Lusty Gusty Gal

Here I am again, trotting the streets of Galway, Ireland! Despite the economic downfall and the cold rainy weather this country is currently facing, I would have to say that the energy in Galway is on the rise! The streets are packed with people and musicians and the air is infused with the smell of beer and tobacco smoke.

We arrived in Dublin on Tuesday morning and our very bright and factual bus driver Michael drove us to Galway while he briefed us on the economic status of Ireland. Since my last visit to this country, the market value of homes has dropped by up to 50%, construction projects are visibly on hold and the VAT tax has dropped from 20% to 13.5%. On a positive note, tourism is on the rise and partly because of Obama`s visit in May! Nonetheless, Michael assured us that “the locals still have the price of a pint in their pocket”! Good news!

It’s been pouring since we got here on Tuesday so I have kept it pretty low key. I started my day on Wednesday with a yoga class in the city. There`s something hot and unique about an Irish man with an accent guiding you through your practice! I also met a local girl at yoga who just finished some volunteer work in Nepal. She spent 4 weeks in the mountains teaching local students and living with a host family. We got to talking about gender inequalities and how she saw first-hand that women are second class citizens in this country and aren`t given the proper tools and opportunities to be empowered. Our conversation inspired me to look into volunteer opportunities to possibly work on literacy programs and educational training for women next summer. I`m glad I woke up and went to yoga despite the jet lag!

Wednesday night we checked out the Galway Film Festival. We viewed a film on the economic status of Iceland and what individuals are doing to stop consumerism and rebuild a stronger sustainable country. The documentary was alright...I really enjoyed the Iceland vodka served afterwards! J

Yesterday we spent the day at the Aran Islands. I think I fall in love with that place more and more each time I visit. My coworkers and I rented bicycles and rode around and took pictures all afternoon. Their way of life is so simple and pure...it's as though you`ve warped back a few years. Stone wall divide all the properties, horses trotting along the roads and locals hard at work outside. They seem to have a lot of pride and all their properties are pristine.

Last night I went to Taaffes Pub for a few Smitwicks and some good old Irish music. Soooo fun!! I had a perma smile all night...I just love the vibe in the pubs here! The music was fantastic!

On a final note, if you`re ever in Galway, wake up early on a Saturday morning and walk down Griffin street to watch the locals start their day. You will find people walking with baskets picking up fresh produce and newspaper while shop owners are prepping their colourful store fronts for the day. It was lovely to watch!

I am having a grand time here in Ireland and will share more stories in the days to come!

Francine J

It is good to collect things, but it is better to go on walks -Anatole France

A Green Movement

A few weeks ago, while scanning the Globe and Mail I happen to fall on an article talking about a Green School in Bali who focus on a holistic and green education. The sustainable school in the Balinese Jungle is built purely out of Bamboo and is surrounded by gardens and farms. After researching the school, I fell madly in love with the idea of being part of this movement. Here's a copy of my pitch...and don't forget to check out the link :)

http://www.greenschool.org/

In the midst of a cold winter night in northern Ontario, Francine, sits in her cozy living room by the crackling woodstove. The warmth of the fire and the sound of the northern wind whipping by her window carry her thoughts to a faraway place.

In her reverie, Francine stands on a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The warm breeze brushes against her cheeks as she walks through the Balinese jungle. Treading on a hard volcanic stone path, she passes lush gardens, and rice paddies, greeted by the familiar lowing of cattle and clucking of chickens. She takes a deep breath and walks up to her beautiful open-spaced bamboo classroom. Under the thatched roof sit her students, eager to be empowered and ready to tackle a new project. The students roll out their Pilates mats and Francine reminds them of the importance of keeping a balanced lifestyle. They start their class by taking a deep breath in through the nose and exhaling all the toxins and negative energy through the mouth. After a few breaths, the students roll down into a forward fold and hangs there for a moment, inhaling through the mouth, tucking their tummies and rolling up slowly, re-aligning one vertebra at a time. And so, the learning experience begins.

Francine explains that the mind, body and spirit are intertwined and must all be treated equally to find overall wellness. After cleansing with Pilates, Francine starts her business lesson by asking her students, “How do we become socially and environmentally responsible citizens? How can business leaders succeed in a competitive global market?” After spirited and meaningful debate, Francine introduces her pupils to the most important business concept they will ever learn, known as the Triple Bottom Line. All business leaders who want to succeed must focus on three concepts simultaneously, which are profit, planet, and people. Business is both a direct and indirect cause of most ecological problems. As the class discusses the issue of growing human population, rising levels of consumption and threats to natural systems, students are beginning to see how much capitalism has an effect on their world. Francine emphasizes how social responsibility is the backbone of every successful business and how organizations must adopt restorative strategies to save the planet and help communities develop sustainable plans to survive any drought, war or environmental disaster that may touch their community. Business leaders, Francine tells the inquiring minds before her, have the power to be the change they wish to see in the world.

Francine then asks her students, “How do we turn sustainability issues into new profit opportunities?” To expand on this idea, she announces that the next project will be to create a green product or service that responds to a local need, has a minimum impact on the planet and helps generate a profit. The profit made from the product will then be re-invested in third-world entrepreneurs who are trying to create a sustainable local business, such as a fruit and vegetable stand in Tanzania. Francine then explains that their homework for the night is to start brainstorming a green product or service and to visit Kiva.org to find an entrepreneur they would like to help.

Francine feels the energy in the room; students are interacting and their ideas are bouncing off the invisible walls of the classroom. She watches them collaborate to build sustainability plans and knows she has reached her triple bottom line for the day—she has exposed, empowered and lead her students to think, create and make an impact.

After a full day of learning and exploring with her students, Francine hops on her bicycle with a smile and heads home. She sits on a café terrace in the glowing evening sun in the quaint town of Ubud and watches pedestrians walk by holding hands and laughing, street vendors selling jewellery, and a local man depicting what he sees with oil paints and a canvas. The server walks over to take Francine’s order. “I will have the Bebek Betutu and a glass of brem,” she says. As the server walks away, Francine begins to reflect on the inspiring day spent with her students. As she looks out to the horizon, a strong breeze pulls her out of her reverie. She is once again in the cozy warmth of her living room – this time not dreaming of the incredible opportunities that may await her oceans away, but instead determined to be there, making her dream a reality – living her very own triple bottom line. She reaches for her backpack, her plane ticket and her passport and walks out the door, smiling with confidence and anticipation.

Francine Bouchard

I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.

- Aristotle

Up, Up and Away!

Ciao Ticos!

Backpack, passport, hiking boots, aviators and binoculars – Check, Check, Check!

Next on the list of places to see: Costa Rica!!!! I am ecstatic to be leaving on a 9 day adventure with my dear friend Kristie to explore a country that is so diverse. From lush rainforests, beautiful beaches and rugged jungles, we plan on touching a bit of everything. Costa Rica is known for its high level of biodiversity, its mass amounts of conservation areas and of course it’s AMAZING coffee, so we are sure to take advantage of these unique offerings!

We will be flying into San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica on Friday March 11^th. After a short visit, we plan on taking a bus North-West to San Elena/ Monteverde for 4 days. Our main focus will be exploring the mountainous Cloud Rain Forest in Monteverde which is located at a very high altitude (1,440 m) above sea level. This means high humidity equals plenty of mammals, birds, insects and plants to see! Not to mention, an afro that won`t quit. During our time here, we will be doing plenty of hiking and definitely some zip lining. The town of San Elena will be our base point. This town apparently prides itself on organic farming, its tasty organic restaurants, its coffee plantations and cute little artisan shops. SOOOO excited!

After our rugged adventure in Monteverde, we plan on taking a bus-ferry-taxi to our next destination, MONTEZUMA, a small town located on the south-eastern side of the Peninsula de Nicoya. This place is apparently populated by hippies, artists and dreamers! It seems to be a charming laid back village with tons to offer. For 5 days we will get to do yoga, swim, surf, snorkel and eat beautiful dinners along the Pacific Ocean.

Finally, we will be taking a small plane back to San Jose on Saturday March 19^th to then board a 16 hour flight back to Toronto!

Beautiful country and great company is sure to make this trip a memorable one! Looking forward to sharing my adventures with you at the end of the trip!!

Adios Amigos!

Francine ;)

Why I travel: to learn through new adventures, to grow, to challenge myself and foster an appreciation of both the world at large and my favourite chair waiting for me in my cozy living room in Northern Ontario.

Dancing in the Moonlight

There`s something about being by the water that makes me feel so happy and serene. Sperlonga has to be the most BEAUTIFUL seaside town I have ever seen. It is a very small town on the Mediterranean Sea between Rome and Naples. It’s actually a really busy time of year as many Italians choose to vacation here in the summer. You really get a feel for the Italian culture as NOBODY really speaks English. The town is incredible...it’s built in a mountain, with narrow alleyways, staircases everywhere and gorgeous whitewashed buildings. The view of the ocean with the mountainous backdrop is picturesque. Apparently Sperlonga was a favourite retreat for the ancient Romans during the hot summer months and it has continued to be a hot spot ever since.

We are staying at this beautiful modern resort... I feel so spoiled! I have a gorgeous room with this spa like shower...I shower on average 3 times a day just to take advantage of it. There`s a great pool and bar on the rooftop which I`ve grown quite fond of. We have become friends with the bartender “Sarina” who refuses to charge us for our drinks. Sarina also doesn`t have much bartending experience so she just pours away without ever measuring...quite funny! We`ve been teaching her a thing or two!

My first night in Sperlonga was incredible! Natalie and I took a cab to the neighbouring town to experience our first Italian Club. We went out at about 1:00 am and things were just getting started. We got drop off on the beach and followed this sandy alleyway to this outdoor disco. I kind of felt like I was at Much Music Video dance but in a foreign country with outdoor televisions playing random videos to music we know haha. Nat and I were definitely the only Canadian girls there. Natalie is fluent in Italian so she was able to network for the both of us. It’s so funny to see the locals going crazy over North American Top 40 Music...they don`t know the lyrics they just seem to mumble random words ...too cute. So we danced the night away till about 4 and then decided to call it a night. It was great having my own personal translator...otherwise I wouldn`t of been able to take part in any conversation. I really need to learn to speak Italian.

Some of the students went to Pompeii on Sunday but I stayed back and enjoyed exploring the streets of Sperlonga. Nat and I started our day at around noon with a great lunch in a piazza up in the hill. We had the best Caprese salad and Antipasto! I am now addicted to olive oil, Buffalo Mozzarella, tomatoes and wine. Everything is so fresh and tasty! After a fantastic lunch, we made our way to the beach where we met up with about 20 students who had bought a bunch of inflatable boats and tubes. We ended up playing in the water with them for a good part of the afternoon followed by some reading on the beach! Another long day at the office!

For real, I`m honestly in heaven! Last night, my coworkers and I went out for a wonderful seafood dinner on top of the mountain. From the patio, we enjoyed the sunset followed by a full moon reflecting on the water. This place is soooo Zen! You can`t help but just pause every now and then to take it all in. Life is so stress free that it has become quite easy to just live in the moment and not think of anything else. Wish every day of the year could be this way!

Our students started their final presentations this week...I can`t believe the course and the trip is coming to an end in just a couple of days. I have become really close to my students. Most of them are quite mature for their age. I feel like they`re my little brothers and sisters...they seem to come to us for all sorts of stuff including relationship advice and they seem to keep us in the loop about everything haha they`re hilarious. It has honestly been an amazing experience teaching them. They are so engaged and excited about business- Some of these kids read the Economist for fun haha! I`m going to miss them.

I have also enjoyed working with such a wonderful team. Teaching with James has been a learning curve for me. He is this dynamic, inspiring teacher who is gifted and has a way of delivering the content in a fascinating way. It has been really nice to learn from him this past month.

Natalie is another one I`ve become quite close to. She is our group supervisor who also happens to be 26 and loves to travel. We`ve spent numerous evening having late night chats and exploring our surroundings. I knew after talking to her for 5 minutes that we`d become friends...she is so easy to get along with. Having her here on the trip has made it this much more amazing! She is planning a visit to North Bay for the fall so some of you will get to meet her J

This will be my last post as I will be heading back to Canada in just 3 days (I`m not ready to come back). My adventures through Ireland and Italy have been incredible. These two countries are so different but yet equally amazing! I think what made Ireland were the people, its lively culture and its gorgeous landscape where as the food, the history, the art and the relaxed lifestyle made Italy so memorable.

I will be back on Canadian land Friday night! Yay! I plan on spending the long weekend at the cottage with my family and Gigi McLaren with a possible visit from Katie ?? I can`t wait to have a campfire and catch up...hopefully no fire restrictions!?!

Momma, I hope you can find the time to bake some blueberry muffins...that would be fabulous! Haha!

Looking forward to seeing you when I get back! Can`t wait to catch up with everyone!

Ciao!

Franny

It is good to collect things, but it is better to go on walks

-Anatole France

When in Rome...

Italy keeps getting more and more amazing by the day. After leaving Florence, we stopped to spend part of the day in a small town called San Gimignano. One word to describe it: beautiful! The medieval town is built high up in the mountains and if you climb up to the highest point you get the most gorgeous view of the Tuscany region (see picture). I honestly couldn`t get enough of the scenery! After taking it all in, James and I found a cute wine cellar where we tested some local wine before coming back down for some awesome prosciutto sandwichesJ. I think this place is a must see en route to Rome!

We arrived at our hotel in Rome around dinner time on Monday...traffic is crazy and the streets are packed! After dinner, we walked the students to the Spanish Steps and then to the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain is the largest and most famous fountain in Rome. The water that runs through this fountain and every other fountain in Rome for that matter comes from the Roman Aqueducts and is quite good. The whole square around the fountain is incredible, thousands of people sitting around admiring this piece of art... Apparently they collect between 8000$ and 9000$ in coins every day!

Monday night, Nat and I roamed around and visited the Piazza Navona...this beautiful square with tons of cute cafés and trattorias, live music and tons of local artists selling paintings. The artwork is gorgeous...I bought a couple of pieces for my house J it’s so fun to just walk around with nowhere to go!

Tuesday we went for a guided tour of the Forum and the Colosseum....it was over 40 degrees and our tour guide wasn`t very engaging so we ended going off on our own...things aren`t really marked out at the Forum so hard to follow but the Colosseum was really impressive.

I also had the chance to tour Vatican City...visited St-Peter’s Basilica-it’s incredible and almost overwhelming because there are so many details to see. I also toured the great Vatican Museum...I think I could have stared up at the Sistine Chapel for hours...the detailing and the story it tells is fascinating. Our guide was really informative so it made the whole experience quite memorable.

Rome is different from any other big city I`ve ever visited...every building is rich and full of details. There are no skyscrapers as no building can be higher than St-Peter's . The bridges and fountains are all so different. I don`t think any picture could show its true beauty. At least once a day, I head to the rooftop of my hotel to drink a glass of wine and enjoy the scenery and the weather.

I had the day off today so I decided to take the subway across the city and walk back down. I did some shopping, visited some Piazzas and then met up with my dear friend Natalie for an afternoon Mohito which then turned into several afternoon mohitos in extreme heat. Needless to say, we were left with perma smiles and massive headaches as we rushed to get back to the hotel to have dinner with the students. Haha!

I`m off to my final destination tomorrow: Sperlonga!!! I will be spending 6 nights in this beautiful beach town on the Mediterranean coast....I CAN`T WAIT! I plan on doing lots of Pilates with the students and catching up on some reading while soaking in some sun J

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer...I`m looking forward to some northern Ontario camping and BBQs with family and friends in August :)

Ciao for now!

Franny xxx

A Date with a Boy Named David

My first Italian experience started with a glass of sparkling wine (persecco) and an amazing arugula salad on a beautiful terrace in the Duomo piazza on a gorgeous summer evening shared with amazing company. As I looked up at the Duomo for the first time...I screamed! It has to be the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. It`s at that very moment that I fell in love with Florence! It has this vibrant and romantic atmosphere. The small streets are filled with people, cute little restaurants and Gelato stops. For the past 4 days, I feel like all I`ve been doing is walking and eating gelato haha...I can`t get enough. During my 5 days here, I`ve had the chance to visit the Duomo, Michelangelo`s David- which by the way is absolutely mind blowing, Santa Croce- which contains tombs of famous artists such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli and the Piazza della Signoria- a beautiful square filled with famous statues. Our guided tour of the city definitely brought light to the whole renaissance period. The city is filled with beautiful art- statues, painting and magnificent architectural work.

I think you could walk around for days and never get bored...Saturday I went exploring on my own...sat in a few piazzas and watched the world go by. I`ve also done a lot of shopping, I bought a few souvenirs, a few leather purses and a gorgeous leather jackets J J

On Sunday, I took the train to Venice to meet the group...as I walked to the end of the platform I didn`t really know what to expect but it`s exactly as you would picture it- Canals, bridges and narrow alley type streets filled with people. I think it has become my new favourite city. It`s crazy to think that Venice is pretty much built on water (117 islands to be exact) with no vehicles. The only way to get around is by boat or by walking. You can literally get lost just walking through alleys and exploring all the Venetian glass shops...it’s honestly the coolest place ever!

Today, we brought our International Business students to the Pagani factory and then the Farrari museum. Some students managed to go test drive some of these cars with professional drivers...they we`re all pretty pumped about it!

Besides that, I`ve been enjoying teaching, exploring, drinking and EATING. I feel like all we do at night is sit in great restaurants where we drink and eat all night J

Gigi- I keep thinking of you...you would go CRAZY visiting museums here...the art is mind blowing!

Tomorrow we are leaving for Rome and will stop in San Gimignano to explore the town and visit the piazza. Apparently it is known for its art, shops and restaurants!

I am having a grand time and I can`t wait to share more stories with you when I get home! It`s been an amazing experience up to now and I can`t wait to see what Rome is all about!

Ciao for now!!

Franny

I Love The Rain Most When It Stops...

My travels through Ireland are coming to an end today. I am sitting at the airport in Dublin enjoying a coffee and absorbing the last few breaths of Irish culture while watching James, my fellow co-worker, enjoy one last pint of Guinness. We left Galway at 4:00 this morning in a downpour... it has rained every day for the last week. I think my body will go into shock when we arrive to Florence today as the weather is about 36 degrees J

My time in Ireland has been amazing. On Tuesday, we brought the students to the Aaron Islands where we spent the day exploring. The island is so quaint! The people are joyful and so relaxed...it’s as though you have warped back to the 50s. The roads are narrow and bordered by stone walls; fishermen coming in and out of the port; little houses with thatched roofs; old stone churches with a gorgeous lush green mountainous backdrop. I love the simplicity of it all! While on the Island, James, Natalie and I took a trap ride chauffeured by our charming local Sean and his beautiful horse, Laura. Sean was a great tour guide! He seemed soooo excited to be telling us about the history of the Island....he ended most stories with “It’s just the way t’is...it’s just the way t’is”. He seemed so proud and content with his life on the island!

Yesterday, I went horseback riding in Galway`s beautiful countryside. My horse Brandy was this gorgeous chocolate brown horse who had a mind of her own...you can`t tame a wild horse so I just went with itJ For real, the scenery was soooo serene...the pictures don`t show the full beauty of it all.

Overall, Ireland is a marvellous place; the scenery, the people and the culture are what makes this place so memorable. Although I am extremely pumped about venturing in and around Italy, I will miss the Irish lifestyle!

Francine

As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are, otherwise you will miss most of your life

-Buddha