Banksy's mark in Calais

Along the beach you can see the image of a girl looking through her telescope at the ocean.

The work is by Banksy. Yes, Banksy, the enigma, known for his artistic political commentary made his mark in Calais a few times. His pieces draw excitement each time a new one pops up.

This girl appeared in 2015. Around that time, Banksy created a few pieces of street art in Calais, all a statement on the government’s response to migrants. The girl is looking across the English Channel, a dangerous route taken by so many seeking a safer home.

The city of Calais has protected the art with a piece of plexiglass to help preserve the famous artists’ work.

I haven’t seen Banksy’s other pieces of art just yet. I’ve heard there’s an image of Steve Jobs in his classic black turtleneck where the Calais Jungle, home to thousands of migrants, used to be. On his web site, Banksy wrote, "We're often led to believe migration is a drain on the country's resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant and he created one of the most profitable companies in the world."

I run by Banksy’s girl with the telescope and make my way to the end of the plage. I’ve been by this art at least a dozen times now. Calais isn’t home but I do have that feeling of coming home after our whirlwind trip to London. Things are familiar yet I still feel homesick sometimes for the comforts of Saskatoon and my community.

I felt that longing when I realized how much my foot hurt and that I wouldn’t be able to easily access physio care while in Calais. The language barrier was the biggest hurdle to finding someone in France. Figuring out cross-training was difficult too. I couldn’t even get a gym membership without a French bank account. Instead, I’d have to drop 14.50 Euros each time I go to the gym to use the elliptical. Being away from home felt kinda hard.

Luckily, while in London, I managed to get an appointment with a physiotherapist who miraculously loosened my knee and hip and now my foot feels a lot better. Today’s run feels great and I love that a piece of Banksy’s art is on my route. It will give me something to brag about when the comforts of home start to feel dull. It’s like the story I tell of when I would go for runs in Maputo, Mozambique. My route went to Nelson Mandela’s house and back (he was married to a Mozambican.)

Travel leads to bragging, we all know that.

There’s a lot of beautiful public art in Calais.

I love the colours on the water tower that I see each time I walk to the pool. Near the bike share rack is a deep blue image of the sea.

The seagulls always make me smile.

But nothing beats the piece by Banksy.