MONTREAL

Perks

The city definitely has retained some European feel about it that I find appealing. It is not the huge Metropolis like Toronto or New York City that can be quite intimidating. What tops it all is Mount Royal, this nice little mountain (some prefer to call it a hill...has to be a very large hill) is right in the middle of the city. I have climbed this Mountain on several occasions and discovered the breathtaking view of downtown Montreal (see photo gallery). Another beautiful part of Montreal is a huge area called Old Montreal, where 19th century architecture has been left undisturbed. It is supposedly the largest collection of 19th century buildings in North America. Old Montreal definitely feels like Europe, right down with its brick streets, neo-gothic architecture, and antiquated street lamps. Now it is a tourist spot with plenty of cafes and art galleries. These two places being the coolest in my opinion, I am not mentioning the numerous other attractions Montreal has. Summer is a blast here, with fireworks competitions, Jazz festivals, a film festival near the end of Summer, and so much more to keep you busy.

Reservations

Despite the strong positive points, I have not decided if Montreal would be the best place for me to live in, especially considering I do not know any French. Yes, I can learn, but I will never reach a good level of fluency before I graduate, and that would mean virtually no jobs for me. The winter is one consideration. But if all Montreal winters are like the first winter I got here, the weather is not a problem. Summers are really great here, I actually managed to live without a fan (sometimes you do need it) let alone air conditioner. It would have been virtually impossible to manage without a fan in New York or Connecticut.

I will certainly need more time to assimilate into this culture, or grow tolerant of it (whichever is called for). Perhaps I can learn enough French one day and be treated nicely for my broken/funny sounding French (kudos for attempting to learn). After all, Celine Dion learned English when she was 18, look at where she's gone with that now!

<<<<<< previous

© 1999