Montreal

 Author:  Effie Tassiopoulos

 

1. or Montréal in French, second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec.  Originally called Ville-Marie (City-Mary, Mary's City, City of Mary).  Was once the largest city in Canada, it is presently known as one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world.  Population: 1,620,693.
2. home to six universities and twelve junior colleges in an 8 km radius.  Home to the "highest concentration of post-secondary students of all major cities in North America (4.8 students per 100 residents).”  Number of post-secondary students in Montreal: 248,000 (one of the highest numbers in the world).[1]
3. place où j’ai laissé mon cœur.  Ville that I miss and wish to return to.  Source of les meilleures années de ma vie.  The student ghetto.  Le Plateau.  Nouveaux amis. Old friends.  New experiences.  New life.  I will never forget the time that I spent there. 
4. multilingual city.  Place of language conflict.  Long battle between the Anglophone and francophone community.  City where I first realized the strength of my French as an Anglophone and the weakness of my English and an Anglophone.  Source of frustration.  Place of disorientation. 
5. multicultural city.  Home to every race and culture.  There are quartiers: Italian, grecque, Latin, Portuguese, Indian, Student, Ivory Coast, Haitian etc.
6. Mount Royal, Mont Royal, la croix, St. Laurent, St. Catherine, Tam Tams, les boîtes de nuits, les petits cafés, les universités, les bicyclettes, les restaurants, « apportez votre propre vin », the cobblestone, le Québec, Santropol, une vielle ville, une nouvelle vie.