But this wasn't always the case.
Whilst I'm still integrating into the unique Québécois culture and learning more about it every day, I have written a brief guide here to some of the main things that hit me when I arrived in Montreal as only a slightly-travelled Aussie!
Culture
Yesterday I picked up my very first Quebec newspaper.
Scanning through the pages of La Presse, I noticed that I was reading a lot more quickly than I used to (yay for my French improving!), but more importantly, that there was quite a different focus to the paper than I was used to. Not only were different countries of the world covered in the "World" section, but there was a fantastic spectrum of subjects covered in the paper that I had barely seen before - and a very comprehensive Arts section!
I found that I was instantly starting to get a better feel for what was important to the citizens of Montreal, what was being covered in the news. There were a lot of stories about potential local policy changes, issues in the community, figures in history from the surrounding area. I must say, this is my first tip to anyone traveling/studying abroad - get your hands on a newspaper, a radio, a tv and read/listen to/watch what's happening locally, because it really helped me feel a part of the culture!
Another great thing I have found to get a feel for a city is to visit any museum that concerns itself with the history of the place! I visited two great ones on the weekend in Old Montreal, and learnt more about the purpose of Montreal being built and how that affects its current identity.
A particular highlight though was a really cool Beatles exhibition in the Pointe-de-Callière museum - there was a jukebox of Quebec, francophone artists that were influenced by the music of the Beatles such as these cool dudes here:
Speaking of music, of the Quebec bands I've seen live so far, I've noticed a trend on the music scene in Montreal of bands having an amazing indie-pop sound with extremely random and absurd lyrics!
For instance, Les Trois Accords have song titles that translate to "I love your grandmother" and "Naked on the beach". I'd have to say my favourite song by them so far is "Hawaiienne" though:
Food
Montreal has some great food around - as I have mentioned in my past posts, I have been super impressed by the local markets and the boulangerie near my apartment for fresh, local produce. But food is often something that makes you feel at home, and I have noticed a few things in particular missing here that I long for in Australia!
It was the end of a big night. I needed something greasy and deep fried, and I needed it quickly. It was obvious where I needed to go to replenish my quickly diminishing sugar levels...and that was the ever present Golden Arches!
Ah McDonalds, that reliable source of all that is fatty and delicious (NB: people don't know what the word "Maccas" means here. I've been doing some serious educating!). I couldn't think of anything I wanted more at 3am in the morning - it was a classic move.
All was going to plan, and I was set on my order (a hot apple pie, what else?), when...to my horror...I couldn't for the life of me find it on the menu!
And this wasn't the first time I'd been caught off guard with an order.
At the American Football game I went to a couple of weeks ago, I was shocked to discover that meat pies were not an option at the food stand. I'm noticing a trend here with pies! Where are the pies??? (Though I will admit, poutine was a fairly good replacement) A friend has recommended an Australian/New Zealand cuisine restaurant here called "Ta pies" to help me cope with my withdrawals! I am still yet to try it, so will keep you updated.
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| Delicious, delicious poutine |
In addition, I am at a loss as to what the average chocolate lover does to satisfy their everyday needs in Montreal. Whilst high-end chocolate cafés are everywhere, the chocolate selection at the supermarket is pretty limited. It's a choice of Lindt or no-name chocolate, as the Cadbury chocolate here tastes very bland! Can't wait to get my hands on a Cadbury Top Deck chocolate block when I get home! (To my non-Australian friends, click here to be enlightened. Notice the 220g packet - none of this 100g business!)
Finally, one thing I keep forgetting is as rare as gold here is lemon-flavoured soft drinks. Last week, when I was making my order at a restaurant, I asked (without thinking) for a "lemon squash". The waiter stared at me completely blankly. "You know, like a Lift? ...A Solo?", I tried. Nothing.
On a completely unrelated note, I think I have found a fantastic gap in the market to open up a new soft drink company in Canada. I wonder how that would go...
Language
Studying linguistics here has made me very aware of the differences in language, dialects, accents and slang in Canada. Having a group of international student friends from all over the world has also proved very interesting in learning about different ways that people speak French and English.
The way that the Québécois speak French is so different that it's almost a different language (well, a different dialect I guess!) - so much so, that you will find French and Québécois dubs for international TV Shows! (For those interested, the Québécois dub of The Simpsons is fantastic - definitely the closest dub to the American actors that I've seen so far). One particular phrase that has been tripping up my English speaking friends, and even my French roommates, is "C'est correct?", meaning "Is that alright?" rather than "Is that correct?"
But it did get me thinking - I had never come across an English speaker that I had real difficulty understanding, apart from a couple of slang words.
I brought this up with one of my Canadian friends the other day, and asked if he could think of any English speakers that were difficult to understand past accent and slang.
"Oh that's easy!" he said, "Newfoundlanders."
"New-what-landers?" I replied.
So apparently residents of Newfoundland in Canada are difficult to understand. I didn't believe him at first, so he gave me a couple of examples of how they speak.
"See if you can work this one out: What's after happening now?"
I blinked. My guess was that it meant "What are we doing after this?", but not so. Apparently it means "What just happened?"...mind blown!
If you don't believe me, you can check out this video I found on YouTube here:
But one thing that I've found universally understood, and truly breathtaking here, is the absolute beauty of the landscape.
On Friday, I took a walk up Mont Royal with one of my friends to experience a Montreal sunset from the view of the mountain.
Every day, Mont Royal is a hive of runners, cyclists, friends walking and talking, tourists and picnickers. It's comforting to feel the busyness and life of the park's paths whilst in the middle of a beautiful, calm maple forest.
As we approached the summit and the sun began to sink across the horizon, there was still the occasional cyclist zipping past us. But as blue turned to pink and the shadows of the park deepened, everything slowed for a moment. Tourists began to stop their chatter, cyclists came to a halt, runners took a pause to sit and watch. There is something inexplicable about a sunset, something so simple that happens every single day, that makes people from all corners of the world stop their lives and just look. Five, ten minutes of simple calm. Then they pick up their things, and head on their way.
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| Simple, but beautiful. |
So I guess I'm finding it strange how the people here can be so different, yet so similar. It's pretty crazy to think that though people may live so far away from each other in completely different climates, cultures, countries, they have so much in common.
Woah, having a bit of a profound moment here!
I've already booked a trip to provincial park Mont-Tremblant for next weekend - can't wait to get out into that Canadian nature! I'm guessing my next post will be about that, so until then!
Erin xo
PS: Here's a photo from after the sun set of Downtown Montreal at night. The orange thing in the background is the moon! I am starting to fall in love with the beauty of this city.
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