After being in Canada for two days now I have come to the conclusion of the very clear separations of personalities between the Montreal and the Ottawa citizens. My first impressions of Montreal, I think, were biased because of the things I heard others say about the people and the communications here. Aside from my biased view, I tried to remain hopeful, but realized that in general the interactions I have had here are not very well regarding social interactions. The only positive moment so far has been Stephanie & Max, two friends that I met at a dance club last night. They were immediately welcoming and set an example for what I wished all the others I have experienced could follow.
Upon spending a very long and tiring, but fun, day in Ottawa I fell in love with that city. It was beautiful. The experiences I had were “awesome” and the people were extremely friendly, apologetic (even when it wasn’t necessary), and humorous. I enjoyed the Bywater Market. It was a lot like New Orleans French Market, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. The street performers were everywhere, the fresh produce for sale was cool to see, including a scene where some woman shoved oranges down her top. The stores were really great as well. I bought two Gonesh figurines from a shop owner, and he and I talked about it and his travel to Nepal where he purchased them. The Bywater Market was very multicultural not just with its citizens, but with the tourists who came from all over the world. I heard some people talking about their journey from Turkey, Greece, USA, and India.
After a few days here, I was able to meet a few good people who were not frustrated at my presence (or so it seems). Jenilee, our “social tour guide” has helped us explore and learn about more of the cultural history and presence in Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec and Canada in general. Through Jenilee, we have met quite a few of her friends; and from my own personal experience it is this close-knit group of friends that I can see as the only pleasant, and friendly citizens.
During our trip to Quebec today, I was under the impression NO ONE would speak English and there would be NOTHING in English. This wasn’t the case. This negative stereotype placed upon this city and its citizens, businesses, and consumerism was rather confusing to me. All of the people that I met and talked with, especially our tour guide Roch (Rock), were kind, smiled and eager to carry a conversation with me. This is again a juxtaposed position from the entirely separate feeling of Montreal. I think someone informed me of the wrong city.
In any case, I had a wonderful time learning about the culture, meeting the people, seeing the sights, purchasing (way too many) things. It is this culmination of experiences that has made this study abroad trip a success for me.
