And if the pleasant experience which terminated in the scene above was anything to go by, the Québec government have made an inspired decision in providing Francisation classes which mix so many diverse nationalities! In the photo above, one can find people not long out of their native Chile, Colombia, England, Sudan, Morocco, Afghanistan, Mexico, Poland, Peru, Ukraine, Russia and Venezuela. Placing these people in a classroom environment in itself is a great idea, especially as the number of different nationalities ensures that the classes are conducted solely in French- no room for lazy students to simply talk in their native language! An even better idea was to take all of the students, along with their professors, for an archetypal visit to the countryside: picking apples. Along with the Sugar Shack, the apple picking season is a familial and group cultural event.
It was most encouraging to see how the bonds in the group formed so strongly, the class could be regarded more as a community than merely an academic exercise. The interest of speaking to others from completely different societies, backgrounds, and cultural levels, is compounded by the common goal of everyone, to better their French language knowledge. I have to say, that of all the educational experiences I have received in my lifetime, the time with this class has been the most motivating, interesting and also challenging. One seeks to retain one’s own identity and culture, while exploring and discovering that of others, and that of the land in which we find ourselves.
The visit in question occurred a little later in September than ideal, when the apples were, in some cases, too long on the tree, but there still remained plenty of choices for the pickers. An idiosyncratic yellow school bus collected us from the Ecole Pierre Dupuy on a grey and rather threatening morning. I was pleased to note that the orchard was in the same township as the orchard which Sylvie and I visited two years ago, in sight of the lonely mountain of St Bruno. The bus ride in itself was fun, as the seats are designed for smaller than average people (i.e., children!) and we each had a sheet of typical French “school bus” songs. The driver put up extremely well with our efforts, and the journey passed quickly and relatively painlessly for those with average leg length!
Once arrived at the orchards, time was not lost in exploring the orchards, interpreting the colour coding of the trees by species, by means of coloured ribbons. For me, choice was relatively simple, as I love the slightly tart and firm McIntosh variety. Other students had no idea what type of apple they preferred, or were not accustomed to the varieties available. Of course, in an orchard, apples were plentiful, and sampling was the best way to test!
Manuel Wilson (above) was very brave throughout, overcoming not only a cultural barrier but also lacking a limb. He had problems with his prosthetic leg, and left it at home, still managing to gather a respectable sized bag full of apples. Although the exercise was serious enough in purpose, people had a lot of fun, despite the rain lashing down after most of the pickers had full bags.
The bus rescued the students from a heavy rain shower, and dropped us at the store, which sold a variety of gifts, souvenirs, and of course fresh produce. For the brave, a hot dog stall sold a hot lunch, others brought along their own packed lunch. I did not see anyone silly enough to bring along apples in their packed lunch…
Split into our two classes, we voyaged back to the halfway house by tractor and trailer ride. The trailer ride was fun, although it brought back a great sense of déjà vu, seeing immigrants ride out to the picking in this manner! Strange to think that I too was now an “immigrant”, not in my own country, and integrating with the culture of my adopted land. A pleasant, but reflective feeling.
At the end of the day, all returned to the school a little damp, but mission accomplished- each bearing the fruit of the day, a sack of apples!
