Tuesday, July 01, 2008


I interrupt my slide show for these guys (and gal): about half my class on our final day (last Wednesday) of the spring term... let's see: from L to R, Jean from Cameroun, Choun Ming from Laos/France, Shadi from Syria, Bao Ming from China, Svilen from Bulgaria, Rodman from Costa Rica, Dary from Cambodia, Mohamed from Morocco, and this other guy -- can't remember his name -- from this exotic place called Ontario. We had fun together learning English all year (and yes, I learned from them)... I love you all, and this slide show is partly for you guys!! (Including, of course, those of you who didn't get into this photo.)

It's Canada Day, and summer is definitely upon us. This is the first summer I'll have had off in the last ten years. (Previous summers, I taught ESL immersion at Bishop's University: this year, I decided to change my routine.) Plans? Jocelyne and I are renting a chalet on a lake in the Laurentians for a week ; we'll be taking in some of Montreal's festivals, including the jazz festival; probably take a short trip to Quebec City & take in some of their 400th anniversary celebrations as well (not that I'm big on celebrations, but it happens to be.) As well -- actually primarily -- to write poetry, put together a second manuscript from what I've written, continue taking lessons with this guy & practice new arrangements of my songs, edit & produce a couple of Sky of Ink chapbooks, one by Jocelyne and one by Raphael Bendahan, do submissions and prepare (maybe I'll actually do it this time) a submission onslaught for September. I'll keep this blog active. What are your plans?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our plans....let me see...Invent a little Brian just for everybody !

You have a nice class though, all "born" canadians. Some of us still keep smiling and we celebrate the 1st of july.

Vive le Canada !

Svilen

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your message. I have seen the blog ,very interesting !

BaoMing

Anonymous said...

thanks you are a very good person, but you know my phone number and call me maybe we can do one bbq in my house and see hi to alexandra too.

bye

Rodman

Anonymous said...

hi.
it's midnight,
so i will just let an Hello
and will post another comment tomorrow .
i will kill the crazy bulgarian :)

Choun ming.

Anonymous said...

Finally Chou Ming called...

Well nobody else wanted to say something about the teacher's blog...

my email's goal was to help you express yourself....and I'm waiting to see your "tomorrow" comment !!!

:)

The crazy Bg.

Unknown said...

well i would like to tell to svilen that i 'd never receive an so long email of my life :)
( i'm jokking )
i'm happy to hear you,
and i miss all of you too.

and Brian, i was sure that you take more picture of us in the bbq party .

and it's very bizarre but dary is always in focus on all picture with bad focus :))

maybe we can meet each other next week on a bar or why not a bowling party,

Choun ming.
( PS: Svilen why are you always hidding the destinator email, it can be so easy for me to save them if you didn't hide them, think for it for your next email please i'm so lazy to add them one by one :))

Brian Campbell said...

Those four pictures are all I had from that evening. If I took more, I may have deleted them on the spot because they didn't come out well.

It's true about Dary always being in focus in the bad pictures. *Clearly* (pun entirely intended), she takes photogenic to a whole new level.

Unknown said...

you said four ?
where are the three other picture ?

Anonymous said...

Chou Ming man....Brian sent 4 photos already on a separate email. Here is the BEST ONE. ALL of us...and Dary !!! Why she is always top....well that's her ASIAN background....she is good looking, but not as handsome as myself (hihihi showing off ;) )

Then about the 'hiding' emails, well OK next time I'll post them all, but 'seulement toi a répondu !!!'

Shady called and said he received a long email, OK bad complaining people I won't write you anymore...

Alexandra and her familly are in Gaspesie, so I'm alone for a couple of days.... after 18th of july we can realise Chou Ming's idea for a BBQ or some activities.

I'm always IN.

IS Dary in Cambogia already ? No answer ?

Ok see you arround.....

Svilen

Unknown said...

I didn't received any email from Brian with those pictures you're talking about,
so can you forward it to me ,
or maybe Brian can you resent it for me please thanks :)

alone again ;)
lucky man,

we are talking in the blog of Brian,
if you didn't hide the destinator i 'd just reply to all off them and maybe one off them reply one day, because i'm not sure that they came here to read our comment and talking :)

Anonymous said...

Ok it's done....

Svilen

Anonymous said...

Are all these people your students, Brian? or did you make a lot of weird friends (as expected) while visiting Newfoundland...?

Brian Campbell said...

Rob: These are weird friends I picked up in Newfoundland. I brought them back with me in my suitcase, and we posed for this picture in a school yard in Montreal. (You can tell by their diction they're from the Rock.)

Actually I rather doubt you could assemble 8 people from such different origins on the whole island (of Newfoundland, that is).

It's too bad we didn't manage to get together while I was out there. I guess St. John's is not exactly "around the corner" from you. Anyway, I expect I'll be back...