A Presentation by: Sherri Williams [e-mail]

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A Presentation bySherri Williamssherriw_at_inte
rchange.ubc.ca
RIDING THE WAVE

• LIBR 500 Foundations of Information Technology

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GETTING STARTED

• Born Victoria, B.C.
• Date July 4, 1965
• Time 442 p.m.
• Vital Statistics
• 6 lbs. 3 oz.
• Blonde hair, blue eyes

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The Early Years

• Moved from Victoria to Courtenay, B.C. at the age
  of 1 ½.
• Lived in Courtenay (part of the Comox Valley)
  until the age of 18 when I moved back to Victoria
  to attend university.
• Enjoyed growing up in the beautiful Comox Valley
  with its emphasis on the arts and outdoor
  pursuits.

Courtenay
Victoria
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My Younger Years Favourite Memories

• Camping with my family at Miracle Beach
  Provincial Park on Vancouver Island every summer.

• Wonderful family Christmases including carol
  singing around the piano after dinner.

• Piano lessons on Thursday evenings and attending
  CYMC (Courtenay Youth Music Centre) in the summer.

• Making great friends and learning lifelong skills
  as a member of the International Order of Jobs
  Daughters.

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Education Highlights

• Elementary School
• Loved volunteering in the school library.
• Enjoyed helping Grade 2 students improve their
  reading skills.
• Junior High School
• Spent most of my time in the school library
  office typing for the school newspaper, Lion
  Tracks.
• Enjoyed having tea with the library technician,
  Mrs. C.
• High School
• Worked on the school yearbook.
• Dreamed of travelling to far off places!
• University of Victoria
• Completed a B.A. in French.
• Received a Diploma in Applied Linguistics.

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My Love Affair with French

• Since childhood, Ive had a fascination and love
  of the French language and culture
• As a little girl, I owned a doll which sang in
  both French and English.
• I attended two French immersion programs in
  Quebec in the summers of 1983 (Chicoutimi) and
  1986 (Trois-Rivieres).
• I majored in French at university.
• My husband took me to Paris for our 10th wedding
  anniversary.
• I named my (French) cat, Mignon.

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My husband, Dan, and I were married on May 18,
1991. We had a beautiful wedding followed by a
honeymoon in California.
Walking down the aisle with my father.
The happy couple!
The wedding party.
Cutting the cake.
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THE LURE OF JAPAN
After finishing my Diploma in Applied Linguistics
and becoming an ESL teacher, I ended up
travelling to Japan to teach English. Japan
seemed to have a particular lure which kept
drawing me back.

• Trip 1 1989 Tokyo
• Trip 2 1991 1992 Yanaizu, Gifu
• Trip 3 1995 1997 Yanaizu, Gifu

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Highlights Of My Time In Japan
Here I am.

• Teaching students at Gifu University for
  Education and Languages

• .

• Visiting historic castles and monuments.

My Students
Kinkakuji The Golden Pavilion
Ogaki Castle
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Highlights Of My Time In Japan

• Seeing Japans natural beauty in spring and fall.

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Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)
Japanese Maples

• Spending time with Japanese friends.

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Highlights Of My Time In Japan

• Taking part in the Japanese Tea Ceremony
  performed by my student, Mariko and her father.

• .

• Attending the wedding of our friends, Hideo and
  Takako, on Christmas Eve 1995.

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My Career as an ESL Teacher

• For the past fourteen years, Ive been teaching
  ESL to international students in Canada, Japan
  and the Middle East. Ive enjoyed meeting people
  from all around the world, learning about their
  countries and customs, and helping them
  communicate better in English.

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Escape
From Dubai
I taught English for three months in Dubai, UAE.
Dubai is a fascinating multicultural city with a
nice blend of old and new styles of architecture.
Unfortunately, the teaching situation at the
college where I was working was such that I felt
I had to return to Victoria sooner than expected.
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Lifes Simple Pleasures

• Listening to popular and classical music. My
  favourite composer is Chopin.
• Watching movies.
• Escaping with a good book.

• Spending time with my husband, Dan, and our cat,
  Mignon.
• Going for long walks along Victorias beautiful
  waterfront.
• Going out for coffee and breakfast with friends.

(Mignon)
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Paris
I Finally Made It!

• My husband and I travelled to Paris for our 10th
  wedding anniversary. We spent 9 fantastic days
  exploring the highlights of this magnificent
  city.

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The Next Wave

• Im now enrolled as a graduate student in the
  MLIS program at UBC. Upon graduation, I hope to
  return to Victoria and find employment as a
  librarian. Im looking forward to discovering
  where this new phase of my life will take me.

The End.