So I have been in Montreal for just under a month now. It has been both really fun and really challenging at the same time. Every week brings something new.
The first week I learned to love the metro and underground city. Since then I have explored a lot more and I have now taken the city bus once. It is a really big change from the suburbs where I grew up. I have always wondered how it would be possible for an adult to function without a car. They had to go to work, get groceries, and everything else. I now would see how people can function that way. If I lived in Montreal I probably wouldn’t
My classes are proving to be a challenge this semester. One class is really hurting my time. I have spent more than 15 hours on it in the last week. I’m not sure how this will go if I continue to have to do this much work for that class. I have two other classes that I would really like to put time into but have not had the chance due to the amount of time that this one takes. Other than other classes I would also like to be able to do things such as go out or go on trips for the weekend without it hurting my ability to complete assignments. In short I am putting more than 35 hours into homework alone. Then I have classes on top of that. It is hard to find time for fun things.
However I am determined to enjoy my time up here so I have made time to do some fun things. Last weekend I went snowboarding for the first time in 2 years. That was fun. I was surprised at how well I did considering that I had only gone 4 or 5 times before. That was a fun trip. A bunch of students went. It was somewhat organized through McGill, a school up here. A group of students from there rented out a bus and planned the trip. I was invited to join by my roommates who were going. I met a bunch of new people there and was relieved when I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t that great at it going down the mountain. So we stuck to greens for the most part.
I have been hanging out with my roommates whenever I get the chance. It is really fun. I am beginning to get better at knowing what they are saying. I am also much better at knowing where in a conversation flow they are. When I first got up here I felt like I would interrupt them in the middle of something because I didn’t know if they were still talking about something or if that part of a conversation had ended. There are a bunch of things that I am learning about France from them. For example the yellow school busses that I grew up with as a kid was not something they had. When we went to go snowboarding last weekend they said it was their first time that they had been on a bus like that. It was something that they see in all of our movies but they never used them as kids.
On Tuesday I wondered around for a few hours exploring the underground city looking for a new heavy coat. I had already had one that I like to wear when I go to the slopes or play in the snow but I got one that I felt I would wear around the city more. I feel like it helps me blend into the culture a bit more too.
This weekend I went to Quebec City for Carnival. It was a much needed break from that week of homework that I had been doing (and I am returning to when I get back. I am currently on the bus home). We stayed at a nice hotel that seems like it was in the center of all the stuff we went to see. The first night that we were there we went out to eat and I tried alligator pizza. I figured that it is something that I probably won’t get the chance to do again anytime soon so I should take it. The next morning we went to the ice hotel. It was a hotel made entirely of ice and snow. It was pretty cool because it is one of those things that you see on the travel channel and I actually got to see it. After that we went back to the hotel and then we headed out to Carnival. Carnival is a 3 week celebration that they have in Quebec City every winter. The lines were huge. We were only able to get a few rides in before we went back to the Hotel to get warm again. I think it would have been much better if the lines weren’t so long. I am glad I brought the clothes I did though. I had snow boots, pants, and my Jacket. It was nice because I could just jump into the snow and slide down hills without getting wet. The last day we were there we toured around the older city areas. It was pretty touristy but it was neat to see that part of Canada.
I am adjusting to the concept that I am in a place that has the primary language of French. While most people can and do speak English, I want to get better at my French so I can use that too.
I also got some great news the other day. I will now have an internship in Montreal this summer at a game development studio. It is a great opportunity for me (and my friend Bryan who also got an internship). I was thinking about it. I am going to be working 37.5 hours a week (basically 40). That is the equivalent of 4 classes worth of experience (assuming I spend 10 hours a week in class and doing homework for that class and my internship is 16 weeks long). That is a ton of experience. I feel like after that summer internship when I return to school I will be at another level of experience. I will have the chance to work with other people’s code and hopefully pick up on some good coding practices from experienced coders as well. It is a paid position too. I just need to get some visa stuff worked out and I think that I will be set.
This means that I will be in Montreal for the summer. I will have to do some apartment hunting. I know that I can probably stay in the dorm where I am now for $550 a month but I am going to see what better options I have. Apparently, down the street from us is where a lot of summer activities happen. So we are in a good spot for doing things. I hope that I will be able to get much better at French by the time this happens.
Well I am sure I am forgetting a bunch of stuff but this is probably a long enough read already.
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