Halloween was an excellent excuse to dress up. I can't believe I thought that my wolf costume was not a necessary component of my Canadian wardrobe, rooky error. I thought I managed quite well with just some green paint though. For a pre-halloween party I was Princess Fiona from Shrek, and for an actual halloween (but technically still pre-halloween party) I was green giant sweetcorn man. I am still finding bits of leaf around my room, and my scarf definitely has a slight green tinge. Marie and her friend dressed as the black and white swans from the film complete with homemade tutus and red contact lenses, it was scary...
Unfortunately Marie has to return to France at the end of the month because Quebec has reached the limit of work permits that it gives out, so she is unable to get a job and is running out of money. This is officially pants. Of the english variety. There is a small possibility of studying here to stay here, but after spending days on hold and being redirected to more unhelpful embassies etc I think we may have to accept it. Pff.Winter is coming, it was really trying to snow today although it doesn't quite seem cold enough yet. I found a brand new fat coat on craigslist for half the retail price, so am super looking forward to wearing it, check out the hood! Apparently this is the way to wear a coat over here, furry ET style. Just need boots and I'm good to go. People continue to tell me horror stories, like that there is still snow in April. I hope they are joking.
The friendliness and openness of people continues to amaze me. I am still pleasantly surprised when people instantly respond to an 'excuse me...' with a smile before anything else. I may well be selectively exaggerating this slightly (I have now witnessed road rage, apparently this is universal) but I am sure that the average genuinely-pleased-to-help-you attitude level is higher here than in England. Even more than this are the invites from people I've met once to their flatmates sisters babysitters boyfriends birthday party, and I really am genuinely welcome. Well maybe I'm exaggerating this too, in which case I have forced my company on many kind-hearted/pitying people, but I like to think it's the former! The city really is a mash up of so many different people, but after talking to a Canadian friend about this apparently this is the 'Montreal bubble' and doesn't reflect the rest of Canada.I am gradually learning the basic politics behind the country, where each province seems to be divided into people who want to separate from the rest of Canada and those who want to stay as one country. The establishment of whether you are a 'separatist' or not can lead to an animated discussion... I like to think that these always end in a hug though. C'mon, it's Canada. Mind you, the strike of the McGill support staff which has been going on since September 1st continues, which I find so sad. Alot of my labs have been disorganised, not worked and half of the length that they should be because our lab technician is on strike, so the lecturers are trying to set everything up (even though they don't know how) as well as do their own jobs. There is alot of support for the staff from students and lecturers, and alot of anger and frustration directed at the administration. There is the general feeling that the university is being run as a company to make money, especially for the few topdogs, rather than for education and research for the sake of improving lives. I have the impression that people have been unhappy for a long time about the few at the top getting all the money and renown, while taking away benefits from the people at the bottom who really keep the university ticking along. Sound familiar!? This hasn't been helped by various injunctions against the strikers forcing them to move further away from the uni gates and quieten down. After over two months of striking, I really hope it gets sorted soon, especially before they are forced to continue in the snow.
Even public toilets are a soul-boosting experience, with the grafitti telling you that you are a beautiful and wonderful person. I tried to end one of my crap stories with the classic '...and then I found twenty quid', but I forgot to say 'bucks' instead and noone knew what a quid was. They thought I said 'squid', giving a slightly different mental picture. The french for 'booty call' is literally 'ass project'. A 'jumper' is someone who jumps, rather than a sweater, again giving an odd mental picture when you say you are going to put one on. Canadians do not put kisses on texts, meaning I have been pretty full on with everyone for the last 2 months. I definitely have to fight to maintain my english accent when talking to certain people, and enjoy practising saying 'ey' in the right context - I still don't think I've quite got it.
Huge love out there, I think of you all often :)
It's not "ey", it's "eh?"
ReplyDeleteAs in "oh, you're British, eh?" ;)