else.
It was such a beautiful evening with clear skies and the sun just going down and NO wind! Yes, A "Good Hair" day! Now I had to make a choice. I really wanted to do some shopping and the only place open until 9:00 PM was the local Wal-Mart store. Plus, I wanted to get a picture of me standing next to the Flintabbatey Flonatin statue in daylight! And not knowing if I would have another chance before leaving Flin Flon I chose the pictures. There are many Wal-Marts, but only one "Flintabbatey Flonatin"!
It kinda felt strange stopping in the parking lot near the statue. The last time I was there was back in the mid 60's when on vacation with my parents and my sister. My how time flies. And who would have thought..that the next pictures of me at the statue would be with me in a skirt and heels! It took a few tries with the camera on a tripod and using the self timer to get this picture. And I will admit, I deleted the ones showing me running away from the camera!
By the time I was done with getting my picture taken with Flintabbatey Flonatin it was too late to go shopping at Wal-Mart so I made my way into the downtown area of Flin Flon and parked on Main Street. One of my favorite foods is chinese, and I had checked the local phone book ahead of time. So yes, I did have a plan :-) By this time the sun was down and the streets were lit with twilight and actually still very bright. I really enjoyed the walk down Main Street, hearing my heels clicking loud and proud on the sidewalk, and yes noticing I was turning some heads.
On the way I passed this old hillbilly type, with unkempt long hair and long beard who was busy talking to himself about everything that was wrong with the world, and basically bothering everyone who passed by him. I simply gave him a polite smile as I passed and entered the Hong Kong Restaurant. I was met at the counter by a really sweet chinese girl, whom I must add was dressed very well, in a light brown skirt suit. With a big smile she asked if she could help me and knowing I still had work to do before bedtime asked for a take-out menu. As if I needed it....seems every chinese place has my favorite combo plate on their menu! So I ordered it with a Diet-Pepsi and she said it would be about ten minutes. It was such a pleasant experience, just to be out as who I want to be, and feeling so accepted. Yes, even in Flin Flon, Manitoba!
While I was waiting the old hillbilly type walked in, still ranting as he walked towards where I was sitting. The waitress left he back area and walked right up to him telling him to leave, and telling him "Don't you be bothering her!" The keyword here is "HER".No mater how people may judge me they still show such a high level of acceptance. Or perhaps another word is "Respect". I have no idea what the waitress thinks when she sees me, a tall girl standing in front of her, yet no mater what she thinks she respects how I am presenting myself.
When my order was ready I left the restaurant, passing the hillbilly once more and walked towards my van. I really enjoyed feeling the cool night air on my legs! Thinking how wonderful it is now, to be able to be out doing real things, rather than staying locked in my hotel rooms as I had done for so many years. Now it was time to get back to my hotel, enjoy my dinner and catch up on work so I could be ready for the next work day.
Thanks for reading my story,
Sabrina
E-mail me at sabrina_markes@masquerade.ca
Member of the Winnipeg support group - "Masquerade"