Thoughts... on Learning French in Canada

~Go to my blog to read this, otherwise the formatting probably sucks~

So I've been in Canada for almost 3 weeks now, Montreal to be precise. I feel obligated to update all of you what I've been up to. I must also apologize to my uni-lingual friends for writing so much in Chinese. 你看我因為你們忽視多少人... 開玩笑啦 :D

It didn't take long for me to adjust at all, being already familiar with North American culture and all. Speaking French was a bit more challenging for me at first, but now all my previous years of learning French has come back to me and speaking is no longer akin to an intense work-out. All languages, Chinese, English, French, C, Java, Assembly, etc. follow set principals. Once you get the underlying concept, all that's left is memorizing vocabulary and practice, lots of practice.

I am studying at a language school called the ILSC, learning French until September, which is when I'll go to Toronto or Oshawa to complete my degree. It is extremely diverse a the school; by that I mean there are a lot of different nations represented here in relation to its small size. Let me show you what I mean:

Last Friday I (Taiwanese) played soccer with Brazilians, Colombians, Mexicans, Japanese, Koreans, Italians, and some others I wasn't sure (Venezuelans most likely). This was in a group of 22. Tomorrow I'll have a Swiss housemate, so that'll be interesting too. For a third culture kid like me, this is a dream come true. It's a bit sad that there are almost no Taiwanese here... and so few Asians learning French.

Because of the South Americans (and francophone culture), I am getting used to the kiss on the cheeks greetings. People here are also more touchy; it is completely normal to put your arms around people. 哈，我回台灣時應該把這裡的文化帶回去。Basically, just imagine a French city that also speaks English. Culturally, it is more French but the diversity here changes everything. To make it easier for yourself, come visit me and you will know what I mean.

Note: This happens everyday.

The other day a Korean guy bought me coffee, a really delicious Moccaccino for which I am quite grateful. In addition the Italian guy in my class treated me to a nice Italian restaurant one time too. We had a decent glass of red wine to go with our pasta that lunch. 對，我很有男生緣。XD

The only downside now is that almost nobody speaks French after class since everyone who is learning French also knows English well, except one. I wish more people would speak to me in French but for now I am already thankful for the one Japanese girl. She integrated me into the "Asian" crowd. You can't imagine how happy I am to find a fellow Asian learning French. Hard as I may try, the majority of friends I have here are Japanese and Korean. Go figure. *Stress on majority*

C'est tout. I'll take any question you have. Ask me and you shall receive an answer.