I am how old????

Thank you to all my friends who remembered my birthday...y`all sooo sweet!! Even though I am stuck here in Rivire-du-Loup, it feels good to know that so many of you are thinking about me today. Your wishes mean a lot. The people here keep asking me if I am planning to do anything special today...a celebration...or party? Mais non. I don`t like that kind of stuff. For me, birthdays lost their charm after my 19th. Birthdays... People expect you to be so "happy" all day. Questions such as "What are you going to do? Are you going to celebrate?" make me want to run. All I really want is to chill together with a few good friends...talking, laughing, and recalling. Add a bottle of good wine to that and I`m on top of the world. :-) Forget birthdays. Next year, I`m celebrating my Name Day. June 21st -- mark your calendars! ;-)

Presque deux semaines plus tard...

Donc, ca fait presque deux semaines que je suis au Quebec et... Je pense que mon francais est assez bon pour comprendre et lire, mais quand meme, il me manquent des mots pour m`exprimer courrament avec des quebecois. Cependant, j`èspere que ca va etre mieux. Tout et bon, j`aime beaucoup mon cours et mes camerades de classe. Mon prof, il aussi, est tres gentil. :-)

Est-ce que tu as tout compris? :-)

Ici on s`èxprime en Francais :-)

Salut...ca va? :-)

I am in Quebec, in Riviere-du-Loup, to be exact. It`s only the first week so my francais is still a little rusty but I`m sure it will get better. I was placed in the "advanced" course, which is actually pretty easy. There are 16 people in my class...most are from Ontario, the rest are from the west (B.C., Alberta). The rules here are pretty staight-forward -- speak, think, act, eat, and sleep French. French non-stop -- everywhere and with everyone. I`m managing pretty good so far, but it`s not always easy, especially when speaking with a beginner.

I live with a family, they`re very nice people. My room is good, food is good, all is good, except the 5:30 am showers that the father likes to take each morning. It so happens that my bedroom is right beside the shower, and since the walls are not exactly well insulated, it kind of feels like standing next to Niagara Falls...Boooooffffsshhhh!! Yep, it`s an early wake-up call each morning, but what can you do?

Gotta run to class. La prochaine fois, peut-etre j`ecriverai en francais, hehe!

Germany...in less than 2 months

I did it, I'm teacher! Qualified and certified. :-) It was a long year of classes and practicums. I sat through countless hours of boring lectures and survived the evaluative process of my practicums. It's a shame that each practicum had to be evaluated because that took away from the experience. Most memorable experience? Practicum in England -- going there was the best decision I could have made (thanks Maus for your support..I probably wouldn't have done it if it weren't for u). It feels great to be finished and to have a career. I really like teaching and I'm glad I chose this path. I love the 6-9 age group and hope to someday teach a Grade 1-3 class.

So here I am, all finished with school, looking forward to the next big step in my life. That would be my move to Germany, of course. :-) It's coming up....June 20th...one-way ticket to Munich. I'm excited, very excited. Those of you who know me, know why. I'm trying not to idealize the situation or fantasize too much, but rather to take it as it comes. I'm probably not going to pack a whole lot, although I've quite a large collection of "kitsch" here at home. Unfortunately I can only take about 35 kg with me. That's little..

Just two weeks left before I go away for 5 weeks to Riviere-du-Loup, QC to improve my francais. Somehow I'm not as excited about it anymore.. The train ride will take over 16 hours and I'll have 3 transfers along the way. Not looking forward to that. Now that I think about, I think I would have preferred to spend these last 5 weeks in London, instead of going away. I will come back from Quebec on June 16th and three days later, I'm off to Germany. It seems so fast! :-)

A trip to Poland this summer is not out of the question, but Holgus has his eyes set on Tuscany. I've never been to Italy, although I've always wanted to go there. Tuscany sounds romantic and makes me think of outdoor cafes, vineyards, good food and good wine. I'll have to read Under the Tuscan Sun before we go. Good times await. :)