Les Habitants
Day 37
Bienvenue
Bienvenue, one of the first french words I ever learned. It means welcome. A warm and humbling word that you see upon entering the Province of Quebec. Beaming on a large blue and white sign emblazoned with fleur de lis' signifying that your drive along the 401 is coming to an end.
Bienvenue is also another way of saying; you're welcome. In french there is de rien, the very close translation of you're welcome. The former is a more relaxed way of saying it. This was my first discovery of how little french I know. See, the issue is not simply the lack of french, it's also the way that the rest of Canada learns to speak french. We're taught the equivalent of white table cloth, stuffy, and decanted french that few people use. My up Mont Royal battle was only beginning. I won't get ahead of myself.
Welcome! Bienvenue! To, the blog. Here we will (if there is a we) learn together how to thrive, or at least survive New France. I moved to Montréal Quebec from Toronto Ontario on September 17th, 2018. Why do you ask? Good question, I ask myself the same question most days as I scream into the small bathroom sink that tends to catch my knee every time I exit the shower. Why would I leave a good job with a dental plan, and my adorably underpriced condo on Queen West?
I'm going to be honest, I'm still trying to figure out an answer for that question. The easiest explanation is usually the right one, so here it is. I'd been seeing someone long distance for well over a year when I had made the decision to voyage to the next province. We talked through the pros and cons of each city, in the end the seemingly illegally cheap rent in Montréal won. As for the deeper answer, I needed a change. I had been working the same job for 4 years, going to the same bars, and generally not really moving forward. A doldrum. My sails sagging, reached for the strongest winds they could catch, and this shipwreck started its way to New France. For a new life, a new direction, and of course a constant supply of croissants.
I studied Comedy Writing at Humber College in Toronto, so naturally I have been bartending and serving for the past 6 years. A skill I hoped to be quite transferable. It is! I could bartend in the Canary Islands tomorrow If I wanted to, Moscow even...just as long as I could speak Spanish or Russian. So here's the crux to all this, I don't speak french. As with most Canadians I didn't take french past the 9th grade. A brilliant move so that I had much more freetime to come home from school to watch reruns of Frasier. Excellent use of my time.
Here I stand. Wonderfully underqualified for the majority of jobs outside of the service industry, unable to work even in those because I don't speak the language of the land. I know what you're thinking, Evan, just live off of your credit card until you become a social media influencer and the rest will fall into place. Well, as exciting as that sounds, I have another teeny issue. I've already tried that "live life on MasterCard's Dime" mentality. Also I truly struggle to see the importance or use of twitter, though I am willing to learn.
Quick recap:
1. Moved for love. Puke.
2. Can't speak french. Le stupide.
3. Champagne taste, grocery store, alcohol free, sparkling cider budget
4. Willingness to learn! (desperate)
5. Searching for direction (don't say millennial)
I know, it's not exactly a promising situation. It wasn't for the original inhabitants of this great city either. Settlers of New France had to overcome the treacherous journey across the Atlantic only to discover they were nowhere prepared for the winter they would encounter. They had to teach themselves how to survive New France. If they can leave the comfort of their underpriced apartments in Paris, I think I can make the best of my one bedroom, aka a 3 1/2 in Quebec, and learn french.
I hope you find some enjoyment in this journey, and I really hope I do too.
As Louis Riel once said: "You have got to be brave and have courage, believe in yourself, because that is the first thing to success to believe in yourself."
P.S. I was going to quote Samuel de Champlain first but he's kind of the father of colonialism in New France, and ain't nobody got time for that.
Evan
Bienvenue
Bienvenue, one of the first french words I ever learned. It means welcome. A warm and humbling word that you see upon entering the Province of Quebec. Beaming on a large blue and white sign emblazoned with fleur de lis' signifying that your drive along the 401 is coming to an end.
Bienvenue is also another way of saying; you're welcome. In french there is de rien, the very close translation of you're welcome. The former is a more relaxed way of saying it. This was my first discovery of how little french I know. See, the issue is not simply the lack of french, it's also the way that the rest of Canada learns to speak french. We're taught the equivalent of white table cloth, stuffy, and decanted french that few people use. My up Mont Royal battle was only beginning. I won't get ahead of myself.
Welcome! Bienvenue! To, the blog. Here we will (if there is a we) learn together how to thrive, or at least survive New France. I moved to Montréal Quebec from Toronto Ontario on September 17th, 2018. Why do you ask? Good question, I ask myself the same question most days as I scream into the small bathroom sink that tends to catch my knee every time I exit the shower. Why would I leave a good job with a dental plan, and my adorably underpriced condo on Queen West?
I'm going to be honest, I'm still trying to figure out an answer for that question. The easiest explanation is usually the right one, so here it is. I'd been seeing someone long distance for well over a year when I had made the decision to voyage to the next province. We talked through the pros and cons of each city, in the end the seemingly illegally cheap rent in Montréal won. As for the deeper answer, I needed a change. I had been working the same job for 4 years, going to the same bars, and generally not really moving forward. A doldrum. My sails sagging, reached for the strongest winds they could catch, and this shipwreck started its way to New France. For a new life, a new direction, and of course a constant supply of croissants.
I studied Comedy Writing at Humber College in Toronto, so naturally I have been bartending and serving for the past 6 years. A skill I hoped to be quite transferable. It is! I could bartend in the Canary Islands tomorrow If I wanted to, Moscow even...just as long as I could speak Spanish or Russian. So here's the crux to all this, I don't speak french. As with most Canadians I didn't take french past the 9th grade. A brilliant move so that I had much more freetime to come home from school to watch reruns of Frasier. Excellent use of my time.
Here I stand. Wonderfully underqualified for the majority of jobs outside of the service industry, unable to work even in those because I don't speak the language of the land. I know what you're thinking, Evan, just live off of your credit card until you become a social media influencer and the rest will fall into place. Well, as exciting as that sounds, I have another teeny issue. I've already tried that "live life on MasterCard's Dime" mentality. Also I truly struggle to see the importance or use of twitter, though I am willing to learn.
Quick recap:
1. Moved for love. Puke.
2. Can't speak french. Le stupide.
3. Champagne taste, grocery store, alcohol free, sparkling cider budget
4. Willingness to learn! (desperate)
5. Searching for direction (don't say millennial)
I know, it's not exactly a promising situation. It wasn't for the original inhabitants of this great city either. Settlers of New France had to overcome the treacherous journey across the Atlantic only to discover they were nowhere prepared for the winter they would encounter. They had to teach themselves how to survive New France. If they can leave the comfort of their underpriced apartments in Paris, I think I can make the best of my one bedroom, aka a 3 1/2 in Quebec, and learn french.
I hope you find some enjoyment in this journey, and I really hope I do too.
As Louis Riel once said: "You have got to be brave and have courage, believe in yourself, because that is the first thing to success to believe in yourself."
P.S. I was going to quote Samuel de Champlain first but he's kind of the father of colonialism in New France, and ain't nobody got time for that.
Evan
Well, I'm hooked! Looking forward to more of whatever you experience/encounter!
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I will try to provide thoughtful education or at the very least entertainment!
DeleteOh my goodness I identify with so much of this. Thanks for writing!! 🧡🧡🧡
ReplyDelete