As time flies...

Hi! I’ve been to my internship quite a few times now and each time, I feel more and more like I’m part of a small Anglophone community… here are the news!

Cultures: Anglophone versus Francophone

The Atwater Library traces its origins back to 1828: it was the first mechanics’ institute in Montreal. Its founders were English-Canadians with Scottish roots. As I walked across the library, I didn’t see any cultural objects but I saw several portraits of those founders as well as one of the presidents of the organization.

In a library, music is prohibited! Instead, I asked Aude what is her favorite music and she confessed that she doesn’t really like commercial music. She prefers oldies and alternative rock so she often turns on the radio and puts 97.7 or 99.9. The French-speaking mostly listen to 96.9 because it plays very Quebecer-like songs.

She also revealed her preference for romance novels: she enjoys everything, from suspense to science fiction as long as there is a love story between the characters.

I think the well-known topic of St. Jean-Baptiste versus Canada Day won’t surprise anyone. As we know, Canada Day is obviously more important for English-speakers than for French-speakers and vice versa. In contrast, Aude doesn’t celebrate either of them. As for Thanksgiving, I believe it is mostly an English tradition: Zeela, another librarian, told me her English-speaking parents, who are from Ontario, celebrate it every year.

Expressions and idioms

I’ve overheard various expressions during my internship. Here are a few examples: “Just my luck!” is something people say when something bad happens to them. Another one is “Keep me on the loop”: put in other words, it’s “Keep me informed.”

I’ve done a lot of writing during my internship, mostly copying codes and names. I haven’t read a lot, ironically. I did though get a chance to use one of the idioms I wanted to use eventually: we were chatting with my host and I told her, “This winter, I will be ready to tie the knot!”

Rewards and challenges

If I think of it, the most challenging part of my internship was the aspect of total immersion. It was something new, something I have never experienced before. I must say, it was the most rewarding part as well!

In conclusion, throughout all my internship I’ve had the chance to learn new ways to interact more freely and I’ve improved my accent. Sometimes, I’m even able to think in English, like I’ve always wanted to!