Hello all,
It has been, what feels like, ages since I last posted. So much for three blog posts each month. Well, these last few weeks were kind of on a stand still due to a really bad sinus cold that lasted (and is finally ending) for three weeks. Phew, glad I got that out of the way. I haven't really been sick in a really long time and classrooms are not the cleanest of places so I definitely knew I was going to come down with something eventually.
So Sam, uh, you're living in France... Tell us about some of the cool things you've done/saw/experienced/tasted in the last few weeks..
1. I visited Chateau de Villandry (worth googling) with my friend Celine of whom I met during my time in Nova Scotia two summers ago at a five week intensive French program called Explore. She came for the weekend and we did some sights seeing in the Tours area. Found a nice Italian place for lunch and ate crepes in Place Plumereau (also worth googling - as it's one of Tours' most known neighbourhoods.
2. Checked out the Christmas Market (Marche de noël) which was just recently set up in the downtown part of Tours. Imagine Christmas lights lit walkways, stands selling roasted chestnuts (yeah, those things actually exist... I surely thought they were only in the movies), long, stick doughnut like things that resemble the flavour of mini doughnuts, Christmas carols and a gigantic Ferris Wheel that overlooks the Loire river. Feels pretty magical!
3. I've had the test of all tests.. Just kidding.. I was just finally somewhat evaluated based on my typical English lesson performance. The feedback from Sandra, my contact person in Tours for this program and our coordinator (and a teacher herself), was really positive. She also is getting me to work with her to make some English educational resources and wants to film my Christmas lesson. It was nice hearing someone from the same profession say that what I was doing was an ideal lesson. I am really happy.
To end this off, I've written a 50 facts about me list that I thought might be a fun way to get a microscopic look at the life of Samantha Ward.
Hope you all are getting into the Christmas spirit. 24 days until I land on the Canadian soil to celebrate the festivities.
Love, love always
50 Facts:
1. My second toes are almost as long as my pinky fingers.
2. I am a pro at pogosticking - record of 320 with no hands.
3. My middle name is Leota and I've never met anyone else with that name (other than people in my family).
4. I have failed a university course.
5. I am currently in the process of becoming bilingual.
6. I've never been in love.
7. My elementary school was very multicultural and my three closest friends in grade 6 were all from differerent countries: Albania, Sri Lanka and El Salvador.
8. My favourite mode of transportation is via Train.
9. I've only recently started to appreciate my crooked smile.
10. I was born with really dark brown, curly hair.
11. Up until the age of 8, I feared that the water in my bathtub would overflow resulting in a flood.
12. I am not religious.
13. Walking in my meditation.
14. People used to mistake my sister and I as twins when were younger.
15. I've already named my first born daughter (hope my future husband is okay with this haha).
16. I often think about how different my life would be if my family hadn't moved to the Gimli area when I was 14.
18. I love to travel and I think Iceland will be my next big getaway.
19. I HATE wearing socks.
20. I've only ever thought about pursuing two other professions: Architecture and Real Estate.
21. Yet, I know in my heart that teaching is for me.
22. My half-brother has Austism.
23. I am a very forward thinker and rarely dwell on the not so good things from the past.
24. My dog weighs close to 100 pounds. I miss my dog.
25. I am a Pisces and read my horoscope daily.
26. I have only told 4 people the real story of my car accident 4 years ago.
27. It takes a lot for me to feel a strong "romantic connection" with someone.
28. I don't swear very often.
29. People often tell me that I have an "Old soul".
30. The beach, to me, is the most serene location on earth.
31. I am totally going to be one of those moms with the while silhouette sticker families of the back of my SUV. (HA!)
32. I do not follow politics (although it's mainly because I don't feel very educated about it.. something to learn about for sure).
33. I am not usually much of a crier and when I do, it doesn't usually happen in public.
34. Both of my sets of grandparents have been married for 55+ years. That's love.
35. I actually enjoyed high school.
36. I don't think I will end up living in Manitoba, but if I were to, I'd most likely stay in Gimli.
37. Tina Fey is my celebrity role model.
39. If I don't make my bed in the morning, I NEED to make it before I climb in at night.
40. I still think about U Sainte-Anne pretty much every day.
41. My first plane ride was when I was 16 yeard old.
42. I have a hard time not introducing myself to someone of whom I have sat next to for a longish period of time.
43. I hate the idea of time. Everything from running out of time, to having perfect timing. Ah.
44. My eyes are a very deep shade of brown.
45. I want to have a floor to ceiling library in my house one day.
46. My favourite film is Stepmom.
47. I google quotes every day.
48. I love the month of September.
49. I have really veiny legs and I am very selfconscious of them.
50. My favourite childhood memories are mostly from summers at the cottage.
Friday 29 November 2013
Thursday 7 November 2013
And so it continues..
Bonjour to you all,
Here I am, 2:34am, my bedroom lit dimly by the glow of my iPad, about to tell you a bit about where I am with this whole France adventure. If you've been following me on Instagram, you basically know what I'm up to every few hours or so... (sorry, I am going to try to turn it down a notch haha), but if you don't have Instagram, or twitter or facebook (hello Papa and Granny, and Mom..), then you might be wondering how things have been going.
To sum it up in a few words; things have been great. I'm feeling more confident with my students. I even had to raise my voice the other day to a student who would not stay in his seat and refused to participate in the activity that the rest of the kids were doing.. And it takes a lot for me to raise my voice. I've started designing my own worksheets and lessons, and I must admit, I am thoroughly enjoying the designing aspect. Now, I know that might be a quirky thing to say but you might have a future curriculum design specialist on your hands. ;) All joking aside, the school aspect has been fulfilling and every time I finish a lesson if feel a sense of accomplishment and pride... and of course, a bit of relief haha.
Also after 40 days of being here, I now have social security, a bank card and account (thanks for the help, Ariel), health insurance, a home, a job and some pretty great friends. Not bad.
I've also have made some exciting travel plans that will be happening over the next few months. This Saturday, Katie (my roommate), Ariel (my Canadian friend), and I will be going to Paris. We plan to checkout a very famous bookstore called Shakespeare and Company, laze around the grounds alongside the Eiffel Tower, have lunch at La Ratonde - a café where notable artists and famous writers such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald wined and dined, and lastly enjoy a concert put on by an American singer/songwriter, Tyler Ward at La Flèche d'Or. Sounds like an incredible day to me.
Then the following week I have a former Université Sainte-Anne friend coming to Tours for the weekend (as she's living in Besançon, France, doing the exact same program as me). One thing I've been dying to do since I've been here is visit Chateau de Chambord located not too far away from Tours. So that's one thing on our agenda - besides sipping rosés in Place Plum and scenically strolling along the Loire, of course.
Then there's Lyon, France and Geneva, Switzerland during the first weekend of December, home to Canada for Christmas and New Years, and a weekend trip to Belgium to visit and new friend I've met here. February brings Marseille, France, Northern Ireland and England with my cousin, Sydney coming all the way from Alberta. Lots to be excited for and even more to be thankful for. But I'll keep ya'll up to date on those adventures as they come.
As always, hope everything is well. My Christmas countdown is on, meaning my Michael Bublé Xmas album is on repeat and in full swing (my roommate things I'm nuts). You can say I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. Being away makes you realize how important the people in your lives are. Not to get all sappy, lovey-dovey on you but being away from fam and friends has probably been the toughest part because of how encouraging, supportive and loving a lot of you are.
I must sleep now.
Love, love always,
Sam
Here I am, 2:34am, my bedroom lit dimly by the glow of my iPad, about to tell you a bit about where I am with this whole France adventure. If you've been following me on Instagram, you basically know what I'm up to every few hours or so... (sorry, I am going to try to turn it down a notch haha), but if you don't have Instagram, or twitter or facebook (hello Papa and Granny, and Mom..), then you might be wondering how things have been going.
To sum it up in a few words; things have been great. I'm feeling more confident with my students. I even had to raise my voice the other day to a student who would not stay in his seat and refused to participate in the activity that the rest of the kids were doing.. And it takes a lot for me to raise my voice. I've started designing my own worksheets and lessons, and I must admit, I am thoroughly enjoying the designing aspect. Now, I know that might be a quirky thing to say but you might have a future curriculum design specialist on your hands. ;) All joking aside, the school aspect has been fulfilling and every time I finish a lesson if feel a sense of accomplishment and pride... and of course, a bit of relief haha.
Also after 40 days of being here, I now have social security, a bank card and account (thanks for the help, Ariel), health insurance, a home, a job and some pretty great friends. Not bad.
I've also have made some exciting travel plans that will be happening over the next few months. This Saturday, Katie (my roommate), Ariel (my Canadian friend), and I will be going to Paris. We plan to checkout a very famous bookstore called Shakespeare and Company, laze around the grounds alongside the Eiffel Tower, have lunch at La Ratonde - a café where notable artists and famous writers such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald wined and dined, and lastly enjoy a concert put on by an American singer/songwriter, Tyler Ward at La Flèche d'Or. Sounds like an incredible day to me.
Then the following week I have a former Université Sainte-Anne friend coming to Tours for the weekend (as she's living in Besançon, France, doing the exact same program as me). One thing I've been dying to do since I've been here is visit Chateau de Chambord located not too far away from Tours. So that's one thing on our agenda - besides sipping rosés in Place Plum and scenically strolling along the Loire, of course.
Then there's Lyon, France and Geneva, Switzerland during the first weekend of December, home to Canada for Christmas and New Years, and a weekend trip to Belgium to visit and new friend I've met here. February brings Marseille, France, Northern Ireland and England with my cousin, Sydney coming all the way from Alberta. Lots to be excited for and even more to be thankful for. But I'll keep ya'll up to date on those adventures as they come.
As always, hope everything is well. My Christmas countdown is on, meaning my Michael Bublé Xmas album is on repeat and in full swing (my roommate things I'm nuts). You can say I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. Being away makes you realize how important the people in your lives are. Not to get all sappy, lovey-dovey on you but being away from fam and friends has probably been the toughest part because of how encouraging, supportive and loving a lot of you are.
I must sleep now.
Love, love always,
Sam
Friday 25 October 2013
Pep talk: Gumption
One of the very few films that I enjoy watching over and over again is called The Holiday and in the storyline, there is a friendship built between Iris (one of the leading roles) and an ex-Hollywood director from the earlier times named Arthur. For those of you who haven't seen The Holiday, essentially it's about two women who switch homes for two weeks, mainly because they have areas in their lives of which no longer make them feel fulfilled, and coincidentally they are both having no luck with love. Iris, from a small town outside of London, England, switches houses with Amanda from California and the two characters both find love and happiness in their new locations. In a conversation with Iris, Arthur goes on about how much love he had for his wife and one of the reasons he loved her so much was because of her incredible level of gumption.
Gumption. Hmmm.. The first time I heard this word was actually during the first time that I watched The Holiday and I instantly wanted to know the meaning of it because of the way the lovely and intelligent old man talked about his wife. The Oxford dictionary defines gumption as "the shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness." Which then probably leads you to the question of, "Why is she writing about gumption"?
Well, first things first, it has taken me an incredible amount of gumption just to being living here in France. I've never lived on my own before, I've never had to deal with banks and administration procedures, nor have I ever had to deal with being away from the people who make my life so wonderful, for such a long period of time. All of the things that I am experiencing here are new to me, and heck yes, it has been stressful, BUT I can already feel the amount I've "grown up" since only arriving here four weeks ago yesterday.
This job has also required me to have a lot of gumption because I am taking a huge leap and making progress with my dream of becoming an educator. Lesson planning, keeping my students engaged, time management and the behavioural aspect are all things that this job is requiring me to be doing - and woah, I am only 20 years old. It feels amazing when I get a group of kids who have the desire and willingness to hear me speak (and act out) English, even when the most they can understand is "Hello" and "How are you?". I enter the schools and can hear the students shouting "Oui, Oui, l'anglais aujourd'hui!!".
Like life, gumption comes with a few bumps and bruises along the way - but that's where character building and resiliency follows through. In my mind, gumption is having the guts and perseverance to do something that scares you, something that you know will make you come alive, and something that you dream about and catch yourself thinking about on a regular basis. There comes times in our lives when opportunities are on our horizons but we second guess them, and think about the possibility of the whole idea of it failing, and the negativity distracts us from how wonderful this thing in front of us has the chance of becoming. The majority of the time, with a little bit of our new favourite "G" word, new and magical and life altering things can happen.
I am definitely a strong believer in the idea of us having one shot at life and it's up to us to make it worthwhile. A wise high school chemistry teacher of mine wrote something in my 11th grade yearbook that said, "Life is what you make of it, Sam. Nothing more and nothing less." Having gumption will take you places; metaphorically and literally, and it all comes around to the importance of saying "Yes" more.
Gumption. Hmmm.. The first time I heard this word was actually during the first time that I watched The Holiday and I instantly wanted to know the meaning of it because of the way the lovely and intelligent old man talked about his wife. The Oxford dictionary defines gumption as "the shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness." Which then probably leads you to the question of, "Why is she writing about gumption"?
Well, first things first, it has taken me an incredible amount of gumption just to being living here in France. I've never lived on my own before, I've never had to deal with banks and administration procedures, nor have I ever had to deal with being away from the people who make my life so wonderful, for such a long period of time. All of the things that I am experiencing here are new to me, and heck yes, it has been stressful, BUT I can already feel the amount I've "grown up" since only arriving here four weeks ago yesterday.
This job has also required me to have a lot of gumption because I am taking a huge leap and making progress with my dream of becoming an educator. Lesson planning, keeping my students engaged, time management and the behavioural aspect are all things that this job is requiring me to be doing - and woah, I am only 20 years old. It feels amazing when I get a group of kids who have the desire and willingness to hear me speak (and act out) English, even when the most they can understand is "Hello" and "How are you?". I enter the schools and can hear the students shouting "Oui, Oui, l'anglais aujourd'hui!!".
Like life, gumption comes with a few bumps and bruises along the way - but that's where character building and resiliency follows through. In my mind, gumption is having the guts and perseverance to do something that scares you, something that you know will make you come alive, and something that you dream about and catch yourself thinking about on a regular basis. There comes times in our lives when opportunities are on our horizons but we second guess them, and think about the possibility of the whole idea of it failing, and the negativity distracts us from how wonderful this thing in front of us has the chance of becoming. The majority of the time, with a little bit of our new favourite "G" word, new and magical and life altering things can happen.
I am definitely a strong believer in the idea of us having one shot at life and it's up to us to make it worthwhile. A wise high school chemistry teacher of mine wrote something in my 11th grade yearbook that said, "Life is what you make of it, Sam. Nothing more and nothing less." Having gumption will take you places; metaphorically and literally, and it all comes around to the importance of saying "Yes" more.
Wednesday 16 October 2013
In the Swing of Things
Hey guys,
I think I am just going to post whenever I get an hour or so to write an entry, rather than only posting on Sundays.
I've been dying to update you all about Nuit Blanche. Last, last Saturday night, I had the opportunity to go to Paris from 5pm - 6:45am Sunday morning to take part in the annual Nuit Blanche festivities. I just want to start out by saying, that night was the coolest, craziest and most adventure filled night of my life and it still feels like it was all just a dream. I cannot decide if sitting at the top of the stairs at the Sacre Coeur at 3am while overlooking the Paris skyline, drinking wine from the bottle by the Notre Dame Cathedral, singing at the top of our lungs on the metro, or making our way to the Louvre and then to the Eiffel Tower grounds at 4am and being the only ones there is my highlight so I am just going to go with the whole night being one huge highlight. After walking more than 12 miles within our 12 hour duration in Paris we were exhausted and all conked out on the train ride home. The art part of Nuit Blanche was exhilarating and we were able to check out so many galleries and exhibits. It was an incredible experience.
The weekend passed by quickly and so did the week. We began to observe in our classes, sorted out our schedules met the students and the teachers. On the Thursday and Friday of that week was devoted to more meetings and then at last, the weekend was here. It was a quiet weekend which was kind of nice for a change and then I finished it up by having crepes and wine at one of the many restaurants on Rue Nationale with my Canadian friend, Ariel.
I've started teaching this week and so far it is been a pretty great experience. I feel like I am still on the right path so that's always reassuring. I only had one bratty class yesterday who wouldn't and couldn't stay still or concentrate for more than two minutes, but I made due. My other classes were all actually pretty amazing considering it was the first time and I am just some random girl from Canada with a "weird" accent. Haha.
These last two Tuesday nights, my roommate Katie and I have hosted a dinner soirée night with some of the other assistants. On our first night, we prepared tacos and then last night we had really yummy ham and cheese savoury crepes! Our guests consist of two girls (Megan and Ariel) from Canada, one girl (Ruby) from Ireland and another girl (Sonya) from Australia... then of course Katie is from the UK and well, ya'll know where I hail from. It is really entertaining to listen to all of our different accents. Tuesday night will always be something to look forward to now as we're making it a tradition.
After this week, I have my first two week break (already!!!) and I think I am going to hop on this mode of transportation called the "Megabus" and ride on over to London and Canterbury in the UK. One of my Education friends from the University of Winnipeg is living in London for the year and then Gimli gal, Holly M. is studying over in the Kent region. I should be a good time. I will update you guys on that when I return.
Hope all is well. Home in just under 70 days for Christmas!!
Love, love,
Sam
I think I am just going to post whenever I get an hour or so to write an entry, rather than only posting on Sundays.
I've been dying to update you all about Nuit Blanche. Last, last Saturday night, I had the opportunity to go to Paris from 5pm - 6:45am Sunday morning to take part in the annual Nuit Blanche festivities. I just want to start out by saying, that night was the coolest, craziest and most adventure filled night of my life and it still feels like it was all just a dream. I cannot decide if sitting at the top of the stairs at the Sacre Coeur at 3am while overlooking the Paris skyline, drinking wine from the bottle by the Notre Dame Cathedral, singing at the top of our lungs on the metro, or making our way to the Louvre and then to the Eiffel Tower grounds at 4am and being the only ones there is my highlight so I am just going to go with the whole night being one huge highlight. After walking more than 12 miles within our 12 hour duration in Paris we were exhausted and all conked out on the train ride home. The art part of Nuit Blanche was exhilarating and we were able to check out so many galleries and exhibits. It was an incredible experience.
The weekend passed by quickly and so did the week. We began to observe in our classes, sorted out our schedules met the students and the teachers. On the Thursday and Friday of that week was devoted to more meetings and then at last, the weekend was here. It was a quiet weekend which was kind of nice for a change and then I finished it up by having crepes and wine at one of the many restaurants on Rue Nationale with my Canadian friend, Ariel.
I've started teaching this week and so far it is been a pretty great experience. I feel like I am still on the right path so that's always reassuring. I only had one bratty class yesterday who wouldn't and couldn't stay still or concentrate for more than two minutes, but I made due. My other classes were all actually pretty amazing considering it was the first time and I am just some random girl from Canada with a "weird" accent. Haha.
These last two Tuesday nights, my roommate Katie and I have hosted a dinner soirée night with some of the other assistants. On our first night, we prepared tacos and then last night we had really yummy ham and cheese savoury crepes! Our guests consist of two girls (Megan and Ariel) from Canada, one girl (Ruby) from Ireland and another girl (Sonya) from Australia... then of course Katie is from the UK and well, ya'll know where I hail from. It is really entertaining to listen to all of our different accents. Tuesday night will always be something to look forward to now as we're making it a tradition.
After this week, I have my first two week break (already!!!) and I think I am going to hop on this mode of transportation called the "Megabus" and ride on over to London and Canterbury in the UK. One of my Education friends from the University of Winnipeg is living in London for the year and then Gimli gal, Holly M. is studying over in the Kent region. I should be a good time. I will update you guys on that when I return.
Hope all is well. Home in just under 70 days for Christmas!!
Love, love,
Sam
Saturday 5 October 2013
Settling In
Hello again,
I have made it through the first week, which may have actually been the longest week of my life. I'll get into that in a minute.
I know, I know, it isn't Sunday. But to be fair, tomorrow I will be sleeping due to spending the entire night tonight 7pm - 6am, celebrating and taking in all of what I can of Nuit Blanche in Paris. For those of you you who haven't a clue of what Nuit Blanche is, it's essentially one night of the year when all off he museums, cathedrals, EVERYTHING is open to the public free of charge for a night of art, partying, cultural activities and good times - in Paris. Sounds amazing.
This past week has been crazy. I've found out that I will be working, not in one school, not in two schools, but THREE different elementary schools throughout Tours. Yes, I am still only working 12 hours a week but with having to lesson plan for three different schools, my free time will soon be consumed. It'll be great though. I live in the south part of Tours, just south of the Cher River and two of my schools are in the very north part of Tours, north of the Loire River.. so, a lot of my time will be me just chill in' on the busses in trams, but I guess that will be a good way to get a good view of the city to start with.
The two schools that I have been placed at in the north have been the most welcoming so far. The other one is located in the center of Tours and I didn't have as good as vibes as I had with the other two. And first impressions mean a lot to me so I suppose we shall see how it all goes. This week coming up will be a lot of me talking about where I come from! about me and just getting familiar with each of the schools. I am looking forward to it.
Monday was the day that myself and my new friend, Jenny, from the UK, were driven around by this lovely lady named Corrine who is a coworker of my program contact in Tours, Sandra. Just before lunch time elle a dit (she said), "Nous allons chez moi pour dejuner, d'accord?". Quick little translation there, we will be going to my house for lunch, okay? Of course Jenny and I looked at each other with excitement as we had no idea what to expect. We get to her house for lunch and oh my goodness, I've never experience lunch like this before. Her husband and a guest were in the kitchen when we arrived and we headed straight for the gazebo like place in the back yard. The tables were all set nicely topped with different wines and baguettes. We sat and ate there for close to two hours. That is one thing about the French of which I really adore - meal time to them is so important and meaningful. Everyone comes together and just enjoys themselves, chatting about things that are light and joyful and there's lots of laughing, and it was just perfect. I don't think I ate dinner that night because I was still so full from lunch. It will be something I'll never forget.
On Tuesday, all of that assistants in the Orléans-Tours region met in Orléans, France for a day of orientation and tours. It was a beautiful city but a very long, information-filles day so we were all pretty exhausted on the train ride home. My Canadian friend Ariel and I had actually purchased the wrong return ticket (my bad) so we illegally hopped the other train with the other assistants.. Hehehe. Bad ass, I know. ;) A few of us have made plans to have a taco dinner at my apartment for this coming Tuesday. Making friends has been one of the easiest parts of this journey so far which has been extremely helpful.
I am finding that the only times I begin to feel homesick is when I've been on the he tram for too long and my mind wanders.. or as I am going to bed.. also when my mind wanders a lot. My dad has actually already mentioned this to my mom, so it isn't a secret anymore, but I will be back in Manitoba for Christmas and I cannot wait. I mean, I love it here, but it will be nice to spend time with fam and friends during the time of year when specific events like Christmas and New Years are meant to be spent with loved ones. I am really happy and thankful that this is able to happen.
Last night was my first little experience of the nightlife in Tours. Had some drinks with quite a few of the other assistant and did some more friend making. It was a fun night and I am looking forward to being with all of them again tonight.. but in Paris!!
I wanted to list a few things that I've noticed about living in France thus far:
1. Crosswalks will kill you if you do not have street smarts. Here there are white stripped lines on the road that indicate that that is I a place where you can cross, but cars don't stop for you.. Unless you make angry looking eye contact (which I think I have mastered because I have a decently easy time stopping traffic).
2. People do not smile back when you pass them on the sidewalks.
3. Peanut butter is ridiculously expensive.
4. Wine can be ridioulously cheap, although it obviously doesn't taste as good. But hey, it does the job.
5. French young men are alllll attractive. I has a very handsome guy check me out on the tram and I thought I was going to topple over. Confidence booster!!
6. It is very important to carry an umbrella with you at all time as it goes from sunny to raining in like 0 to 60 seconds. I've learned the hard way a few times.
But yeah, I think that is all that I had to tell you. I am almost a legal citizen here now as I am almost complete with all of the paperwork.. Yay.
Hope all is well with everyone who reads this.
Love, love, love,
Sam
I have made it through the first week, which may have actually been the longest week of my life. I'll get into that in a minute.
I know, I know, it isn't Sunday. But to be fair, tomorrow I will be sleeping due to spending the entire night tonight 7pm - 6am, celebrating and taking in all of what I can of Nuit Blanche in Paris. For those of you you who haven't a clue of what Nuit Blanche is, it's essentially one night of the year when all off he museums, cathedrals, EVERYTHING is open to the public free of charge for a night of art, partying, cultural activities and good times - in Paris. Sounds amazing.
This past week has been crazy. I've found out that I will be working, not in one school, not in two schools, but THREE different elementary schools throughout Tours. Yes, I am still only working 12 hours a week but with having to lesson plan for three different schools, my free time will soon be consumed. It'll be great though. I live in the south part of Tours, just south of the Cher River and two of my schools are in the very north part of Tours, north of the Loire River.. so, a lot of my time will be me just chill in' on the busses in trams, but I guess that will be a good way to get a good view of the city to start with.
The two schools that I have been placed at in the north have been the most welcoming so far. The other one is located in the center of Tours and I didn't have as good as vibes as I had with the other two. And first impressions mean a lot to me so I suppose we shall see how it all goes. This week coming up will be a lot of me talking about where I come from! about me and just getting familiar with each of the schools. I am looking forward to it.
Monday was the day that myself and my new friend, Jenny, from the UK, were driven around by this lovely lady named Corrine who is a coworker of my program contact in Tours, Sandra. Just before lunch time elle a dit (she said), "Nous allons chez moi pour dejuner, d'accord?". Quick little translation there, we will be going to my house for lunch, okay? Of course Jenny and I looked at each other with excitement as we had no idea what to expect. We get to her house for lunch and oh my goodness, I've never experience lunch like this before. Her husband and a guest were in the kitchen when we arrived and we headed straight for the gazebo like place in the back yard. The tables were all set nicely topped with different wines and baguettes. We sat and ate there for close to two hours. That is one thing about the French of which I really adore - meal time to them is so important and meaningful. Everyone comes together and just enjoys themselves, chatting about things that are light and joyful and there's lots of laughing, and it was just perfect. I don't think I ate dinner that night because I was still so full from lunch. It will be something I'll never forget.
On Tuesday, all of that assistants in the Orléans-Tours region met in Orléans, France for a day of orientation and tours. It was a beautiful city but a very long, information-filles day so we were all pretty exhausted on the train ride home. My Canadian friend Ariel and I had actually purchased the wrong return ticket (my bad) so we illegally hopped the other train with the other assistants.. Hehehe. Bad ass, I know. ;) A few of us have made plans to have a taco dinner at my apartment for this coming Tuesday. Making friends has been one of the easiest parts of this journey so far which has been extremely helpful.
I am finding that the only times I begin to feel homesick is when I've been on the he tram for too long and my mind wanders.. or as I am going to bed.. also when my mind wanders a lot. My dad has actually already mentioned this to my mom, so it isn't a secret anymore, but I will be back in Manitoba for Christmas and I cannot wait. I mean, I love it here, but it will be nice to spend time with fam and friends during the time of year when specific events like Christmas and New Years are meant to be spent with loved ones. I am really happy and thankful that this is able to happen.
Last night was my first little experience of the nightlife in Tours. Had some drinks with quite a few of the other assistant and did some more friend making. It was a fun night and I am looking forward to being with all of them again tonight.. but in Paris!!
I wanted to list a few things that I've noticed about living in France thus far:
1. Crosswalks will kill you if you do not have street smarts. Here there are white stripped lines on the road that indicate that that is I a place where you can cross, but cars don't stop for you.. Unless you make angry looking eye contact (which I think I have mastered because I have a decently easy time stopping traffic).
2. People do not smile back when you pass them on the sidewalks.
3. Peanut butter is ridiculously expensive.
4. Wine can be ridioulously cheap, although it obviously doesn't taste as good. But hey, it does the job.
5. French young men are alllll attractive. I has a very handsome guy check me out on the tram and I thought I was going to topple over. Confidence booster!!
6. It is very important to carry an umbrella with you at all time as it goes from sunny to raining in like 0 to 60 seconds. I've learned the hard way a few times.
But yeah, I think that is all that I had to tell you. I am almost a legal citizen here now as I am almost complete with all of the paperwork.. Yay.
Hope all is well with everyone who reads this.
Love, love, love,
Sam
Sunday 29 September 2013
I'M HERE
Hello et bonjour tout le monde,
I am in France and what a journey this has been so far. Twenty-five hours of travel is BEAUCOUP, like a lot. The first flight was fine. I was excited then; full of ambition and drive and was all set to go. When I got to Toronto, the plot did a bit of a 180 and I quickly became alone and really shaky and every time that I thought about me being 4000 km away from home, my pulse quickened. The 5 hour layover didn't help. I did a lot of wander and only started to tear up from being so overwhelmed two times..
Things got a bit better on my flight to Paris from Toronto. I had a window seat and sat next to a young couple who were off on their honeymoon to the City of Love. They both slept the entire flight so needless to say, I didn't go to the bathroom once (I hate bugging people while their sleeping). I slept maybe two hours and then we finally landed just outside of Paris. I was feeling antsy about going through customs, even though I've got nothing to be antsy about, but we all sluggishly headed towards the gate and passed through immigration with no problems. The guy who checked my passport and visa winked at me; I instantly thought, "Welcome to France" haha..
The the plot thickens and I was on my own again. After gathering my luggage I walked a really long walk to to the train station, which just so happened to be on the other end of the airport.. carrying about 80 pounds of my belongings. I walked up to a kiosk to print my ticket and a worker approached me to lend a hand.. probably because I looked like I was struggling - as I was. At this point, I was tired, hungry, and very thirsty, basically lacking all of the basic necessities (lol), and then thanks the guy and headed straight for a restaurant on the other side of the station of which I had passed earlier.
Yay! Food! ....aaaaannnndddd Wifi!!! The next hour passed pretty quickly as I ate and used the internet. I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air as I was feeling a bit lightheaded. On my way back inside, I noticed a girl who had been on my flight, sitting alone with a huuuuuge bag and she appeared to be crying. Me, being alone and knowing I still had 3 hours until my train would come, walked up to her and introduced myself. She had just missed her train and had never travelled alone before. She was delighted to see me, as she recognized me walking around the station a bit earlier and noticed my new mustard coloured scarf (thank you, Sara). We chatted for the next 2 hours and then went to check to see which track our train was coming down and at what time. We almost missed our train because we were standing on the wrong track, then decided to double check. Good thing I did.
We managed to be on the same train car and scurried our way on with ALL of our luggage and found some seats. I passed out (sleep, mother, don't worry) due to exhaustion and woke up at my stop. Then I had to transfer to another train and finally, I made it to Tours.
Mme Rouzier, the lovely lady who is all of the elementary school assistant's contact person, met me at the train station and welcomed me with a kiss on each cheek. My roommate, Katie from the UK, and another assistant met us there as well. The four of us climbed into Mme's car and we made it to my new home in the southern part of Tours.
My landlords were here upon my arrival and they've got to be the Frenchiest people I've yet to met. Pascal and Marie-Francoise, enough said. They were so kind as I used my broken French to say hello and we did all of the paper signing. I was exhausted so I quickly unpacked my things and had a bit of a nap. That evening, I Skyped my best friend from back at home and battled a huge mosquito type bug that few in (as there are not any screens on the windows), and then went to sleep.
Yesterday I woke up hungrier than ever because I hardly ate the day before but then realized I had no food.... So I stole two apples from my roomie and then headed straight for the nearest supermarket. On my way back from the store it started pouring and guess who was caught without an umbrella!? Me. 15 minutes later I reached "home" drenched, exhausted and hungry. I ate some toast with Nutella and drank so OJ and then to bed it was for a nap. I awoke to the sun shining through my window and decided I'd go check out the beautiful small lake situated about eight blocks from my apartment. It was stunningly beautiful so I sat on a bench and watched the sun go down. After I returned home, I Facetimed my parents and then went to bed.
Today I slept until 1pm and then met up with one of the Canadian assistants named Ariel at the train station down town as we needed to book a train to Orleans, France (our region's capital) for orientation on Tuesday. We then walked around Old Tours for just over and hour and then I caught the tram back home. It was nice to connect with a fellow Canadian.
Wow, that was a thorough description of my last few days.. I promise to keep the details to a bit more of a minimum next week. Haha. I just want to give you all a good setting description at the beginning.
Tomorrow I have a quick meeting with Mme Rouzier and other fellow primary school assistants and then we are off to our individual schools to observe and meet our co-teachers and student. I am pretty nervous but really excited. Then tomorrow evening, Katie (my roommate) and I are going to go back to the supermarket to get some more food and laundry detergent.. Woohoo. ;)
I miss ya'll back at home so much and I hope you enjoyed reading this entry.
I think what I will do is post every Sunday. Nice to keep things in a routine.
Lots of love,
Sam
I am in France and what a journey this has been so far. Twenty-five hours of travel is BEAUCOUP, like a lot. The first flight was fine. I was excited then; full of ambition and drive and was all set to go. When I got to Toronto, the plot did a bit of a 180 and I quickly became alone and really shaky and every time that I thought about me being 4000 km away from home, my pulse quickened. The 5 hour layover didn't help. I did a lot of wander and only started to tear up from being so overwhelmed two times..
Things got a bit better on my flight to Paris from Toronto. I had a window seat and sat next to a young couple who were off on their honeymoon to the City of Love. They both slept the entire flight so needless to say, I didn't go to the bathroom once (I hate bugging people while their sleeping). I slept maybe two hours and then we finally landed just outside of Paris. I was feeling antsy about going through customs, even though I've got nothing to be antsy about, but we all sluggishly headed towards the gate and passed through immigration with no problems. The guy who checked my passport and visa winked at me; I instantly thought, "Welcome to France" haha..
The the plot thickens and I was on my own again. After gathering my luggage I walked a really long walk to to the train station, which just so happened to be on the other end of the airport.. carrying about 80 pounds of my belongings. I walked up to a kiosk to print my ticket and a worker approached me to lend a hand.. probably because I looked like I was struggling - as I was. At this point, I was tired, hungry, and very thirsty, basically lacking all of the basic necessities (lol), and then thanks the guy and headed straight for a restaurant on the other side of the station of which I had passed earlier.
Yay! Food! ....aaaaannnndddd Wifi!!! The next hour passed pretty quickly as I ate and used the internet. I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air as I was feeling a bit lightheaded. On my way back inside, I noticed a girl who had been on my flight, sitting alone with a huuuuuge bag and she appeared to be crying. Me, being alone and knowing I still had 3 hours until my train would come, walked up to her and introduced myself. She had just missed her train and had never travelled alone before. She was delighted to see me, as she recognized me walking around the station a bit earlier and noticed my new mustard coloured scarf (thank you, Sara). We chatted for the next 2 hours and then went to check to see which track our train was coming down and at what time. We almost missed our train because we were standing on the wrong track, then decided to double check. Good thing I did.
We managed to be on the same train car and scurried our way on with ALL of our luggage and found some seats. I passed out (sleep, mother, don't worry) due to exhaustion and woke up at my stop. Then I had to transfer to another train and finally, I made it to Tours.
Mme Rouzier, the lovely lady who is all of the elementary school assistant's contact person, met me at the train station and welcomed me with a kiss on each cheek. My roommate, Katie from the UK, and another assistant met us there as well. The four of us climbed into Mme's car and we made it to my new home in the southern part of Tours.
My landlords were here upon my arrival and they've got to be the Frenchiest people I've yet to met. Pascal and Marie-Francoise, enough said. They were so kind as I used my broken French to say hello and we did all of the paper signing. I was exhausted so I quickly unpacked my things and had a bit of a nap. That evening, I Skyped my best friend from back at home and battled a huge mosquito type bug that few in (as there are not any screens on the windows), and then went to sleep.
Yesterday I woke up hungrier than ever because I hardly ate the day before but then realized I had no food.... So I stole two apples from my roomie and then headed straight for the nearest supermarket. On my way back from the store it started pouring and guess who was caught without an umbrella!? Me. 15 minutes later I reached "home" drenched, exhausted and hungry. I ate some toast with Nutella and drank so OJ and then to bed it was for a nap. I awoke to the sun shining through my window and decided I'd go check out the beautiful small lake situated about eight blocks from my apartment. It was stunningly beautiful so I sat on a bench and watched the sun go down. After I returned home, I Facetimed my parents and then went to bed.
Today I slept until 1pm and then met up with one of the Canadian assistants named Ariel at the train station down town as we needed to book a train to Orleans, France (our region's capital) for orientation on Tuesday. We then walked around Old Tours for just over and hour and then I caught the tram back home. It was nice to connect with a fellow Canadian.
Wow, that was a thorough description of my last few days.. I promise to keep the details to a bit more of a minimum next week. Haha. I just want to give you all a good setting description at the beginning.
Tomorrow I have a quick meeting with Mme Rouzier and other fellow primary school assistants and then we are off to our individual schools to observe and meet our co-teachers and student. I am pretty nervous but really excited. Then tomorrow evening, Katie (my roommate) and I are going to go back to the supermarket to get some more food and laundry detergent.. Woohoo. ;)
I miss ya'll back at home so much and I hope you enjoyed reading this entry.
I think what I will do is post every Sunday. Nice to keep things in a routine.
Lots of love,
Sam
Wednesday 18 September 2013
One Week Until Takeoff
These last few months have flown by so quickly and, oh my goodness, I cannot believe that I start my journey in one week.
These last two months have been a lot of me stressing out as there has been many things that I've needed to do prior to this voyage. Although they say, there must be a little rain before a beautiful rainbow shines through.
I had to fly to Toronto to move forward with my visa application back at the beginning of September. It was a great little getaway. I stayed with a friend of whom I met at Explore in Nova Scotia last summer and she toured me around all of the nice sites of Toronto (I was especially attracted to the Harbour Front). I met a girl while I was waiting to meet with the French consulate who is doing the exact same Teacher's Assistant in the exact same city as me! We had to laugh because we realized we were going to be friends this year, even though we has only met for about a minute or so. Small world. The next night after the visa meeting I stayed with my Gimli friend, April, who is actually from Kitchener, Ontario. We spent the night at her dad's home in Milton and hiked the Niagara Escarpment! Beautiful view of the big city from up there!
This might be a good time to write about the city I've been placed in. Tours, France - population of about 140,000 people, full of beautifully lush greens and gardens, a promenade along the Loire River, and is situated an hour and 15 minutes southwest of Paris. An hour and 15 minutes southwest of PARIS; pinch me. In the garden of the ancient Palais des Archevêques (now Musée des Beaux-Arts), there is a large cedar tree that was planted by Napoleon! This place is full of history and is known for having the purest form of French in all of France. There's so much to look forward to.
About a week ago, I was still visa-less, still homeless, still unsure of what school I will be working at and feeling a little lost. But things have come together. I will be renting a room in a 4 bedroom apartment, with a shared kitchen and living space and my visa finally came in the mail. My educational contact person in Tours has been a huge help and has offered to meet me at the train station when I arrive and take me to my new home.
As my time here is winding down, I'm starting to realize how much I am going to miss my family and friends and just the normal everyday life in good old MB. I am pretty content with all of the different aspects of my life these days so it's difficult to just put everything to a bit of a halt. I'm desiring adventure right now though, so this obviously couldn't be more perfect. And hey, I know that the people back at home will still be there when I return. Seven months isn't even that long to begin with.. (so I am telling myself to keep me sane haha..)!
Bon Voyage party is at Assinaboine Park is this Saturday with all of my loved ones. I know it will be a beautiful evening.
I think that's all I've got to say this time 'round.
The next time I post will be in France. Crazy stuff.
Love pour toujours,
Sam
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