A few weeks ago I got to take a trip to Souris, Manitoba for the first time. Never did I think a college course would let me go on a day trip to a small town in Manitoba, but I’ve learned to never underestimate CreComm and its ability to surprise me.
Let’s go through the day. It all started out with a sleepy me dragging myself out of bed and putting on: a pair of long underwear under my pants, two pairs of socks (one wool, obviously) a sweater, a parka, a touque, and a good pair of boots (spoiler alert, they weren’t a good pair of boots.)
And were off. Abbi, Janelle and I starting our three house drive to Souris. The drive was actually pretty great. There’s a little bit of a stigma around driving in the prairies, like it being boring, flat, no sights to see ect. We didn’t even need music to pass the time. We talked the three hours away.
This photo is curtesy of Abbi. During our nice drive we got stuck… Really stuck. Janelle used about half a tank of gas and ten minutes later we were out. Note to self: Don’t try to drive a truck through four feet of solid snow on a flat highway.
On our way to Souris I met my soulmate. His name is hank.
Now I know, this photo is awful quality, but Hank would not stay still. Being a calf, Hank is still drinking milk from his mom. She wasn’t around at this point, so Hank was on the lookout for any source of food. This included our hands. For video proof of Hank treating my hand like a bottle, check out the video on my Twitter below. (Excuse my laughing, I could not keep it together around this little guy)
He was the sweetest little thing. If I could take him home and keep him in my backyard I would. He’ll probably be a little more happy out in the country, though.
We made it to Souris! This is the famous Souris Swinging Bridge. Yes it moves, yes it is terrifying, and yes it is slippery in the winter.
Now, one thing that really stuck out to me on this trip was a little shop called Souris Timeless Treasures Gift Shop & Tanning Salon. Yes, you read that right. Tanning Salon. I made my way into the shop and got to interview the owner (Lorelee Dornian) and her friend. They were both very nice, but very confused about why a couple of students from Winnipeg coming to interview them. I was confused about the tanning salon. It wasn’t really a tanning salon, it was more like a closet with a stand up tanning bed inside. That’s not a knock at the shop. They only have so much space and they have to make due with what they have. If that means sticking the bed right side up and putting it in a closet, go for it! The owner gave all three of us free travel mugs with the shops logo on them. You only get this type of gift at Winnipeg malls if you spend a $100 first. I was honestly so shocked when Lorelee casually got a bag ready for us to take home.
The secret little tanning salon within the shop.
Walking around in the knee-deep snow and withstanding the -27 C weather was tiring. We took rests anywhere we could throughout the day.
Abbi prefers the snow, whereas Janelle and I prefer benches.
Over all I loved this travel assignment. I was a little afraid of it at first (like most things) but I wouldn’t change how the day went if I had the chance. It was a great time with great experiences and even greater friends. It was a mini-vacation away from the regular classroom assignments. I’m looking forward to another one next Friday. We’re off to Brandon on March 31!
Haley Hayward 
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