Roasted Chestnuts, Sickness and Fifty Facts

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.

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