Although I fully intended this to be a blog for my Belgium semester only, opportunity has struck and I will be studying for a month in Québec this summer! Because the French-Canadian culture is so different and it is a further step in my same journey to master French, I figured there was no point letting a good blog go to waste.
Hence, here is the latest rendition of my travel adventures.
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| 3866 km away from home. Not quite Europe but it will do! |
I will be in Trois-Rivières, Québec, attending the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières for 5 weeks. Here is the general program concept:
"Explore is a bursary program for students wanting to learn French. Five weeks of discovery, new acquaintances and exchanging ideas, in a stimulating setting for learning your second or foreign language.
Three and a half hours of courses are given every morning from Monday to Friday. In the afternoon, students attend different workshops to improve their French such as: songs, dance, phonetics, theatre, environment, newspaper, conversation etc."
Throughout the duration of the program, I will be staying in the on campus dorms with other students in the same program. On top of the classes, the program provides us with the opportunity to take advantage of the culture around us. Here is a sample of the activities they plan for us:
- Welcome activities
- Tour of Trois-Rivières
- National historical site, "Forges du St-Maurice"
- Tour of Quebec City
- Tour of Montreal
- Day trip to the Mauricie National Park
- Folk evening at the sugar shack
- Indoor and outdoor sports
- Movies
- Thematic evening
- Casino evening
- Traditional Québecois evening
- Student show
Although I didn't get a home stay exchange as was my preference, I lucked out with my location. Trois-Rivières is absolutely perfect because you're exactly half-way between Montreal and Quebec City and get to take advantage of both.
I'm excited! I really think this will be a fantastic opportunity to continue my French and get to know and love my country even more. Having never been farther east than Ontario, this will be an exciting new experience.
The best part? Since it is a bursary program, the only thing I have to cover are my flights! :)
Love & Light,
Jacqueline
