Bonjour, my name is Alain. I’m a French Canadian from the province of Québec now living on Jeju island in South Korea. I am retired and married to Stephanie for 25 years. We are the proud parents of five daughters and even prouder grand-parents of three.
Stephanie and I are on Jeju-do since the summer of 2019 and loving it. She is an English teacher in Branksome Hall Asia, an International all girls school where their goal is to “Empower Women”. She teaches middle school in grades 6, 8 and 9.
I have inherited the domestic chores, cleaning, washing, shopping, mostly everything ending in ing. I am on my bike almost every day. I also spend a lot of time in the school volunteering. I am in the library at least two days a week for a few hours. I also run a Bike Club for students. Accompanied by my friend Peter, also retired, we take the girls riding in the country side.
Peter and I, with a few others, are IMOLs (International Men Of Leisure). Our Bike Club is called the Burger Boys. Our riders come from the United States (California, New-York, Nevada), China, Australia, New-Zealand, the Netherlands, Britain, Scotland, Canada (Ontario, British-Columbia, Québec) and, of course, Korea. We like to ride our bikes for a few hours before stopping for lunch, including beer, and ride back for another while. Jeju-do is wonderful to ride a bike. It is a bit hilly but within about twenty minutes from where we live, we are on the sea shore. If we’re lucky, we see a bank of dolphins. Of course, while riding we tend to resolve the problems of the world. It’s good to be retired.
Writing a blog is a first for me. This is my very first post, ever. So, please be gentle with me. I am a newbe. Also, my mother tongue in French. I still need help with my English. While working in Montréal, I would write a lot, reports, memoirs, memos, but almost exclusively in French.
In this blog I would hope to share some stories, maybe some feelings. I’m also hoping to write about my daughters, grand-daughter and grand-sons. I would also like to share about our Korean experience. I am also looking forward to reading stories from other Slicers.
Voilà for my introduction!
Alain, this is a wonderful first post. I love your sense of humor: “We’re international men of leisure.” Back in 2009 I was in summer school in Moscow—-Idaho, not Russia! Same spelling. Different pronunciation. I met a French scholar with whom I rode bikes. I’d hauled mine up so I could ride the gorgeous trails. I later learned my French riding companion was a racer, too. I’m a slow rider, a very slow rider. Of course a barley-based beverage is a necessity at the end of a long ride, especially when solving international problems, which is also one of my hobbies. And your English is impeccable. Trust me. After four years of our 🍊 🤡 butchering the mother tongue, we’re all experts in English. I may judge you by your bookshelves but not your English.
Quelle belle initiative! Je viens de lire ton premier post et je me réjouis d’en lire d’autres.