Taco

We are now dog owners! We adopted this adorable Golden retriever labrador mix from the SPCA last Saturday. It was meant to be, as first we went to see the main building and didn't really click with any of the dogs we saw. We were a bit disheartened, but learned there was an emergency shelter on the other side of the street for puppies and more difficult dogs, so we decided to go check it out. Just as we were walking in, a young volunteer had a dog on a leash and asked us if she could help us. My husband looked at her and said, "Yes, we came to adopt that dog.", pointing to the dog she had on a leash. She said he had just came in about 20 minutes earlier from a family that just wasn't ready to raise a puppy. We stayed with him for a long time, went for a walk, fell in love, and got all of the papers organized. His operation (to be neutered) was scheduled for Monday, so we left him (broke my heart) there for the weekend.

On Sunday, we went to a pet store to buy all of the necessary accessories: dog bowls, toys, bed, food and cage. We also spend most of the day trying to decide on a name. We went through so many options, but we wanted something that worked in French, English and Spanish, and something that meant something to us. We finally decided on Taco Anyong Titan. We call him Taco (which reminds us of Mexico and suits him well), but we just love the name Anyong from Arrested Development and Titan from a  Dane Cook sketch.

 On Monday, my husband and I were so excited we kept talking about our dog all day. We had a few pictures on our phones that we would show whoever was willing to look! After work, I rented a Nissan Leaf from Communauto (a car-sharing community I'll have to post about another time). It is the coolest car! It is 100% electric and runs great. It was a great experience. Taco was super excited to see us and the car ride home went really well.

He has been doing so well this first week. He has already learned to sit and stay before we open the door, he heels pretty well (still tugs quite a bit though) and hasn't had too many accidents in the house.

Today, went for a super long four-hour walk to the Old Port in the snow and wind (we finally got a good snow storm!). Taco is now super tired and relaxed, but was really cold at the half-way point and I felt so bad that he was shivering! We almost looked homeless as we ate outside (Tim Hortons wouldn't let us in with the dog), Taco in my jacket to warm him up!

Here are a few pictures and a super cute video I took of Taco playing in the snow. Enjoy!

Wouldn't you have fallen in love with him too?

First day home!

We think he's going to be long!

Cute things heard at work this week

This week being Valentine's Day, we had many talks about love and friendship. Here are a few tidbits I thought I'd share to make you smile:

One of my students told me he was in love with a girl from another class and that when he saw her, his heart dropped to his feet because she was just so beautiful (aw!), but that she was annoyed because he always wanted to talk to her and play with her.

Another student told me he was in love with his parents and that he would marry them one day. I'll let him figure that one out in time, but am making a mental note to tell his parents that they are ever-so-loved!

What to wear if you are a Canadian teacher

Today was the 100th day of school for my students and I. We celebrated by counting to 100 many times throughout the day and by having an outdoor carnival. My colleagues and I had set up different stations that the students could play at and they had a blast. We were outside for about an hour.

We are lucky at our school because we (teachers) are only on recess duty once a week, but our recess lasts 45 minutes, so when it's cold you need to be dressed really warm. This is the whole point of my post. Knowing that we have to be outside for long stretches of time once a week, we all decided to buy the very best winter clothing we could get our hands on. For us this means a North Face Arctic Parka (black or grey (or brown - not pictured here)) and Sorel boots. Obviously, all other 'normal' rules of winter dressing still apply - layers are a must! So underneath our matching jackets, we all had two or three shirts, and we also had several layers of pants (including snow pants). Tuques (that's a warm hat for non-Canadians), mittens and scarves are accessories, but choose them wisely because when you play in the snow with five-year-olds, things get wet pretty fast!

Notice the matching jackets and boots!

2012 Resolutions

I looked back and did not find a single post about my 2011 New Year's Resolutions, and quite honestly, I have no idea what they were! This year I am super-motivated and have a long list of resolutions.

1. Go to church every Sunday and become involved in the choir/ Sunday school/ something like that... As you may or may not recall, I've embraced my faith again this year and enjoy bettering my spiritual self.

2. Go swimming and/or exercise twice a week. There is a swimming pool literally two minutes away from my house. I have no excuse.

3. Get out of the city and enjoy nature once a month. I love hiking, skiing, spending time in cabins, and I'd love to be able to accomplish this one.

4. Volunteer. I'm hoping the public library across the street from me will call, because I told them I was looking to volunteer. If they don't, I might apply to be a Big Sister.

5. Finish my masters. I've already begun filling out applications and I definitely don't want to overwhelm myself like I did last time, so I'm thinking part-time, taking it slowly, but finishing it eventually (not in 2012) is a very reasonable goal.

What are your New Year's resolutions???

Iranian Yalda night

Iranians celebrate the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, by eating, singing and being together. I was honoured to be invited to this celebration last night.

From here

The music was amazing. I did not know any of the instruments before, but I did recognize the sound of the music. It reminded me of the music in the movie 'Incendies'. It also made me think of 'Aladdin' and being in the desert with camels under a tent, though I think these are some stereotypes I need to get rid of. The man who was singing had an incredible voice, and though I don't understand Persian, I could tell the songs were all about love. They also read from the poet 'Hafez', who writes about love and existence and the meaning of life, as my friends told me.

From here

The food was good too. There was watermelon, pomegranate and oranges. There was also cake, nuts and chips.

I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in a different culture. I felt as though I was travelling, although I was still in Montreal. It definitely made me want to visit Iran though. Maybe one day I will go with my friends!

Christmas parties

Chronological order of work Christmas parties I've attended:

2008: In Puebla, Mexico. No wine or alcohol served. Bad food (I decided not to take the vegetarian option, thinking they'd serve traditional Mexican food, but unfortunately it was steak - I only ate the vegetables and was hungry). There was great entertainment though, singing, dancing, and circus-type dancers on stilts!

2009: In Puebla, Mexico. No wine or alcohol served. OK food (learning from my previous mistake, I opted for the vegetarian option. It was a vegetarian lasagna that left me hungry, whereas my friends got turkey and all the fixings). There were most likely prizes. I know there was a bit of line dancing, but overall, this party does not stand out in my memory. My friends and I most likely did something more fun together afterwards.

2010: Montreal. Lots of wine, great food, the school gym was decorated and the entertainment was awesome. Teachers had dressed up and made us laugh. Dancing was great and a good time was had by all.

2011: Montreal. Incredible decorations including a champagne pyramid, an ice sculpture, carved fruit. The food was also incredible: cheese, shrimp, escargots, foie gras, fruit, salads, deserts! No singing or dancing. Prizes were also amazing: we all received gift certificates and there were more individual draw prizes. Crazy prizes like trips, watches, etc. were given!

Family Christmas parties are different in that they usually involve carolling or singing and musical instruments, traditional Québecois food (tourtières, cassoulet, fèves aux lard, etc.), decorating gingerbread houses, and children running, screaming and playing.

My own Christmas parties I hosted in Mexico included decorating, deserts, music, and Home Alone.

Why am I telling you all this? I don't know, but I feel like each of the parties I attended give an impression of the values the school upheld. If this same statement applies, what does that say about me?

The weather

Yes, I will be talking about the weather. If I wanted to live in London or Vancouver, I would. I have often said I hate winter, but I take it back. I just hate being cold. Winter I actually enjoy now that I know how to dress appropriately and am not worried about looking like a fool with a gazillion layers on. I love the snow, I love seeing my students play, I love building snowmen, making snow angels, skiing, skating, or just walking around. The snow makes everything look pretty. Especially when it's sunny and the flakes are glittery. Ahhh...

Now this winter has to be the worst of the worst. I know technically it hasn't arrived yet (December 21st is the 'official' day as I understand), but usually around Halloween time, we start to get snow in Montreal. We got a bit of snow on November 17th, but it has now melted. What we've had lately is grey, drizzle, grey, rain, and more grey weather. I reiterate, if I wanted to live in London or Vancouver, I would. But I don't. I may have a tad of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) because this grey dreariness makes me want to sleep and just be lazy all day, every day. It's not even that cold, it's just annoying.

Canadians will know that Canada withdrew from the Kyoto protocol this week. I don't know of anyone who can argue that global warning doesn't exist and that we shouldn't do our part to eliminate harmful emissions. I feel like I do my part, as much as I can, by buying locally, recycling, composting, and doing countless little things, but it is horribly depressing when the big guys don't do anything. It makes me feel like the small things I'm doing are just worthless. Now I feel like winter is on strike. It's like it's trying to prove that global warming does exist. I wonder if the big shots hate winter so much they're doing this on purpose and trying to make winter disappear? I could totally make a game out of this with my students: 'Ways to save winter'. Here's hoping for a white Christmas, wiser politicians and for future winters of snow for my students to enjoy!

Winter 2009