Comments about my travel

Friday, January 22 2010

Voeux pour 2010

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Friday, January 22 2010, 21:32

C'était la lettre de bonne année que j'avais écrite en m'inspirant partiellement d'une interview du perchiste Romain Mesnil. Elle me fera toujours marrer:

C'est une année complètement folle, presque absurde. Je retiens la manière dont je me suis battu aux niveaux pro et extra-professionel. C'est une année dont je suis fier. J'ai toujours envie d'être tranquille mais en fait j'ai plein de projets en même temps. Je sais que j'ai du mal a avoir une to do list vide et ici je me gave. C'est dans la difficulte qu'on fait ses preuves. L'experience de randonnee m'aide puisque je sais que plus le sommet est dur a monter plus la vue est belle. Je vous souhaite une tres bonne annee 2010, plein de bonheur.

Monday, November 30 2009

Good news

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Monday, November 30 2009, 23:12

Hello.

I have a lot of good news.

1. I have found fresh yeast in a Polish bakery for $1. This has helped me to improve my croissant recipe but I still have a lot of progress to do.
2. I have some dates for next weeks. More details about that later on if that works.
3. I got a new job at Lobways thanks to Kristell. I will work with her during the next 3 months translating some SAP training documents. That will be fun and I hope it will help me to get a contract in a SAP BI project.
4. This is my birthday next Wednesday and I will go out with some friends in Toronto. That will be definitely fun.

I will keep you posted very soon. There will be some wintery pictures. Promise

Wednesday, November 11 2009

Nightmare

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Wednesday, November 11 2009, 23:09

Hello,

I made a dream several nights ago, a nightmare, actually. I am going to write it down, because, usually, I forget them. Moreover, I think this one is about this journey.

In my dream, I was a tennis champion. I managed to win until the Roland Garros final against Federer. However, in the semi-final, I broke my nice tennis racquet and to replace it, I asked Sampras if he can give my another one. He did so but instead of giving a good one, he gave me the worst one ever. The big day arrived but it was raining a lot on the central court. I was looking at Federer warming up by making huge shots under the rain (his shots were like bullets taking all the water drops) from a kind of tower for journalists, looking at the whole court. Suddenly, the court start to get flooded and The tower I was on started to break down. I wasn't able to stay on it, before I woke up.

For me, it's clearly the same thing here in Canada. I have only a bad tennis racquet and I have to beat Federer under the rain and to prevent me from falling. Usually, it's with this kind of pressure and this kind of fear that I can improve myself. I hope it will be the case here, because I can do better than I did until today.

Though, even if it was only a nightmare, I will take that into account to get more motivated.

Take care.

Friday, October 23 2009

After 4 months

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Friday, October 23 2009, 00:21

Hi there.

Next week, it will be 4 months since I left France. I miss you, guys. I miss cheese and wine. I miss Paris.

4 Months. Enough to make a turn around myself in my jeans after the slap I received by arriving here. Enough to get a first job, to improve my English and to prepare myself for the winter.

Now, the first phase of my plan in Canada is over and I really have to plan for the future.

I have to ask for the permanent residency. I got my driving license and, next Thursday, I will get the OHIP, the health insurance in Ontario. I still have to find something to quit my work but it will be really hard with the actual context.

I met a lot of nice people here. Still not enough but at least I keep seeing them.

See you.

Thursday, September 3 2009

Hi there, it has been a long time

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Thursday, September 3 2009, 22:47

Hi there,

Sorry for keeping you in the dark like this during this last month, especially when my last entry is that pessimist.

I am nearly fine right now. When I realized three weeks ago that I have lost 8 kilos since my arrival in canada, I figured out that I had to change several things in my new life. I started to run again. I has been painful at the beginning but now I can run easily twenty minutes and my legs are back after a little injury. I have a new computer I bought after a long crisis with my last one. This picture shows how it was speaking to me. my computer trying to communicate

This one is way better but I had to learn how to make é è ô and à with an american keyboard. I have learn to cook several canadian dishes and now I don't think about tartiflette anymore. If you know me, you can tell it is a huge progress. I have started again to send resumes. Now, I ve sent 91, but probably more than 1 hundred. I am sure I am not counting well.

Two more pictures to show you the town a little more and that will be it for tonight.

A man and his hotdogs cart just near St Andrew Subway station. A man and his hot dogs nears st andrew subway station

A group of people playing soft ball near Finch subway station.

See you soon for more pictures.

Thursday, July 23 2009

Different feeling I have been through, and Squirrel

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Thursday, July 23 2009, 00:53

Hi,

It is really strange to leave everything you have known and to discover something new. Strange and crazy. I have been through many types of feelings and just to remember that I post this entry.

The first two days in Toronto were really disturbing. In fact, while walking on the street, I had the same feeling you can have while jumping from a plane. I was really scarred. I had no home (except the younth hotel, where my bags (50kgs) stayed in my dormitory) and no job for the first time for 3 years. It was strange and it took me two days to calm me down. After that, now, it is really hard for me to start working for myself. I have realized that I have no job, nothing to do except working and a lot of money on my accounts. All of this, it is not helping me to start over something new. I am kind of bored now and waking up early in the morning to start working is not something I like. Currently, I am working on alternative current: one day I work hard, the following day I do nothing.

All of these are reasons I have left. It is not easy to start something new. I knew it and I wanted to discover it. Now I am in it. It is hard and I hope it will be OK for me.

We will see.

For the funny part, I have pictured a squirrel from my bedroom. Worked who had been used to worked in front of my bedroom, have left. It is quiet now and, this morning, I was able to picture one. It was on the street. Here are the pictures.

Ecureuil

Ok, that's all for this time.

See you.

Saturday, July 18 2009

Hi, summarize of my first two weeks in Toronto

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Saturday, July 18 2009, 23:14

Hi,

There are a lot of things to tell after this first 15 days in Toronto, but let's start with two very important things. First, it is harder than what I thought to post every day on this blog. Sorry. Second, the strike of public worker isn't finished yet.

Hopefully, that's not all. To summarize, after one week in the Global Village Backpackers (460 King St West Toronto), I have found a room to rent just North West to the UT (University of Toronto I guess). My new address is Room 5, 150 Madison Avenue, M5R2S5 Toronto ON Canada.

Since then, I haven't been able to find a job, I realized that I won't be helped by Canadian government because of my temporary visa and I haven't move a finger to obtain a health insurance. This is the dark part of my stay. In an other hand, I am starting to improve my English, I have discovered the library, met my roommates, transferred a part of my money in Canada with a good change rate, I have a new cell phone (647 994 6656), and the in the street just in front of my bedroom have stopped which allows me to have real nights.

That's it for the formal part. Let's continue in the next post.

Wednesday, July 8 2009

Welcome to Toronto

By jean-baptiste gaudier on Wednesday, July 8 2009, 04:53

!!!Hello,

This is my first entry in my blog. Sorry for my poor English writting but I bet it will help to improve me. It will be fun to see how my writting skills evolve.

My name is Jean-Baptiste Gaudier. I am a french Guy who used to work as a SAP BI consultant in Paris for Logica Management Consulting. To summarize my old life like this would be wrong because I love my family and my friends. I was also volunteer for "Solidarité Sida", a french association who helps people who have aids. Each 15-24 months, I was used to have great holidays. Last ones were India Kashmir (July 2004), France Corsica (October 2006) and Scotland West Highland Way (March 2008). After Scotland, I started to ask me what I can do next. It is not an easy question to answer after beeing a teacher to little boudhism monks in India, after finishing the most difficult trek in Europe or after trekking along 200 km in Scotland at the end of the winter. After several months, I decided to go to Canada in order to live there during, at least, two years and to spend some time with my cousin, Julien. Several things in France made me change my original plan a little. Finally I decided to leave France at the end of June (29th) after quitting my job (25th) and doing some volunteering during Solidays (26-28th) in order to spend a week with Julien in Montreal before arriving in Toronto to find a new home, a new job and everything with it.

So, today, it is my first full day in Toronto. I arrived yesterday by Gredhound bus...

I was supposed to write a little about this first day in Toronto, about the lovely neighbor I had in the bus and about the wonderful week I had in Montreal with Julien (alias JUJU) and his girlfriend, Marine (I still don't dare to give her any alias ; ) , but it will come!!! I am thinking about it), but it is 5 past midnight, and I am still tired so I am going to sleep. I must be rested tomorrow because I was not really efficient today to find a roomate and I still have problems with my bank HSBC.

So see you tomorrow. I promise there will be more pictures.

Go Go Maple Leafs