My Co-op experience in Canada

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Hi friends,

I can say I am a lucky person.
I had a great co-op experience In Toronto Green Community , a grassroots non-profit organization that educates people about environment, helping Torontonians to leave in a more sustainable way in order to make Toronto a greener city, a better place to live, work and play.
After volunteering for two Christmas in their Eco Gift Wrapping program I understood that the best thing is to  work for a cause you believe, and I believe in their dreams of a better world.
I can say it was a perfect combination of learning and having a great time helping.
During three months I had the chance to promote the organization in many events related to their programs. I participated on  Lost Rivers Walks; guided tours that play with our imagination. Highly knowledgeable volunteers guide people around Toronto showing the places where hidden creeks and rivers are; it was very rewarding to promote the walks because they are a free amazing experience where you can learn about history and environment at the same time.
I am proud to say that I gave my little contribution to their new website that is worth checking... so many new experiences, I helped in their Community Garden  I made signs for workshops and met very nice, helpful  good people that work because they are passionate and believe in what they do.
In addition to the work experience, I learned how powerful we can be when we are passionate about the things we do... my passion is Marketing, it challenges me...  And you what is your passion ? Think about and go for it!

           Volunteering in the Community Garden

Never give up of your dreams!!!

Hi everybody!!!

 My name is Christiane and I have been travelling for a while. I am a Brazilian who loves being around the world. I have worked for many years in the travel industry, so I decided to combine my experience with my passion and create a blog that could answer some questions people have asked me for many years. Through this blog I want to share my experiences and learn from my readers as well. My goal is to help people who has the dream of travelling, visiting new places, learning about new cultures, but don’t know how to start. No matter the budget travelling is possible.

I will start telling a little about my life so you can understand how I ended up here.

My big and distant dream

When I was a little girl, 11 years old to be more precise, I had a dream a very far and impossible dream (it seemed impossible at that time), I wanted to live in the United States, visit New Jersey and speak English so I could understand what Bon Jovi (my favorite band in the world) said in their songs.

Well I was young  had no money, my father had his own business but the money he made gave us a comfortable life, but it didn’t mean I would be able to leave the country with his money, we had a very simple life and travelling was considered luxury at that time.

First thing to do learn the language...

By the time I decided to learn English, I was too young to go to School, so my sister-in-law, who at that time was only 15, but knew English very well, decided to help me and gave English classes for free. She was the best teacher I have ever had; what I learnt from her helped me a lot to get where I am today. After two years teaching me, she told my father that I loved the language and deserved to go to a school, from that day on my he supported me and paid my English studies for all his life…

Life goes on….

After graduating, when I was 18, I became an English Instructor and decided to study Tourism Management. I had fun and was happy, but something was missing. My dream was to live abroad, but I still didn’t have much money, I had to pay for my studies and the classes didn’t give me much.

New York New York

After finishing second year in college, I decided to take a break and pursuit my dreams… but how, if I didn’t have money?

One of my friends found out about the Au Pair in America program. It was cheap we could pay in many months, and it was a good deal, so I become  a babysitter, lived in a very nice host family home and I made some money, enough to travel around the USA and that is how I fulfilled my biggest child dream… but I never stopped travelling. After 13 months in the States I went back to Brazil finished college changed my career and started helping people in their trips. Giving advice, tailoring, buying and selling trips… and travelling the most I could.

Nowadays my home is Toronto, besides English, I am fluent in Spanish, I can risk Italian after studying  in Florence and I speak a little French... well basic French.

photos: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/