Brave

The bravest I have ever been was when I shaved my head bald and moved to Toronto in a ride-share. I did this in March of 2016. I lived there for 2 years, on Balmoral Avenue, which is off of Yonge St. I taught myself to pole-dance during this time, upon seeing it on my girlfriend’s Facebook page. I used to walk 40 minutes from my apartment to the studio. I was just sick of my hair, to be honest. I wanted to see what it was like to be a bald girl. It was fun. I got mistaken for a boy in McDonald’s when I was wearing a fitted hat. 😂

After 6 months of hopping the subway, I finally got a job and a bus pass. I worked for Atef Girgis, a man who owned four pubs downtown Toronto. I worked at Sin & Redemption, mostly, but also worked at Prenup Pub. During this time, I danced at Brass Vixens, one of the studios in the city.

I came home to Ottawa in March 2018. I managed to last two years down to the exact date. The 13th is when I moved to Toronto. The 13th is when I came home. I moved there because I was sick of Ottawa, truthfully. I was paying rent in a city that I didn’t love. I had to move. Ottawa forced my hand. So I did. I loved that for myself. I was able to do that. It was even successful.

Moving to Toronto taught me that dog water fountains exist. Also, I love Ottawa now. I appreciate it more.