As promised in my last post, lots of news to share:
Future Dr. Tigerlily!
My subject that continues my work on the future of Francophones in Louisiana has been accepted at the University Rennes 2. I can check that box. Now for the hard part: working with either University of Louisiana-Lafayette or Tulane University in some kind of partnership and getting financing.... In any case, I feel like I am moving onto the next step and that the hope is still there that ESL teaching will eventually become a thing of the past...
New (temporary) job!
Thanks to a colleague from one of the schools I've worked at, I was offered a job at a small company that does voice synthesizing for software, video games, etc... They are now adding English American style to their repertoire and I've been hired to work on that project. I get to use my skills from sociolinguistics as well as the film world in this position and it's also a nice break from teaching.
However, as I'm already bound to a permanent contract with the applied arts school and as the job announcement came up after the school year started, I'm still teaching part-time and doing the new job part-time. It's also a temporary position, so I can't afford to drop the applied arts school as of yet.....
FINALLY SUCCESS!!
My very special announcement accompanies the photos below taken this afternoon in the area called Canal St Martin where the countryside meets the city and also where we walk the puppy princesses (there's a large field off the road called Prairie St Martin - a great area to run the puppies off-leash). I chose this area because I like its industrial/country-like ambiance as well as hitting 2 birds with one stone by getting a good doggie-walk. Fall is now in full force in Rennes which means rain, rain and more rain, so also took advantage of the break between deluges....
Drum roll please and without further ado, after four long years of trying to conceive, 2 of those years involved fertility treatments (all charges covered by the health care system - the French like to help people make babies), filled with blood, sweat and tears (literally), we finally had success on June 29th when I had a second IUI. I have been moving very cautiously and still am in a state of disbelief - so much so, that I think I'm having a hard time making a connection to the future person that is developing in my belly - I guess once you've lived through infertility, it's hard to believe that there's a little bean on the way; it feels like walking on glass because you know that so many things could still go wrong.... November 19th is the next ultrasound - hopefully, we will be able to see if it's a girl or a boy and hopefully, all is well. I feel excited and apprehensive.
And voila! A few photos to share with everyone the good news:
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| Taken in front of a very cool spot where artsy stuff takes place - it has so much more potential, but unfortunately, is rarely open. You can see my pups in the reflection as well as a good shot of my belly now at 5 months. And, I have a "new" car! Thanks to my parents' help, I finally got rid of the little French car and am driving the same model as my mom, a PT Cruiser! It's like having a little bit of home with me at all times :) |
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Below : New baby on four wheels and new baby on the way - whoa baby! |
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A few shots according to my Tigereye of Canal St Martin:
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| Above & Below : One of the many paths that lead to Prairie St Martin, using a couple different effects. |
