Something for the Road: June 2013

Ooookay, so I know I'm horrible at keeping up to date with posting about my travels, but let's just go with "I wanted to completely immerse myself in French so I didn't want to blog in English until I could speak English again"...yeah, that sounds about right...

Bienvenue!

The huge church beside the school

Anyhow, my 5 weeks in Nova Scotia were quite possibly the best 5 weeks of my life! I went into the program incredibly nervous because: a) I hadn't spoken ANY French since Grade 12, b) I was so far away from home, and c) I didn't know anyone else in the program.

The first few days were transitional and eased us into the program nicely. We were allowed to speak English, which facilitated friend-making within the house. For 5 weeks I lived in residence on campus in Belliloise, with 23 others. Turns out, Belliloise was party central for the campus, and every weekend (and sometimes weekdays) we played host to everyone else on their way to the bar on campus, Château.

Le drapeau acadien

Before we completely immersed ourselves in French, we wrote placement tests which sorted us into the different levels: Débutant, Intermédiaire, and Avancé. In the evening, there was an opening ceremony introducing the students to all the animateurs/animatrices (RA's) and professors. By the end, we signed up for our daily ateliers (workshops) and signed "The Contract", with which we pledged to speak only French until the end of the program.

The first week was pretty quiet. I settled into my class (Intermédiaire 2) with 2 girls who also lived at Belli with me. Settling into a new language entirely was a little difficult, and the process included many hand gestures and charades. Yet, with each week that passed, it became easier and easier to articulate my thoughts in French. Both within Belli, my atelier, and my class (every day 9-12:30), I've met so many people who I'm sure I will continue to be friends with for a long time, despite wherever they reside in Canada. Our house was very close-knit and I was nearly always hanging out with somebody.

P'tit Bois one day - catching a ride back from the beach!

My atelier, called "Atelier de P'tit Bois", was the largest of the session. Surrounding the campus of Sainte-Anne is a forest they call Le Petit Bois, and with the strong winds off of the Atlantic Ocean and common storms, many trees get blown over. Our job was to restore the campus and the forest for future students to enjoy. These tasks included clearing broken branches/trees out of the forest, replanting flowers along pathways, and cleaning up the beach. The ateliers were an extra way to keep us immersed in French and meeting new people while having a (decently) good time. At the end of the session, it is usually tradition for l'Atelier de P'tit Bois to jump into the frigid waters of the Atlantic, but this year the weather was horrid (more rain and wind than ever before apparently!), so the whole group didn't do it. A small group of us (maybe 20?) decided to do it anyways, so, with beers and towels in hand, we headed for the beach. I was in the water for MAYBE 30 seconds before it was WAY too cold to handle, but I'm glad I did it!

In the end, being away for 5 weeks in Nova Scotia was simply amazing. U. Sainte-Anne wasn't even one of my choices for the institutions I wished to study French at with the Explore program, but I am so glad I got placed there! I had the opportunity to meet so many awesome and fun individuals from all over Canada, and I am certainly considering applying and returning to Sainte-Anne for next year's spring session if I can! Not only did I learn more about the language and how to converse/think with it, but I also learned a little about the history of Acadia and of Acadians. Church Point, Nova Scotia is probably one of the smallest towns (is it even a town?) I've been to, and coming from Vancouver, it was a huge change. Yet, being in such a small area made such a difference when it came to learning French because I was forced to continue using the language with everybody - and it was worth it. The Maritimes are so underrated, yet they are one of the most beautiful places in Canada in my opinion. Make a trip out there if you can!