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Post by batmom on May 11, 2005 18:28:26 GMT -4
Don't let the French thing stop you. I went to McGill with people who spoke no French at all and who managed to get by quite nicely for the four years they were there. You really don't need French in Montreal. You actually don't need much French south of Quebec city (keep on heading up the St. Laurence, though, and you're in for a lot of charades).
Montreal is a great city.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 1:34:14 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2005 20:12:40 GMT -4
The Maritimes are breathtakingly beautiful... and Newfoundland is gorgeous as well... but I don't like the music that comes out of there. Including Great Big Sea.
Although they seem like a great bunch of guys.
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foxfair
Guest
May 18, 2024 1:34:14 GMT -4
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Post by foxfair on May 11, 2005 20:31:18 GMT -4
Batmom is right. I went to McGill as well and my French is basically non-existant/cereal-box-based. McGill is very English, but I didn't find I needed French anywhere in Montreal and I lived in a mostly-French part of the Plateau. Almost everyone there speaks both languages and I am not sure I ever had an encounter with someone who spoke only French and no English. The only drawback of being unilingual in Montreal is feeling a bit inadequate around most of your friends, many of whom are trilingual or better.
Montreal is a great city, to be avoided Dec.-March but great at all other times!
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bbug
Guest
May 18, 2024 1:34:14 GMT -4
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Post by bbug on May 11, 2005 20:38:08 GMT -4
Valueofaloonie you HAVE to come to Montreal. It's seriously beautiful and fun and crazy here. You can absolutely get by without French, but it helps if you can understand/speak a little bit, and apologize (désolé=sorry) when you can't understand people. I'm from RI and I just finished at McGill this winter...when I first got here I'd accidentally answer store clerks in Spanish and dumb stuff like that, and they were mostly really kind and helpful about my mistakes.
I've always wanted to go to Vancouver and Toronto. Alberta kind of scares me, mostly because of some people I know from RI who used to live in Edmonton and are scarily bitter about having had to leave, but I should probably get over that.
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scout
Guest
May 18, 2024 1:34:14 GMT -4
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Post by scout on May 12, 2005 1:50:58 GMT -4
I'm from Quebec..born and raised... and my french sucks.Quebec is great.Montreal rules. Don't worry about speaking french in Montreal.I think most of the city is english.I know downtown is.If you do come to the city, hit Cresent street. Lots of fun.
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Post by batmom on May 12, 2005 11:59:08 GMT -4
bbug, there are a lot of great places in Alberta; Edmonton is not one of them. So yeah, don't let that influence you.
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Post by Brookie on May 12, 2005 12:07:32 GMT -4
Alberta and BC are seriously beautiful. I'm from the Detroit area, but I vacation there every other year - the usual tourist attractions Banff, Lake Louise, Alberta, Waterton-Glacier etc. Alberta is under some heavy consideration as a place to retire and just hike my life away.
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foxfair
Guest
May 18, 2024 1:34:14 GMT -4
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Post by foxfair on May 12, 2005 17:46:31 GMT -4
Aw, I kinda like Edmonton. It doesn't have a pretentious bone in it's body. There's something so Canadian and blue collar and honest about it. Pssssst Brookie - BC's better! And not ruled by crazies. Edit: Actually, we are ruled by crazies, but they're a different kind and it's easier to ignore them.
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valueofaloonie
Guest
May 18, 2024 1:34:14 GMT -4
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Post by valueofaloonie on May 12, 2005 20:39:16 GMT -4
bbug, there are a lot of great places in Alberta; Edmonton is not one of them. So yeah, don't let that influence you. Hmmm. As a Calgarian, I think I'm under contract to agree with this. And you guys have totally swayed me on Montreal. We're thinking of going there in July...
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Benni
Blueblood
Posts: 1,142
Mar 10, 2005 15:33:29 GMT -4
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Post by Benni on May 13, 2005 14:40:01 GMT -4
Pssssst Brookie - BC's better! And not ruled by crazies. Edit: Actually, we are ruled by crazies, but they're a different kind and it's easier to ignore them. As someone who was raised in BC then married an Albertan and have lived here for 18 years I really cannot decide who is crazier. Last Summer my mother and grandmother drove out here from Vancouver. After being here a few days my grandmother announces that it was sure nice of that truck driver to help them on the David Thompson Highway when my mother kept pulling over when she thought she had a flat tire. I'm like what? I then ovearhear My mother explaining to my cuban brother-in-law that in Alberta we have sensors in our highways that make a noise when you drive too fast to let you know to slow down. She was obviously going over the bumps in the lines and the trucker was having some fun with her. My brother-in-law tried to argue with her but no way Alberta is so rich we can regulate each and every driver and let them know when we are speeding!
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