Skip to main content

The next chapter


When I was younger I dreamt about visiting Mexico. I had an apparent passion for learning Spanish and new things about the latin culture. Little did I know, this passion would go far beyond Mexico and Spanish. 

5 years ago, I started teaching at an amazing French school called Pavillon de la jeunesse in Hamilton, Ontario. This school brought forth many challenges, but with every obstacle I surpassed, I learnt so much about myself and the World around me. I was lucky enough to work with a very multicultural group of kids who in the end probably taught me just as much as I taught them. Thank you to all the students and staff members I was privileged to work with in the last 5 years!  

After my first year teaching, my passion for learning about new cultures and for helping others fuelled me to go on my first humanitarian trip. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time, but the experience was absolutely life changing. Within about 3 years, I went to the Dominican Republic 3 times with a great group now called Live Different-Hero Holiday. On every one of those trips I was able to push myself a little further into different situations I had never dreamt of encountering before such as building houses and working in a garbage dump. Thank you to everyone on those Hero Holiday trips; the staff, the participants and all the great people I met and worked with in the communities.

Just over a year ago, my dad brought home a newspaper article about a girl doing humanitarian work in Peru. He knew right away that this article would interest me, and he was so right! I got in contact with the person of interest and next thing I knew, I was signing up for my 4th humanitarian trip, but this time in Peru. I was so excited to push myself even further this time, travelling to a new destination with a new group of people. What a great experience it was! I got to teach English to kids and to some of the local teachers. Every minute of it was rewarding! Once again, a big thanks to everyone on that trip; Solidarity in Action (SIA) staff, participants and everyone in the communities! 

Teaching and going on humanitarian trips have been very valuable experiences for me, but I have also done a few trips just for pleasure and they have been just as great. I have travelled to Brazil, Argentina (only for a few hours), Chile and just recently, I FINALLY made my way to MEXICO! My long-time dream came true! 

Everything I have experienced thus far in life has allowed me to grow and to learn so much about myself, but I am far from done! There is so much more I want to learn! So, in just over a month, I will be starting a new chapter in my life. I will be moving to Dubai to teach French in the primary level at an international school called Greenfield Community School (GCS). I am ready to confront the new challenges that will be presented to me. I look forward to pushing myself, once again, just a little further in order to grow and to learn more about myself, my profession, my passions, new cultures, new people, new languages...

Please stay tuned for updates...

Thank you to EVERYONE (tagged or accidentaly forgotten) who has been a part of my life thus far! Pavillon de la jeunesse, Live Different - Hero Holiday, Solidarity in Action (SIA), Zumba crew, family and friends! Believe me, you have all hepled me grow and chase my dreams! 

The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams come true.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ready. Set. Go.

 “Once in a while, it’s good to challenge yourself in a way that’s really daunting.” Since returning to Dubai in January 2020, I have participated in numerous fitness events around the city, mostly in pairs, trios or teams of 4,5,6 athletes ( aside from our internal community weightlifting/powerlifting throwdowns ). Many of these events have challenged me with new formats ( e.g. Hyrox and Primal Race ), movemenents ( e.g. swimming and sled pulls ) and/or equipement ( e.g. the worm and the yoke ). Being part of a team has been a whole lot of fun, and I’ve been so incredibly blessed to team-up with some really good athletes who have pushed me to achieve great things, both in training and in competition. That said, for a little while now, I’ve sort of wondered what it’d be like to compete individually again. Are my body and mind still up for this kind of challenge?   Throughout my time living in Vietnam, from 2017 to 2019, I became fully invested in the sport of CrossFit. I thoroughly enj
Post a Comment
Read more

The power of a PAUSE

 “Don’t underestimate the power of a PAUSE; it allows you to reflect, recharge and refocus.” We live in such a fast pace world. These days, when people ask how we’re doing, we regularly say “I am so busy!” and “I am so tired!” When we are not occupied, we think something is wrong, we feel lazy, and we immediately try to find things to do to fill up our time. We’re constantly looking to move forward; to go, go go and to do, do, do. Why is it so difficult to stop and take a break? For me personally, when I am in ‘work mode’, my routine is pretty consistent; work, gym, eat, sleep, repeat. In the past, I was really hard on myself when I didn’t feel productive and accomplished, but over the last few years, I have really tried to look for and embrace ‘down time’. Now, I am more aware of my needs and my boundaries. I am capable of laying on the couch and watching TV without feeling guilty. I can also turn down weekend plans if I don’t feel like socialising and would prefer to have a restful n
Post a Comment
Read more

Jack of all trades, master of none

  “Sometimes we strive so hard for perfection that we forget that imperfection is happiness.” At a very young age, my parents signed me up for ice skating. They invested lots of money over the years, on skates, outfits, coaches, private lessons, and competitions, and I of course invested lots of time into improving my skills. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, you could find me at the ice rink most days, trying to prepare for my next test, competition or show. Now, I was a decent skater, but realistically, I wasn’t on a path to the Olympics. Once I went off to university, some difficult choices needed to be made, and for some reason, I decided to quit skating and invest more time in my education and career, as well as playing soccer during the summers. For several years after college, soccer became my main sport. Especially when I first moved to Dubai; I played indoor, outdoor, 7 aside, 11 aside, womens leagues and mixed leagues. Some weeks, I was playing 6 consecutive nights,
Post a Comment
Read more