My experience in Montreal.

Canada has ten provinces and when you break that down, you're looking at a vast number of cities in each province. Some cities could be bigger than others or feel more at home than others. Having spent two years in Toronto, a city in the province of Ontario, I began my journey to a place I've only heard opinions of but was fortunate to get the chance to see myself. Montreal, here I am.

The journey

It was a long drive, that is all it was and if anything, it felt as if I were sitting in a car that was not moving while watching paint dry. Not to say it was boring by any chance even though the greenery did help get my mind off it but, at some point, it began to feel like I was waiting for green paint to dry on a wall.

I embarked on the journey with my sister by car and it was a five-hour drive. I jammed through music and watched some soccer videos I had saved followed by inconsistent naps. We finally arrived in Quebec, the province that holds Montreal, and to my arsenal of learning something new; a different language. I was aware that French, along with English, was the official language of Canada but having spent two years in Toronto, where French was not used as commonly as English, it was a "wow, this is different" moment.

The French language

Some of the readers probably know that Montreal or any city in Quebec operates with French as the first language. This did take me back a bit because I was filled with worry that I might not be able to get around places using English but, after exploring Montreal, I learned you can get around with English comfortably however, you may notice that as you go farther, French becomes more common and English starts to disappear.

This is normal when you're in Quebec because French is a big part of their identity and their culture like how the Turkish language is a big part of Turkey and the German language is a big part of Germany. Learning the language can be challenging at times due to the grammar rules and the pronunciation of each word can be tricky for first-timers. With the help of Duolingo and a couple of my friends who speak French, I can learn the language while also trying it in real-time.

The locals here are very appreciative when they notice your efforts in practicing French and in my experience, I've learned certain expressions and more importantly, overcome the weird, hesitant feeling I had whenever I thought of using French which acted as a mental block and to remedy this, you just have to go out there and talk in French without the worry of getting laughed at(No one laughs at you for that) or being perfect at it.

After a while of speaking French without the worry of making mistakes, it no longer feels weird and the next thing you know, you're using it casually with a friend online, ordering coffee, and in other cases, to communicate with teammates in a group. A good teacher of mine once told me sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and move on and this helped me a lot to be able to talk in French comfortably.

Duolingo has been my best friend in my French learning journey but it doesn't end there. I even have friends who speak French that I can practice with and it has helped me beg comfortable having conversations in French. The government of Quebec offers a French language program for people like us that want to learn French to interact with the people here and they even pay you to take these classes.

Eventually, I had to drop those classes due to the timing never being convenient but that hasn't stopped me to continue learning French to this day.

Can you live in Montreal without knowing French?

I have been here since 2020 and I would say yes and no. Yes, you can navigate through Montreal with just English, especially in downtown areas but do keep in mind as you go farther, you'll start to see French being used more commonly.

When it comes to finding a job here in Montreal, it depends heavily on the factors of the job such as if the position requires any French but do be alert because there are many opportunities in Montreal you have access to if you happen to be bilingual with English and French.

Getting a job in Montreal as an English speaker is possible to an extent. You do have options but you are also limited to those options. It would also depend on your field of work and if it requires any French however, in the long run, learning the language will pay off in spades once you become proficient as it will open you up to many more opportunities, particularly since employers are seeking employees who speak both English and French.

My current job does not have any French requirements but I can imagine the value it would add to my qualifications when I'm finally able to speak French without the listener wondering whether I give google translate any personal space.

Final thoughts

I have been living in Montreal since 2020 and am currently in my second year being here. I would say my experience so far has been great. I met new people, made some friends, and been to attractive spots such as Old Port in Old Montreal and Mont-Royal, a mountain located in the west of Downtown Montreal. I highly recommend going to the top of Mont-Royal during the evenings, as you will get a brilliant view of downtown Montreal. The winters here get challenging but if you're able to hold on for a couple of months, you get blessed with Montreal's relaxing summer. Coming from someone who's lived in the UAE where more often it is as humid as a desert, Montreal has a good balance where it gets humid but not too humid in the summer. I enjoy the summer period because that is when I'm out playing soccer week in week out and going out for a walk during the evenings.

I know the French language can get complicated here sometimes and in my experience, it's no different for me but my advice is to whenever you can try to learn the basics such as saying hi, hello and I suggest memorizing the sentence; "Je ne comprends pas francais desole" meaning, "I don't understand French sorry". You can say I don't speak French but when you use the sentence I suggested, it shows the locals you don't understand but you're also trying to learn and this rubs off a good impression and avoid any mixed signals. Of course like any other city, you have your usual good people and the not-so-good people. Here in Montreal, people are nice and helpful if you can't find your way to the metro station, and as for the not-so-good people, my best tip is to avoid them at any cost, and don't give them any attention, and just walk away because it's not worth it getting into a mix-up you could avoid altogether. To wrap up my story, I'd like to say that Montreal is a good place with so many things going for it. It is also a very relaxed city, unlike Toronto where it's very congested with its busy lifestyle.

The French language on the other hand, as I mentioned earlier once you learn it, you open a door full of limitless opportunities for yourself and you'd also be able to talk to more people here and that itself helps you get more comfortable in the city. I have been enjoying my stay here and with each passing year, I've gotten even more comfortable here my French has been improving and soon I'll be able to have full-on conversations without asking the speaker to repeat himself or invade the personal space of google translate. This concludes my story on my experience in Montreal so far and I will be making more stories that follow up on this. Stay tuned and for now, I'd like to say;

" à bientôt,".