(click on map for larger version)                                       Flags of Québec (left) and Canada (right).

Bonjour GBD!  I’m not sure if I spelled that right, or if they even say that in Québec, but at least I tried.  Anyway, today we’ve got MarilyneL here giving us the down-low on the home she loves.

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So there it is, my lovely Québec, Canada.  First of all, Québécois are known as swearers…just look at Justin Timberlake’s role in The Love Guru….:P  Well, yes, people swear a lot.  However, girls are less likely to swear, and in my opinion, it’s not really charming to hear a girl swear…it even pushes boys away…lol.  So if ever you visit Québec, people will obviously show you the basic words…well, just keep them as souvenirs, don’t use them. 

The majority of the population in Québec speaks French, including moi!  The reason for it is pretty simple…we were colonized by French settlers, even though the French lost the final fight against the British in Québec City, on the famous Plaines d’Abraham.  We still have French manners just like the 2 kisses when greeting someone, boys shake hands.  Québec City celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008..:O  A lot of French architectural vestiges hehe.

In 1969, a bill was passed that obliged every enterprise to have a French logo.  So it’s was not “The Home Depot” but “Home Dépôt” and no ” ’s” to “Tim Horton’s” –> Tim Hortons, McDonalds…etc.  I think that because of that, yes, we have kept our distinguished language but we have also pushed the other provinces away, anglophone provinces, which I think is really sad, because I looooove my Canada. 

There were 2 referendums in which Canadians voted yes or no to separate Québec from the rest of Canada! :O  And fortunately, the majority did not want to.  Therefore, a political party, le Bloc québécois, was founded and is still represented now in Ottawa (capital of Canada).

Quebec’s profile looks just like a dog, don’t you all agree? Compare with:

In Québec, we have different kinds of landscapes.  I live along the St. Lawrence River, where most people live, because of the first settlers, but also because a lot of people live a little above, in the ” Canadian Shield” (bouclier canadien…:P) and also near the Atlantic.  However, just like the rest of Canada, the north is pretty unpopulated because of the harsh temperatures…that explains why our population is that small compared to our total superficy.  We are bordered by the US and anglophones provinces which make Québec a bilingual province.  I would say that a generation above mine or two are.  My parents’….not a lot more than on/off,  yes/no, toaster..hehe.  Our biggest cities such as Montréal and Québec City host an amazing cultural diversity and inevitably, languages.  We are also known for our unique accent…which the French find really funny…which makes the French not entirely understand what we are saying…sometimes a French/French dictionary would be useful. 

In the 20’s up to the early 60’s, women would normally have at least 5 kids…up to 14, 15…yeah a lot.  Then, women started working and religion became less and less practiced, there was contraception, etc., so the family sized reduced to 1 or 2 children.  Now, I have noticed a significant rise in pregnant women.  Yay!  Our demography scale looks like an inverse triangle..which is bad…now, with all those cutie babies, it’s all about to change. 

Right now, I would say that women are really confident, know their potential and have ambitions.  The laws also help women to be seen and valued as would men.  Companies or college programs have sometimes to respect a certain men/women ratio also regarding salaries and work conditions.

Random Information:

Popular Places: Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Québec City, Lac-St-Jean (blueberries), Gaspé (the Roché Percé, whales), Les Laurentides, and a lot more

Unpopular places:  Rimouski (ski-doo hehe), Shawinigan, Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade (ice fishing), NICOLET (me) hehe

Food:

• POUTINE! (hehe): a mix of French fries, cheese (in Québec called: le fromage en crotte or le fromage en grain, don’t try it with rasped cheese..) and a brown sauce.  Yummy!

• Maple syrup!

• Sweet Corn (yellow and white)

We loooove ice hockey and our famous Montreal Canadiens (100th anniversary…I can smell the Stanley Cup!)!  lol.  And I say “our” …it really is…all of Québec supports them or almost..:P And I play hockey on an all-girls team!  YAY! 

Right now, it’s -35° C which means about -30 °F.  Haha.  Brrrrrr.

So I send you all a very warm welcome, summer as winter to have a bite into the Québécoise culture.   It would be awesome to have a GbD event here!  *cough* 

MarilyneL

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Duuuuuuude…all I have to say is POUTINE!!!!  Viva la poutine!  I’ve never tried it, but it is now on my Must Try Before I Die list.  Thanks MarilyneL!

And next week, we’re going to have our first intro ever to a hometown from the States!  Emily C is going to tell us all about Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Whoohoo!