howdy!

Things have been busy out here.

I've been at my new job as an English language monitor up in Shawinigan for about a month, I've started classes part time at the university, I'm in the midst of major grant applications (fingers and toes crossed, not to mention the t's!), working with a few private students and joined a choir to round things out. Phew.

In my free time, I enjoy sleeping. And studying biology jargon in French.

More detailed updates to come. No really. I promise.


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I did an activity with my students called "Rodeo Role Play". Where I live, there are people who have never heard of the greatest outdoor show on earth, the Calgary Stampede. It gets trumped by the Festival Western in St-Tite. A teeny, tiny town very close to the middle of nowhere. In honour of this shared cultural heritage, namely cowboys, I taught francophone students such useful terms as "howdy", "y'all", "yahoo" and verbs like "mosey" and "vamoose". All of which I'm sure will prove useful if they ever meet John Wayne.

The goal was to get the students to speak, even if they were using silly words. After some tweaking, the activity was successful.

Now to teach them all to talk like pirates!