Le succès!

This marks a proud moment for me, although I did not manage to capture a perfect photo of the moment! Having spent some time and a lot of effort in making the painting for a retiring professor at the CFP Pierre Dupuy, it was both a relief and a confirmation to have it finally presented to the man himself, in front of his grateful class! This was halfway through an eventful, emotional and interesting day!

Primarily, Tuesday the 27th was the day of the “finnisants” those fortunate students who had proceeded through all three tiers of the language and culture programme, and successfully achieved attestation. The day commenced with our own intermediate class checking the correction of our papers, which was a pleasant relief to myself and most of the classmates; we then proceeded to another class for the presentation of the certificates by the directors of the institute, the professors and the monitorati. We only knew most of the students from brief conversations in the cafeteria, which was a shame as the higher levels gain by aiding those in lower tiers; anyhow, it was an interesting experience and had me thinking of potential gift ideas for our own finishing ceremony in January!

After the ceremony of presenting the certificates, and many gifts from the pupils to their professors, we all adjourned to a buffet restaurant in Boucherville, La Maison de Jade, basically a rather commercial operation, but a good chance to eat a great deal for very little outlay! After the meal at the restaurant, a few friends from my class came back for a brief visit, during which they were introduced to two Québecoise (Doudonne and Bibittte!) and sampled our molasses cookies! It brought back mixed memories, entertaining people in our home, but it was an experience I would love to repeat some time. The most important rule would be to include some non-Spanish speakers among the invitees…

Life in the two days of holiday before I return to school is made up of searching for part time work; kind and helpful as were the comments about my painting, and the suggestions that I turn it into a living, it is just too transient for a reliable income- and I am not yet ready to take on board managing my own taxes let alone managing a business that depends on me. I also don’t have sufficient confidence in my ability as a painter to be able to take such a leap. At present, I am concentrating on progressing with my potential career in nursing, and all the subjects which are necessary ancillaries to that.

Now I should leave the computer and get on with work in the real world; I hope my readers will excuse me sharing the bare minimum in this instance- and for my not attempting to translate the blog this time! I really need a parallel blog to be able to post in two languages, but perhaps during the next few weeks, I shall get the chance to practise my blog posts, as the level three classes are much more about written activities.

Growing confidence

…is the order of the day in many areas of my life! The picture above represents something which I have been longing to do for some time, albeit half-heartedly in the UK. A commission from my classmates, to paint a picture for a keen fisherman (also a valuable and almost retiring member of the teaching team at our school), was the prime excuse to buy a few canvases. I love the feel of painting on canvas, the rough texture enables a return to oil colour techniques with the acrylic paint. True, it is the first time I have used the canvas from that manufacturer, and the first time in which I have used that type of paint for a finished oil technique painting, but I am happy with the results. The colours in real life are not as dramatic as the photograph would lead one to believe, but tomorrow I aim to wet the canvas and ascertain if the varnish will brighten the colour excessively. It is very much alike to learning a language, getting back into painting: one has to experiment, to get to know the individual components, also the combinations in which they work, before they begin to perform what the artist or author demands!  Genuine praise and criticism are very valuable in both processes. Thankfully, in painting, I have not had to face the same kind of criticism or manner of correction as I have with learning a language. I understand that people do not like to hear their mother tongue “murdered”, but at the same time, it is not constructive to the self confidence, to be criticised for one’s language harshly- confidence to speak a foreign tongue is very fragile indeed, and professors of language need to be partly skilled in psychological subjects as well as simple teaching!

Negative things aside, I was pleased to have got through the exams, I believe with a passable grade which will enable me to move on to the next level, starting next week. We have nothing except a social dinner on Wednesday, at which I hope to present the picture to the teacher. He is known personally to me, although he has never taught me; most of my classmates were taught by him in their first block, when they were still very nervous and shy immigrants. He is a great guy, and as I a) did not have much confidence in the quality of my work, and b) did not want to rip off my fellow students, most of whom have minimal incomes, I charged simply for the materials to make the painting. All the same, the fact that my work is liked and perhaps even appreciated, spurs me on to try even more painting whenever I have the time. The law of time means that I will have to cut some other activity (i.e. computer time!) but many would not argue with that!

Having put the exams out of the way for at least three months, I am happy to be looking forward to the next level, and a new professor. I am also looking forward to discovering if there are any Anglophones among the 50 or so new students who begin next week. Although it is great for practise to speak French in the canteen at lunchtimes, several times I have felt swamped by Spanish or Arabic! English speakers are emphatically in the minority here!

Well, I may be in a linguistic minority, but if I can speak to others through pictures, I will be almost as happy! The recipient of my last painting was pleased to receive it as a birthday gift, though every time I look at the photo, I keep thinking of adjustments for “next time”.

Developments

As always, when the creative bug bites, I have to get working immediately before the mood is lost. Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to see what I could achieve with the correct motivation. I finally got my paints into action and proved to my relief that they performed as well as anything I used in England. Although the subject was a long-incomplete project, a picture of our Doudonne, I managed to complete all the painting to a sufficiently finished stage to permit hanging, after only two hours’ work. I am immensely pleased with the result and motivated to continue with my other projects, also to keep alive the small but potent flame of creativity which has recently been stifled behind the drapes of learning hard fact and lessons. In the case of this particular portrait, less is more; I feel that the first stage (above) was in fact just as acceptable as the final melange of oil and watercolour technique. I am now in possession of enough confidence to tackle canvases, and with a little more patience at my drawing skills, also work on other paintings for commissions. My ambition is to have a gallery of our animals for the hallway, but tackling a black cat’s portrait is rather more difficult!

Yesterday, not only was creativity blooming, but also the sunshine, and we made the most of a crisp autumn afternoon to take a saunter in the neighbourhood. The leaves of many trees were turning colour, though I did not fulfil the ambition to bring home a brace of red maple leaves as souvenirs!

We visited the local library; though it has a few English books, the collection reflects the neighbourhood. I am going to apply for membership, as Sylvie did, so that we can borrow various books to aid with my Francisation and possibly eventually, medicine. The underwhelming exterior hides a beautiful new library, and I look forward to spending some evenings there in the winter when a sortie into Montréal is not such an attractive proposition!

The power of speech

I always enjoyed being able to talk to people, especially discussing subjects which were mutually interesting! The chance to speak to more interesting people occurs each time I go to school, or have an outing with the school, an experience which it is almost impossible to write negatively about.

This week has been somewhat slightly different from the routine class sessions, especially as we had an outing yesterday. On commencing the course, we were told that we would be touring the Grande Bibliotheque de Montréal as part of the cultural integration programme. Of course, being already au fait with most of that institution, I rather expected that it would be old hat for me; I was pleasantly wrong!

It seemed to me rather as though there were a few mountains made from mole hills in the organising, especially as not everyone was cognisant with the Metro. Added to that, I began the day a little stressed, as a result of taking a bus which took at least 30 minutes longer than normal due to traffic conditions and pouring rain! Added to that, I was supposed to rendezvous at the school rather than wait in the terminal for the other students and teachers, and only just caught a bus in time; it seemed rather silly to pass the same spot at least 5 times in one day, and made me wish even harder to possess a car!

Finally the group of 45 or so students was assembled at Longueuil and took the short hop via Metro to Berri station, right beneath the library. On arrival, we were shown to a part of the library in the basement, where I have never been before. It was interesting to explain things (in French of course) to those students who had never been there before. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on viewpoint, I was separated from my regular class to keep the numbers in balance for the audio tours. Each group had a guide, and once we had figured out the operation of the headsets, it was slightly surreal hearing her speak in one’s ear but being unable to demand questions when she was a good fifty paces away! The Bibliotheque is indeed, Grande- by the time we had traversed all five floors and learned about many of the areas previously (to me anyway) unknown, we were all exhausted and ready for lunch.

We walked the short but complex path to the University of Québec (Montréal) cafeteria. The place was packed, but we managed to find sufficient seats outside for most students, and I enjoyed conversing (or attempting to converse with) the students in the higher group. Though they have a greater command of grammar, it was good to be able to hold my own and have an interesting conversation, and even more gratifying that the Québecois students were willing to speak to us as well.

After dining, I and some others walked to the Exhibition of work and apprenticeship, which was held in the Palais de Congres, not far from the University. The salon was in its second and final day, but most exhibitors were still there, and I discovered much useful information, as well as handing in my CV to many promising employers. It seems that a university diploma is de rigeur here, and tempted me to pursue other careers in my mind; there are other diplomas much easier to complete, for which I could qualify immediately, but which ultimately would not result in an especially exciting workplace. I don’t actually crave excitement at work, but would like the different clientele, and the huge variety one gets as part of the territory of healthcare work. It was rewarding being able to speak Entirely in French, especially confidence building to be told that my French was more than adequate for the workplace! I presume this is because many of the nuances of grammar are lost in spoken French, but show up in written form!

Since our class mingled for half an hour with a class of Québecois sales students, I have found the everyday life at school, taking the bus, etc far more agreeable. I think the exercise succeeded on many levels; it encouraged us to socialise with our fellow scholars, it provided practise for speaking and comprehension, and it also started genuine friendships which help with the native-immigrant relationship. I am half wondering about either a teaching career or getting more involved with education, as I love the ability to discuss, debate, and simply just socialise with others. Until going to the immersion classes, I still felt something of a fish out of water in this very Francophone quarter, but now I have little or no confidence problems, and understand almost all of the gossip on the bus! I’m reluctant to repeat the experience of working in a call centre because of the crazy hours, and because I tire easily when speaking a lot, but I should like to get some part time work soon involving the use of what skills I do have.

With that, I shall conclude this most unusual (picture bereft) article; I took no pictures while at the library, and was glad not to have the extra weight of the camera, but at the same time, many of the impressions I carried away were verbal rather than visual. It is as though every week in life at present opens some new and interesting chapter in the grand book of history and present.

Autumn approaches

And with it the signs of autumn become more pronounced! We do not have a car, or means of getting out into the Eastern Townships to view the more spectacular change of colour of the majority of the trees here, but even the view from our balcony (above) is greatly beautified by the gold, red and yellow leaves. Last year proved rainy, and consequently rather devoid of colour as the leaves fell in one night, without turning appreciable shades of colour. This year is not disappointing so far, and the more obvious signs of autumn emphasise, for me, one of the main reasons I love living here. 

Other signs, less manifest, but nonetheless unmistakeable, are appearing too. At various hours during the night, one can awaken and listen to the heartbreakingly wild sound of the geese skeining away overhead, heading for warmer climes. The smaller birds are notable by their absence. The mornings are fresh and crisp, making even normal respiration a joy! Summer here is great, but it is best experienced in small doses, especially when on has no air conditioning. Another sign of the approaching winter is in the activities of the humans we share our city with, and our own habits; today I emptied our storage cabin in the yard and stowed away our two air conditioners along with our summer camping gear and the boxes from all the kitchen and household products we have been purchasing recently. At the same time, I also brought indoors our Christmas tree and decorations; not for me to go and dig the cabin out of three feet of snow to retrieve said tree in a couple of months! Although I hate severe weather for the disruption it wreaks on the transport system,  I do enjoy a real fall of snow, something I could not truly have said to have experienced last winter here! Using public transit is not very agreeable. but at least it saves buying a set of winter tyres, or defrosting a car each morning- worse still, having to dig a car out of a mountain of snow or move it at an insane hour of the day so as to avoid blocking the deneigement process! I particularly miss the freedom a car brings, the freedom to take a quick trip to the mountains in the weekend, or a short hop to the store for goods otherwise too bulky or heavy to transport by bike. I also dislike the buses for the frequent exchange of germs, and the lack of courtesy by certain people, which often staggers me. It would have been wonderful this past weekend, to load the camera and painting things in the car and take a trip to the amazing St Bruno or St Hilaire region before the leaves fall and the parks take on their drab winter look.

As far as other hobbies go, I am now equipped for painting and even have my first commission, although a charitable one. I will aim to complete it by deadline, as even donated works bring about an oeuvre for artists. Lack of materials, or money for materials, is the biggest worry, but I should be abiding by one of my parents’ rules, and “Do the best you can with the best you have”.

That may also include spending less time online, so without more ado, good night all, I hope to have more to say another time!