July 8, 2005

• Well, I’ve survived my first week in Montreal. I’ve learned that the key to getting people to speak french with you is to start your conversation with “Je vais pratiquer mon francais.” Which means: I’m going to practice my french. They become less rude and actually continue speaking french to you instead of automatically responding in english.

  
  

  If anyone really wants to practice their french, I would highly recommend the program offered here at Universite de Montreal. Full immersion with a safety net of bilingual francophones who can understand us trashy anglophones. 

  
  

  My classmates are all very nice and we get along well…primarily because our relationship revolves around something we all hold very close to our hearts….lunch! For my french project I was placed in a group with two non-english speaking students, which really forces me to utilize the francais that I have mastered…which is not much. Voila mes amis de cours:

  
  

  

  
  

  Since we have two vegetarians in our group we decided to go to an indian curry house…the food was excellent. So good, I couldn’t resist but take some home with me…

  
  

   

  
  

  I know…it looks like something sat on my lap and sharted on me…but…c’est la vie. I just marched up and down Montreal shashaying it as if it were normal….after all, it’s really not what you wear but how you carry yourself in it, right??

  
  

  

  
  

  Well fed and happy. Who ever came up with the hackneyed saying that Canada doesn’t have good food?

  
  

  

  
  

  Liza and Amy are girls from another class who came along with us to the Indian Restaurant. They’re from DC and are also studying international something-or-other. See what I mean…food is the cornerstone of budding friendships!

  
  

  …Another element that brings people together…Shopping! Here is my new gay friend, Jeremy. I was throughly entertained at American Apparrel. All the sales associates were equally flamboyant…the event was a mini parody of Will and Grace.

  
  

  

  
  

  Though I did manage to contain myself at AA, I couldn’t help myself from these necessary purchases:

  
  

   

  
  

  Disney CD’s en francais! Two of my all time favorites…and of course the Economist…which is way-gway (expensive in cantonese)! It comes out to 10 CAD!!! Now I’m nearly broke. Oh well. C’est tout pour maintenant (that’s all for now). I hope everyone is doing well in the states. A bientot! (until next time)…

  
  

  8:28 pm Montreal Time:

  
  

  J’aime ma roommate beaucoup. She’s really considerate and an excellent cook! I couldn’t have asked for a better living situation. Voila ma roommate, Christine.

  
  

  

  
  

  I really should take more time to practique my french with her, since she’s a native Quebecoise, but she also speaks english, which makes it easier for me, but really bad for my french skills.

  
  

  

  
  

  As much as I liked the Indian food for lunch, her cooking surpassed what I had to wear on my clothes for the rest of the day.  Merci Beaucoup!

  
  

   

  • 5:43 pm
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