Cultural Differences

This trip is finishing quickly! I can't believe how fast time is flying! Last night we pulled into Middlebury, Vermont. It is a quaint college town. Too bad it was raining--it became hard to see all of it. Everything is beautiful and green with tons of flowers and small shops. My roommate likes to eat all three meals at restaurants. I get sick of restaurants all day (our trip has been called Le Voyage Gastronomique), so I had some snacks from the grocery store for dinner.

Thursday night, we had reservations at a restaurant famous for all types of beer in Montreal called Forquet Fourchette. Most of the teachers ordered different varieties of beer and wines. When the waiter got to the Belgian lady next to me, she asked for water. He then came to me and I also asked for water. He got so frustrated and started yelling, "I can't give everybody water!! You guys come in here, taking up 20 seats and order water!!!" I thought it was weird that he had such a tantrum because we were the only people in the whole restaurant. At least we were giving him some business. The Belgian lady and I said we would pay for mineral water. He nodded, still upset and went on to the next person. Needless to say, I've had better service in my life.

The next night, we had reservations at a different Forquet Fourchette restaurant just outside of Montreal. I was not looking forward to it. This time we were going for dinner and not just drinks. The University of Maine was paying for this dinner. I read the menu and was not looking forward to the choices: pheasant wing, pork sausages or another big cut of meat. The lady who manages the restaurant walked by to make sure all was okay. The teacher next to me from Florida said she was vegetarian and would like the salad bar. The manager lady nodded. Then when I said I would also like to order vegetarian, she frowned, "I can't offer the salad bar to the whole group!!!" I think my mistake is being second. Anyway, she finally agreed to make us a vegetarian plate and I was glad I was the squeaky wheel once all the other people were served their hunks of meat. These servers are just like the French servers. You'd think they aren't working for their tip, but in Canada we pay a tip on top of the bill.

Well, now that I am calmed down from those experiences, sadly, we are leaving Vermont today. We got to see the lighthouse dedicated to Samuel de Champlain. He named the Champlain Lake after himself when we came into what is now New York in 1609. He made over 20 trips to New France and back to France again. He never had his picture painted, so it is up to us to guess what he looked like. We don't even know the exact date of his birth. Some people have suggested he could have been several different men because who could survive so many harsh winters and disease and live to be such an old age? Plus, nooon has found his tomb. It is a mystery.

Today we travel back to Canada. We will be in Ottowa until Wednesday morning and then we will go back to Quebec on July 2nd. On the 3rd is the huge party to celebrate the founding of that city 400 years ago!!

I remember

What catch phrase is on the Utah license plate? The Greatest Snow on Earth! What about Idaho? Definitely something to do with potatoes. Here in Quebec, there license plates have the words Je me souviens or I remember listed in bright blue on the bottom. Today we finished up our three day visit of Montreal. Though I studied here two years ago, I have still been able to see some new sights. We walked to a video shop today where they were having free viewings of there films. My roommate Chelsea from Maine and I chose a documentary to preview called I remember. We got to sit in a big chair that looked like the type in arcades where you drive race cars. The film talked about the importance of this saying on the license plates. The director went around and interviewed various people who make up the Quebec culture. The ancestors of the Huron Indians said they remember the fact that the French chased them off their land. The French Quebecers say that they remember when the French lost to the English on the Plains of Abraham. It is a very personal saying. Each person has their own personal interpretation.

It has been a fulfilling day. I got to swim in our hotel pool last night and tonight--always a pleasure. My roommate Chelsea did some water aerobics with me and we had a blast. I taught the teachers a variety of games as we crossed the island into Montreal each morning. Their favorite was the alphabet game and I,ve Never. Tomorrow we are off to Middlebury, Vermont, following the footsteps of Samuel de Champlain. Then we are off to Ottowa and back to Quebec City. It has been a very fulfilling experience. Tomorrow I will write more about who was this Samuel de Champlain--that is, providing there is internet at this new hotel. His existence is a bit of a mystery.

Teachers Take Control

It can be quite interesting, traveling with a group of 20 teachers. It seems that we are all used to having the control. We have our classrooms the way we want them and we don,t have many people telling us what to do. Today has been quite the spectacle, as we traveled from Quebec City to Montreal in these three Ford vans. Some of us wanted to leave the hotel early while others insisted on leaving later to give time for exercise or to piddle around; all of us had our maps of Quebec out and were trying to navigate which ended up stressing out the drivers. It became a bit comical as everyone got upset during this long drive. Luckily we made it safely to our hotel for the next two nights and found it is very nice with a pool and a computer with internet for anyone to use. Hooray!!

It has been fun speaking French 100% of the time. I have learned lots of new vocabulary words as I have had to use them. Some of these people are university professors and all speak really well. Today we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant. I ordered a nid croustillant which means a crusty nest. It was kind of a surprise menu item. It reminded me of when I used to play Restaurant with my cousins. We invented all types of food on a fake menu and the customer had to order the item to see what it was. Anyway, this crusty nest turned out to be an open potato with all sorts of vegetables and bacon piled on top. It looked similar to Skillet from Dennys. Pretty cool, but greasy. The other young teacher, Jessica, ordered a Quebecois crepe. This turned out to be a crepe filled with cheese, apples and topped with maple syrup. Kinda weird. We usually dont mix sugary and salty items in the U.S., but they do here in Quebec. They are very proud of their maple syrup and put it on everything. I was happy I ordered something different, though it was a bit greasy.

Our destination today was a beautiful historic mansion that was used during the time of the French colonization of Quebec. As I said before, the French mainly came for commercial reasons while the English came to the New World to colonize. When Montreal began, there were over 200 men for 30 girls. They knew the French could not have a permanent settlement in these conditions. They had to ship some orphan girls (called Filles du Roi) over here so that they could get married and start having families in New France. This was one of the houses they used. It was beautiful inside, kind of reminded me of the Lion House, but bigger and more distanced from the city. The gardens were amazing!! So many beautiful flowers and herbs. The orange sage and pineapple sage were my favorites. I got to rub my hand on them and then smell like pineapple or orange. Mmmmmm!!! The beds inside the bedrooms were really small and had three pillows. They were for three people each. The colonists slepped in a sitting down position and not stretched out flat as we do. They believed that after eating a heavy meal of meat and vegetables, it was better to digest in a sitting position than lounged out flat. They also believed that if they were sprawled out flat, the destroying angel, who took many colonists during those cold winters, might grab and extra soul as it passed, thinking they were on the virge of dying when they were really just leaving. I cannot imagine sleeping sitting up all the time.

Festival de St. Jean Baptiste

Wow! Quebec is such a beautiful place!! I wish I could bring home a piece in my pocket and share with all my friends and family. I arrived in Quebec City on Sunday afternoon. It was raining when I arrived. There were no shuttle busses to the hotel, so I had to take a taxi, which I usually don't like to pay for. The taxi smelled like smoke and the old lady had such a thick Quebecois accent that I could barely understand her. After a five minute ride, she asked for $15. I walked into the hotel and it was not ready for me. I left my big pink suitcase at the reception and took off in the rain....somewhere...to discover the city.

I walked into a Dollarama!! Jackpot!! I will definitely have to come back. There are all sorts of flags, stickers, decorations, suckers, etc. with the flag of Quebec on them. My students would love this stuff. I looked at my watch and it was just after noon. The majority of teachers were driving up from the Univeristy of Maine in 3 big vans. They wouldn't be there until 3:00. I braved the rain again and headed to see what movies were at the theater. They were all the same ones that we have at home. I finally decided just to go back to the hotel. My room was ready at this time. I turned on the TV and it was fun to watch the channels in French.

At 3:00 the group arrived! I was a bit nervous, but the leader, named Ray, seemed so warm and friendly right from the start. We all sat down to meet each other. I traveled the furthest. Another girl came from Florida and most of the others knew each other from Maine. I didn't care, though, I like being different. Ray took us to a chicken restaurant, St. Hubert, for dinner and I got to meet the other 20 teachers that I will be hanging out with over the next 10 days.

Oh, there is so much to say and so little time. I couldn't find an internet cafe so I am borrowing the computer of a guy in our group, Christian. I have already learned so much. Yesterday we had some discussions on the differences between the French colonies in Canada and the English ones in America. The French ones were mostly for commercial reasons--to make a profit--while the American pilgrims came for religious freedom. When the French came, they originally came in contact with American Indians, but not realizing it, they contaminated them with viruses from Europe such as small pox and tuburculosis. By the time Samuel de Champlain arrived in Quebec, the Indians had mostly died out, so he had a peaceful colonization. Today, we went to some Indian reservations and met with some ancestors of the Hurons and Iroquois. They all had their story to tell.

Last night was the Eve of the Festival of St. Baptiste. This is a holiday in Quebec and all the teenagers got into it more than I have ever seen. They purchased Quebec flags, umbrellas, hats, etc. and stormed the streets calling out "Vive Quebec!" and blowing horns. Some of the young teachers (I am the youngest and the other youngest are 31 and 32) and I planned on staying and seeing the concert, but we saw so many drunk teenagers and changed our mind. They compared this holiday to our 4th of July, but I have never seen people get into our holiday as much as this one. Today is the actual holiday and the rule of the province is that everything remain closed. Even Walmart is closed!!! Can you believe it?

Tomorrow we are taking off for Montreal. I really hope to keep a log of my discoveries and what I learn here, but I guess it will depend on when I can find internet available. Quebec is a beautiful place. Today it has been so sunny. We rode out to the Island of Orleans, purchased fresh strawberries, hiked around a huge waterfall and really enjoyed the scenery. The teachers have been so nice. They love asking me about Utah and I love being the unique one.

Off for an Adventure

I just got back from a four-day teacher conference in Tucson and what's the next step....? Take off for another adventure!! Tomorrow night, I will take an 11:15pm flight to Quebec City. I am so excited for this opportunity. I will be in Quebec until July 4th! July 3rd will mark the 400 year anniversary of the founding of the city by Samuel de Champlain. There will be fireworks, dancing, food and parties! During these two weeks leading up to the 3rd, 20 other teachers and I will take off sightseeing to Quebec, Montreal, Ottowa and Middlebury, Vermont. I can't wait! I really hope there is time to write my adventures in this blog while I am there! It should be a very memorable experience!