My name is Kenza, I am originally from Paris, France and have been living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada since 2017. I have been writing on this blog for ten years!
My story
I grew up in Paris and I studied to become a French teacher. Everything was going according to plan until a big strike happened in 2008. I needed a break from university so I spent a year in England, teaching French to primary school kids.
This experience changed my life: I would be a French teacher, yes, but abroad! I moved back to France to finish my second undergrad and then left for good. I taught French for ten years, in various places:
- York in England,
- Jersey, in the Channel Islands,
- Brandon, Manitoba, Canada,
- Melbourne, in Australia,
- Budapest, in Hungary,
- And finally in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
![](https://i0.wp.com/cupsofenglishtea.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/expatriations.jpg?resize=800%2C267&ssl=1)
In the summer of 2019, I stopped teaching French, having grown weary of the difficult work conditions and bad salaries. I did some project management and I am now the corporate trainer in the same company I have been at since I left teaching.
Why Winnipeg?
I loved my expat life. I loved being always on the move, starting everything in a new country once a year, creating new routines and discovering a new school system. But progressively as the years went by, I got tired of being moving all the time and lacked stability. I chose Canada as the country I would settle in.
I got a Canadian Working Holiday Visa in 2016 and left for Winnipeg in April 2017. Why Winnipeg? Because I had friends there already, a job was waiting for me and it’s easier to get Permanent Residency for French-speakers in Manitoba.
And 5 years later, I am still in Winnipeg and waiting for my Canadian citizenship!
The day to day
When I am not working, what do I like doing? I write in this blog, I take photos, I shoot Youtube videos and also write for other websites, about Manitoba and Francophonie. I go for walks, I do some geocaching. I enjoy coffee, cakes, reading, and making too many lists in too many notebooks.
The blog
My blog is very personal. I haven’t translated everything yet but you are going to find:
- A monthly post where I sum up what I have been up to, what I read or listened;
- Content about Winnipeg
- Content about Manitoba
- Past travel stories in Europe, the United States, Costa Rica, Asia, Australia.
![](https://i0.wp.com/cupsofenglishtea.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/cropped-cupsofenglishtea_logo-512.jpg?w=200&ssl=1)
You can also find me and follow me on any one of the social media above. Talk to you soon!