(and I make no pretences, the photograph of our apartment block above was taken last year after the heaviest fall of snow during that winter!)
I am not sure whether to be amused, pitying, or even alarmed, on regarding the news and learning that Europe has received a lot more snow that we have so far, and promises more to come! Here, we are experiencing many rain showers, but so far the sum total of our snow barely made it to 3 cm in the drifts. That said, I finally had the chance last week, to experience something which I had frankly been dreading throughout the previous winter: freezing rain. This appellation is not very scary to those who have never experienced the phenomenon, but to those who experienced it last week, it was far from being a joke. For those not versed in the weather or the climate here, freezing rain is not the same as hail; when the weather conditions are just right, hovering just below zero, the rain freezes immediately as it falls, making a veritable ice rink of the sidewalks and roads. Last Friday, I duly observed the signs and warnings on the TV, and wrapped up warm, also wearing my intermediate boots; this was not enough to stop me from slipping on the top step and bouncing down the whole flight,backpack and coffee flask flying. Maybe my open umbrella helped to absorb some of the speed of my flight, but I was still quite shaken and bruised by the speed and violence of the tumble. The sidewalks were practically impassable, even the seasoned Québecois were tumbling into the road, into the path of traffic which could not always take evasive action. I finally made it to the bus stop by hanging onto the lamp posts and walking on the grass where possible. On finding about thirty people waiting at the stop which I normally share with two people, I suspected there might have been a problem with the transport, and sure enough, the driver of a snow tractor stopped to tell us that there were no buses.
I spent a while trying to contact the school, only to discover that it was closed as a consequence of the ice; I was very surprised, but seeing that the majority of students go to that school by public transit, it figured that school couldn’t function if the pupils couldn’t get there. Bus services and some semblance of normalcy returned by 10 am, but the school was closed for the day, so I enjoyed the chance to relax at home with the wife and family, and to take stock of our preparations for Christmas. I was recently very disappointed to be turned down for the job at Costco, because according to those who conducted my interview, and other staff within the store with whom we spoke, my candidature was fine for the job, and they needed a lot of people. The rejection letter and inadequate explanation was not much of a consolation, and though everyone has to deal with some degree of rejection in their life, I am not sure that this was expected. I still hope to get some form of work for the winter, as life will be very tough if we have only the one income to live on. Thankfully it won’t spoil Christmas too much, as we can afford a few small gifts and cards, plus we already have the tree and some decorations.
Life at school goes on apace, with a couple of birthdays, and the unexpected holiday, taking their toll on the curriculum. I don’t mind going along with the more cultural, less academic exercises the school offers along with the francisation programme, but I do find that sometimes a lot of time is lost sharing things which are best reserved for out of school social times. I have made some good friends at the school, both among teachers and students, and it is a lot less formal than a regular classroom. We have a much easier curriculum lined up for this season, as there are many field trips and other functions in December, the last day of school basically being a party, before we leave on a comparatively long holiday.
On Friday, we will be visiting the St Joseph’s Oratory http://www.saint-joseph.org/ in Montréal, which promises to be interesting, especially as the different students have little experience of nativity scenes. I am not sure how those with other than Christian beliefs will fare on this trip, and in a sense, their reactions bring about a sense of déjà vu, especially those who have to opt out of birthday and Christmas celebrations. It serves to highlight just how unpleasantly narrow and unrealistically restrictive was the sect which I left; by the same token, though I am not that fond of Christmas and its associated commercialism, the hypocrisy of those who donate money that is not theirs in the first place, or who put on a nice face for only a few days per year. Not to be too cynical, I love the excitement of unwrapping presents, the beauty of a tastefully decorated Christmas tree, the fun of giving and receiving cards, and the general feeling of bonhomie that exists during that season.
We have another visit lined up, to the Electrium, an exhibition by the company HydroQuebec
http://www.hydroquebec.com/visit/monteregie/electrium.html
, the company everyone here loves to hate. This province is dependant on hydroelectricity to a frightening degree, and of course with such a huge company holding a monopoly, they can do pretty much as they wish with consumer bills. All the same, electricity here costs about one 5th of the price of that in the UK, so it is not without its upside. The visit to the Longueuil Palais de justice was a flop, as the lady who did the talking talked much to fast, and we basically spent one hour listening to a stream of explanations in a stuffy court room. On the plus side, it was only five minutes walk from our school, so we lost no time in returning for lunch! I found it an interesting insight into the criminal justice system here, which is thankfully not overloaded in our region. It was also encouraging to see that I could follow a presentation in French, and came away having understood 95% of what was said, as opposed to 30% when I began the course. The interview with Costco, although having a negative outcome, did at least demonstrate to myself that I can hold my own in this kind of situation. I can’t hold a lively discussion in a group of French speakers, but am always encouraged by the response of those around me in the school. I think that when my course is over and I am plunged once again into the Anglophone world, I will miss these great experiences, these chances to literally immerse myself in the culture not only of my own adoptive country, but that of the other countries who have contributed people to the circle of my friends and colleagues!
This is a relatively picture-free episode, but I hope to rectify that with the developments of Friday and next week, although my free time at the computer is absolutely certain not to grow in the next few weeks.
Hopefully this video of Bibitte, who finally discovered that she is interested in television, will help to offset the lack of photographs!
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