To New Visitors

First time reader or long time lurker? I’ve noticed a spike in my stats and many of them are from countries where I don’t even know anyone!

Let me give you a bit more information about me:

My name is Claudia (cloud-yuh, hence ‘Cloud’). As of the date of writing this post, I am 31 years old. I was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (about 40 minutes from Toronto). I love being Canadian! I have an endlessly supportive set of parents (as seen in my Featured Photo) and an older brother who is 39 and is my best friend.

I have a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English & Philosophy (License Professionnelle in France).
I have a Bachelor of Education with Primary & Junior Specialization, and Senior English Specialization (Masters 1 in France). You can read about more of my teaching certifications here.
I am currently working on my Masters of Library and Information Studies (Masters 2/Specialized Masters in France). I’ve been in the program since 2017; it is all online and part-time and anticipate completion late 2020/early 2021.

I worked in education for nine years with a specialization in Special Education (working with highly intellectual students, and ending with alternative education, where I was working one-on-one with an expelled student). I was given a role of Special Education Resource Teacher (leadership role in Special Education that oversees a team of Educational Assistants), but I just recently had to step down from the job in order to begin my life in France with my love. I have worked with children of all ages (3-17), but I will always have a special place in my heart for Special Education work, both with Gifted children and High-Needs children. It is one of my passions.

In August 2018, I moved to Paris, France to fulfill my dream of calling myself a Parisian. I ended up meeting the love of my life, who makes me a better person every single day. At the end of June 2019, I will return to France, specifically Strasbourg.

I have a lot of tattoos, but unless you meet me in the summer time, you would have no idea they even existed. Most people I meet in Fall/Winter are completed shocked then they discover one slipping out of my sweater! Tattoos are not as taboo these days (especially in North America – everyone has one!), and I am walking proof that they’re just another form of self-expression, like a beautiful accessory piece or an eye-catching handbag. My tattoos do not define me, so do not define me by my tattoos. Human beings deserve respect and compassion without compromise, and a tattoo should not be a means for criticism and judgement.

I love to write, I love to read, and I’m very much an introvert – though, again, most people find this fact about me to be rather surprising! That is because I don’t want people to feel uncomfortable so I go out of my way to talk to strangers or bond with the friends of others. By ensuring that they are comfortable in an unfamiliar or otherwise not ideal environment, I am also forcing myself out of my comfort zone and teaching myself coping skills for my social anxiety.

I am a Francophile, through and through! Though according to a DNA test that both my parents took, I am also:
90% Italian
7% Turkish
1% French
1% Spanish, and
1% Greek

Italian was the first language I learned how to speak, English the second (and my strength), and I speak at an A1/A2 level of French.

I am not religious but I am extremely spiritual. I believe that the energy you put into the universe is the energy you will get back. As such, I make an effort to be endlessly positive, optimistic, compassionate, supportive, and understanding. Like all human beings, I often falter. But being able to recognize where you fall short and making an effort to move forward is the best thing you could do for yourself. With my students, I always told them that the goal of the day was to become a better version of yourself than when you walked in, in the morning. I am constantly on the path to betterment. I am consistently trying to improve who I am and the Claudia I put out into the universe.

Some interests:
I love to travel! My parents started traveling with my brother and I at a young age. Some of my favourite cities I’ve visited include: Tokyo, Japan, Milan, Italy, and of course, Paris, France.
I absolutely adore fashion, but what I adore even more is getting great deals on brand name items! I love to thrift shop and shop at consignment shops.
I also really like nerd/geek culture and used to cosplay!
I am a vegetarian and passionate about animal rights; I’ve adopted three animals and I chose vegetarianism because I love animals more than I love eating them.

My dreams in life were to own a home (I did it on my own a day before my 25th birthday; I sold it 5 years later), and to live in France (I did that too!), and my goal in life is to be a professional published author.

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Has that given you a little bit of intel into who I am? Do you feel like you better understand and know the woman behind lifeofcloud.net? It’s important for me to state: you don’t really know me until you really know me. Just like the game telephone, impressions of me can be distorted through others or through assumptions of my character.

If there is anything else you’d like to ask me about myself, do not hesitate to comment. And if you’d like to make it easier to follow along, you can “Follow” this blog at the bottom of this page (it’s a blue button) – you’ll get an e-mail every time I post.

xo
C