My mails were mainly about this question during the past weeks. In theory, my summer is totally free, since I finished the MA course in June (I graduated with honors :) ) and I didn't look for a job. I rather applied for a postgraduate course, starting in September. In practice this means that by then, I should be very good at 3 foreign languages, at least. I've had enough of private French lessons (they were good, I just had an overdose of organized learning) so I decided to spend my time in appropriate language environment. I bought plane tickets to Montreal thinking that Quebec is bilingual, I would have a lot of opportunities to practice.
Initially, I planned to buy a package of language course and accommodation, but an experienced traveler friend advised me to try couchsurfing. It sounded like a good idea, I wanted to talk to locals anyway (it forces you to use the language) so I registered on the site. First I was a bit sceptical. I thought that I, as a new member without any references, would not find a host who trusts me. Anyhow, I took the time to fill my profile, uploaded photos (I wouldn't host anyone that has no picture) and I also offered a couch in Balatonlelle. Then I started searching for hosts, I sent a request to a seemingly nice potential host in Montreal. I had no idea what I had started! Couch requests are public (if I tick the right check-box) and I started to receive invitations.
I tried to meet everybody, even those who didn't host me. I wanted to meet as many people as possible. Since my arrivel (23rd July), I've met a political activist fighting for the independence of Quebec, a French-Egyptian documentary film producer who had worked in Hungary, a young Iranian accountant who decided 4 years ago to immigrate to Canada, a French IT specialist working here, a Chinese guy studying operations research, an Algerian aviation engineer hoping to obtain Canadian nationality (quite easy for francophones) and a Colombian-German arts graduate who is a few years older than me but currently lives like university students. I'm starting to understand what the concept of the melting pot means... :)
My first host was a 71-year-old retired woman who immigrated to Montreal from Germany in 1968. It was an ideal start to stay at the city center, at a tourist guide who speaks three languages. Mechthild really knows a lot about the city and she even made me pancakes. (I ate them with maple syrup because that is normal here.) After a week, I moved to Peter's home (he is half British, a freelance consultant with home office). This place is a bit further from the center but it is an upscale neighborhood, close to Mount Royal. Luckily (at least from my point of view) he doesn't have a lot to do nowadays so he has time to drive me around the city in his Maserati coupe. (Who knew I would be travelling in a terribly expensive vehicle like that :) )
I will spend three weeks is Canada, roughly half of that time is gone and I have no reason to complain. I walk a lot, I've seen the Montreal's major sights and I even made it to the Rapids. Next week I'm going to spend a few days in Quebec City where I'll be hosted by a Peruvian. It's really exciting because he doesn't speak much English, we'll have to communicate in French. :)
Understanding can be difficult. On my first whole day I went to a couchsurfing meeting and tried to speak French. I soon had to realize that the noisy brewery is not the place for practicing a foreign language. Especially when I'm trying to understand someone whose accent is totally different from mine. (This can be problematic for others, as well. The Quebec-Bordeaux distance, for example, is enormous not only in a geographic but also in a linguistic sense.)
Before leaving for Canada, I hosted a Turkish surfer in Balatonlelle. On the first day, I asked after almost every sentence what he was trying to say. My only excuse is that besides his accent, he often made grammatical mistakes like phrasing a declarative sentence as if it was a question and I was wandering why he was asking me that... He happens to be a helicopter pilot, has served in Kabul recently and surely enjoyed seeing water and some green around him. :) He arrived for the Balaton Sound and convinced me to join him on the first day. I'm very happy about that because I wouldn't have attended the festival alone but this way I had fun. As an experienced couchsurfer, he invited me to Turkey. Maybe I'll only spend a few days at home, then fly towards East... :)
Initially, I planned to buy a package of language course and accommodation, but an experienced traveler friend advised me to try couchsurfing. It sounded like a good idea, I wanted to talk to locals anyway (it forces you to use the language) so I registered on the site. First I was a bit sceptical. I thought that I, as a new member without any references, would not find a host who trusts me. Anyhow, I took the time to fill my profile, uploaded photos (I wouldn't host anyone that has no picture) and I also offered a couch in Balatonlelle. Then I started searching for hosts, I sent a request to a seemingly nice potential host in Montreal. I had no idea what I had started! Couch requests are public (if I tick the right check-box) and I started to receive invitations.
I tried to meet everybody, even those who didn't host me. I wanted to meet as many people as possible. Since my arrivel (23rd July), I've met a political activist fighting for the independence of Quebec, a French-Egyptian documentary film producer who had worked in Hungary, a young Iranian accountant who decided 4 years ago to immigrate to Canada, a French IT specialist working here, a Chinese guy studying operations research, an Algerian aviation engineer hoping to obtain Canadian nationality (quite easy for francophones) and a Colombian-German arts graduate who is a few years older than me but currently lives like university students. I'm starting to understand what the concept of the melting pot means... :)
My first host was a 71-year-old retired woman who immigrated to Montreal from Germany in 1968. It was an ideal start to stay at the city center, at a tourist guide who speaks three languages. Mechthild really knows a lot about the city and she even made me pancakes. (I ate them with maple syrup because that is normal here.) After a week, I moved to Peter's home (he is half British, a freelance consultant with home office). This place is a bit further from the center but it is an upscale neighborhood, close to Mount Royal. Luckily (at least from my point of view) he doesn't have a lot to do nowadays so he has time to drive me around the city in his Maserati coupe. (Who knew I would be travelling in a terribly expensive vehicle like that :) )
I will spend three weeks is Canada, roughly half of that time is gone and I have no reason to complain. I walk a lot, I've seen the Montreal's major sights and I even made it to the Rapids. Next week I'm going to spend a few days in Quebec City where I'll be hosted by a Peruvian. It's really exciting because he doesn't speak much English, we'll have to communicate in French. :)
Understanding can be difficult. On my first whole day I went to a couchsurfing meeting and tried to speak French. I soon had to realize that the noisy brewery is not the place for practicing a foreign language. Especially when I'm trying to understand someone whose accent is totally different from mine. (This can be problematic for others, as well. The Quebec-Bordeaux distance, for example, is enormous not only in a geographic but also in a linguistic sense.)
Before leaving for Canada, I hosted a Turkish surfer in Balatonlelle. On the first day, I asked after almost every sentence what he was trying to say. My only excuse is that besides his accent, he often made grammatical mistakes like phrasing a declarative sentence as if it was a question and I was wandering why he was asking me that... He happens to be a helicopter pilot, has served in Kabul recently and surely enjoyed seeing water and some green around him. :) He arrived for the Balaton Sound and convinced me to join him on the first day. I'm very happy about that because I wouldn't have attended the festival alone but this way I had fun. As an experienced couchsurfer, he invited me to Turkey. Maybe I'll only spend a few days at home, then fly towards East... :)
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