I recently set my students an assignment to write a few paragraphs about ‘A Day in the Life of’ any career of their choice. I asked them to consider what time they might have to wake up, what they would eat for breakfast, what some of the typical tasks would be, and what time they would take breaks, etc. This got me thinking about my ‘typical’ day. Typical being employed loosely here as I’ve realised that no day ever really…
Moving to a foreign country can be a wonderful opportunity to learn a new language and to experience a new culture. Moving to Canada is no different. Canada is officially bilingual so you will have the opportunity to put those school French lessons to good use (depending on the region). The First Nations of Canada have their own languages such as Ojibway and in my current location Kwak’wala and many people are making efforts to preserve their native languages and…
For the second time in the space of four days I am sat in candle-lit darkness. It is not uncommon for rural areas in Canada to experience frequent power cuts, especially if power lines are surrounded by trees like we are here. Last year, several times, my residential area was affected by trees pulling down power cables and blocking the route into town. Once in a while the power outages go beyond my residential area, affecting the entire region; today…
Even the cat seems depressed; a definite sign that something’s not quite right. Who would have thought that several weeks of nothing would be quite so exausting? I’m sat staring at our lethargic lump of black fur as he takes his umpteenth catnap of the day, flicking his tail in mild annoyance that the sound of the TV has caused him to stir. What can a cat possibly have to be depressed about? Surely his days should be spent out and…
I usually try and put a positive spin on things but after spending 7 months in the capital there are inevitably a few things which grate on the nerves. In any case I am living in Paris so it should be my perogative to complain about absolutely anything and everything. I ♥ Rien – Je suis Parisienne! I hate the way that supermarkets are closed on Sundays and the way that a coke costs more than the beer, I hate…
According to Tuenti it’s been 110 days since I last updated my status: “En Paris – nuevo trabajo, nuevo piso :)” Almost a third of a year has flown by and both the job and the flat no longer seem all that new. The problem was that around 100 days ago all that happiness of finding a new job and flat was shattered in an instant: An evening which started out better than average, ended in tears. I didn’t feel…
At last we have internet and can re-connect with the world outside of Ashern! So most of Thursday and Friday was spent reading emails, writing emails, and basically regaining my ‘social network’ online. I tried to explain to Kàrim (in French) that we have dial-up. At first it was misunderstood/ lost in translation due to the incredulous nature of my statement. Finally his response was along the lines of “You mean the type that makes all that noise that we…
At last we have a postal address. My first ever P.O. Box address! Of course no-one has the address yet so it’s not that exciting because there won’t be any mail. Since we bought postcards in Winnipeg last weekend and have now sent them it would be interesting to see how long it takes for them to reach their destinations. Even sending and receiving mail in Ontario could be temperamental; sometimes taking days and at other times weeks. However with…
It could be said that our trip was doomed from the outset given that the tickets were booked just 48 hours prior to our departure and the suitcases finally loaded the night before (or in my case the morning of!) the big move. This was largely due to the fact that neither of us were particularly fussed about going to live in Manitoba. Mum because she likes Ontario and that’s where the other two are. For my part it is…