All this past week we had “secret friends” (des amis secrets). We would leave messages, possibly containing dares (défis) on a table for another person. I ended up having to do things like stand up in the middle of class and say “banane” five times without explanation. At the end I stood up on the little stage they’d placed in the middle of the cafeteria, and recited the first verse of “Je suis un pizza” while wearing a paper pizza on a string around my neck. To my great surprise, people cheered and applauded.
And my amie secrète? My professor. :eek:
Last Friday also was the talent show. In the evening, we met in the large auditorium and various students exhibited their talents. There are some amazing talents. But what do you expect from a bunch of young, energetic people, most of whom either have university degrees or are working on them?
There was one guy who had a somewhat stocky build like me, but he was a dancer. And how he moved! All in time to the music. I’ve never seen anything like it. He was fluid.
There was singing and piano-playing and storytelling… it was amazing. Later I felt kind of sad because I would have liked to do something, but I draw, and that’s not really a spectacle (in French, an activity that attracts spectators), is it? But yesterday during the trip to Quebec City, I had the beginnings of an idea that would change that.
What if the act of drawing was incorporated into a developing story that was being presented on stage?
I have to think about this a lot more. But it’s definitely a hint for the future.
Thanks. It’s been unexpected how hard this has hit me, in unexpected ways.
I hope to hear of your travel arrangements soon. Maybe you can write about them in the Montreal meetup thread or PM me.
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When I know, you’ll know.
I meant to reply to this earlier. Yes, it’s really pretty up here, and yes, winter ends late. Given that it snowed elsewhere in Quebec on the first Saturday we were here.
We visited a museum this morning all about the vast system of dams and hydroelectric power plants in the Saguenay watershed that serve the aluminium refineries. I gather that aluminium refining uses insane amounts of electricity, such that it’s easier to ship the ore in from basically anywhere and refine it here, than try to export the electricity. There’s a deepwater port in the fjord, and a railway, and three or four aluminium refineries. Plus lots of related metallurgical stuff. Alcan (now owned by Rio Tinto) is big here, like General Motors in Oshawa.
You may want to check out some YouTube videos of an artist named Denny Dent. He was an artist who could turn painting a picture into, as you called it, a spectacle. An example: John Lennon Painting by Denny Dent.
It may not be to your taste or style, but it does show that it can be done.
I’m back in Ontario, returned to Oshawa, and looking for some sort of work. (No good prospects, so far.)
At the end of the course, I was feeling happysad–happy that I’d gotten as far as I did, and sad to leave–even though I wasn’t really part of the group. My host family wanted to keep in contact, and I’m going to do that.
At the end there was a gala presentation of artwork and performances by the students. Of course, I had done some drawings. There was also an awards show which included prizes and a thank-you performance by the teachers and animateurs. I was awarded ‘most studious’ because I was always looking up verbs and stuff… this was because I was always slightly lost in the conversation and needed to really do homework to keep up with everyone else.
I’ve definitely got a foundation of French to build on, but I have to keep using it, or it’s going to go away.
As for practicing French, gthere are a few things you can do. You can visit French websites. You can maybe find people to talk to in French online (people you met on your trip, maybe?) You can take more trips to places in Quebec, if you can.
Congrats on completing your course, good luck on finding a job, and have a hug for dealing with all the stress you have been going through the last few years.
