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One week ago I officially graduated from university! It was a tough day in which the walk across a stage was eclipsed by some difficult goodbyes and a move away from the city that became my home: Fredericton, New Brunswick. After the ceremony, my parents and grandparents and I piled into a packed car and headed towards Quebec. We stayed overnight in Riviere-du-Loup and made it here to Jonquiere the next day around noontime.
This adventure is not very far from home. It does not require very much gumption, (by which I mean I haven't had to eat anything strange and I sleep in the same bed every night.) I didn't even need a passport to get here.
Still, I'm travelling. I'm adventuring. I came to what is, allegedly, the most Francophone region in North America to participate in an intensive French immersion course. I live with a Francophone host family, go to a "Cegep" college for grammar and conversation classes every week day and participate in activities in the surrounding (very French) area. I'm here for five weeks and if this first week is any indication, I'm going to learn a lot!
So far, most of my
stereotypes about the Quebecois have been proven false. There doesn't seem to be an exceptional amount of smoking or wine drinking and most people are very active: walking along the picturesque river that runs through town, cycling on the bike paths and roller blading. Roller blading lives on in Jonquiere. Big time. The cars here aren't huge, but they will run you down if you don't respect the (confusing) traffic laws. The people haven't come across as especially separatist but there is a definite (well-deserved, I think) pride in Quebec as a source of cultural strength and human capital. It's not as meat-and-potatoes as I thought it would be and my host family has been greatly respectful of my vegetarianism. Still, poutine is appreciated I understand. The French language is not bastardized to be unrecognizable and actually I don't find the accent especially strong or the "Franglais" prevalent. In general, folks here are extremely accommodating and the town is beautiful. Did I mention that the weather has been stunning? Hot and sunny every day. I love it.
The program I am participating in is called "Explore" and it's a federal government initiative to increase bilingualism in Canada, so I'm
a bursary student living and studying for free. Merci, Canada! In part because of this, we're under strict contractual obligations not to speak in English. Whereas I thought that this might be strongly enforced with possible expulsion for slip-ups, I think that everyone knows how necessary it is to use our mother tongues from time to time. My head just gets too full from all of this French! Still, I'm learning tons. I was placed into the most advanced class in the program (obviously a mistake - let's be serious: I just make things up from Spanish and pretend that they're correct) so I'm studying hard to keep up. In five weeks, I'm going to be pretty darn Quebecoise.
Overall, all is well here. The people are kind, the city is beautiful, the work is productive and rewarding, I'm fed and rested and getting sun-bronzed. There is a pool and a gym at school as well as an as-of-yet-undiscovered-but-soon-to-be-employed space that I have been promised in order to do some yoga. I hope that everyone else is having as lovely a Spring/Summer as I am!
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Leah Adams
non-member comment
full immersion
Congrats on both graduation and your new program. It is an enormous privilege to have this opportunity available. I can't imagine the US government sending students to live in Puerto Rico just so they could learn to speak Spanish, but how much richer would we be? I hope it is a fabulous time for you.