Tying things up in Québec City

It has been a flurry of activity as I try to see as much as possible in the 4 days allotted for Québec City. I walked around my old stomping grounds at Université Laval, including a tour inside the residence that I lived in for a summer (by "old", I mean 20+ years ago!!). It's too bad that the language programs here are so long in length for students (5-6 weeks) and that their tuition is so high, it is a great place in a wonderful location. However, I did go by the theatre on campus and this would certainly be a good field trip for our students as the bus service is very good to and from. After talking with and visiting three different schools, I am feeling good about the one at Mérici College and will write up the details when I get back. I have also procured some good recruitment and advertising materials to market the program over the coming year. Let's hope we can make it happen for 2011!

A good inclusion on the excursion list would be the Wendake Huron Village (Wyandotte Nation) just north of Québec City. This is the only remaining Huron village in Canada and they have it set up very nicely for visits. They also include translations of signs (including the Stop sign) in their native Wendat.

While driving by the Parliament building today, I was reminded how beautiful the Canadian buildings are. Modelled after the British Houses of Parliament, it has been a while since I have really seen them - or in the case of Edmonton's Legislature Building - paid close attention to them. After seeing the Capitol in Washington, DC last year, I can appreciate both styles very much for what they represent. I am very much looking forward to visiting Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

I will miss Québec City. The people I spoke with were great and very receptive. It was wonderful to be immersed in French again and I enjoyed the countryside, the river, the history and the architecture. I hope to be back again next year and to share this with students. My last stop out of town was the great French bookstore (more along the lines of the Virgin Megastore or the FNAC in France) called Archambault. I had to be yanked out kicking and screaming after one hour of shopping. Apparently, my family didn't find it amusing that I had only covered one section in this time. I found it hard to leave the bookstores in France too.

A Montréal!