After nearly a million years/miles on the road (okay, it was only 8 hours or so), we arrived at the New Residence Hall at McGill University, our home away from home for the next few days. We met Chuck (more on him tomorrow), got our kiddos assigned to their rooms with little to-do, and marched off (in a bus, driven by Brian… more on him tomorrow, too) to Vieux Montreal and a little bistro called Papillion. The food was cooked prepared by these guys:
Chicken, pasta, pretty standard fare, and a fine chocolate mousse for dessert. But, in truth, today was about the drive, meeting new friends, and learning a little about Montreal. For instance, as we drove up boulevard Saint-Laurent, the road which divides East and West Montreal, our guide Chuck informed us that we were literally driving through history. Because new communities formed by settling further and further up from the old port, up toward Mont Royal (more on that tomorrow, too), we could make some observations about the rough time frames during which immigrant communities arrived in Montreal with relation to each other. For example, because of the extremely close proximity of Montreal’s China Town to the port, we can see how early Montreal’s Chinese community began to coalesce. In fact, according to Chuck, there is currently a movement in Quebec to ensure that the contributions of the Chinese immigrants are more fully recognized. Pretty cool, really. I’ll be dragging kiddos through this neighborhood later this week, and eating some spectacularly good Vietnamese food. In French.
Anywho, we’re all exhausted. Delirium has set in for some of our kiddos (they still aren’t quite settled in… all the excitement total junk food on the bus…), and I need to sleep.
Bonne nuit,
Mark
Boerum Hill Exchange 