Report on Travel-Study
Program to Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City
March 8-17, 2007
Jennifer Nipp
Throughout
our travels in Southeastern Canada, there was an open
and comfortable theme of multiculturalism everywhere
we visited. It became obvious as soon as we stepped
off the plane in Montreal, where it appeared that
everything and everyone was bilingual! Many U.S. citizens
mistakenly think of Canada as exactly like the United
States, just colder and farther north. After this
trip, it would be impossible to make such assumptions
again.
One of our first stops was at the Pointe-a-Calliere
Archeological Museum in Montreal. Here we observed
the roots of the city of Montreal and of the nation
of Canada itself. In the beginning, Quebec was very
much French, Catholic, and conservative. This museum
served as a fascinating contrast between the past
and the vibrant mixture of cultures that comprise
present day Quebec and Canada. While in Montreal,
we visited the Royal Mount and the Oratoire St. Joseph.
These were two more intriguing glimpses into Canada’s
past, lending to an ever deepening contrast between
the past and present of Canadian culture and society.
When our group arrived in Ottawa, one of our first
stops was the Canadian National Gallery. Through the
eyes of Canada’s artists, we were exposed to
the history of a nation and the growing mosaic of
its people. After our visit to the Gallery, we wandered
to the By-Ward Market, a lovely tourist trap that
we all enjoyed being trapped in. Within the Market,
a patchwork of languages, cuisines, and crafts from
around the world introduced themselves and we all
learned from our adventures there.
During our time in Ottawa, we were given two presentations
on the subject of U.S.-Canadian relations: one by
members of the U.S. Embassy staff and another by Canadian
diplomats attached to the U.S. desk at Foreign Affairs
Canada. The Canadian diplomats voiced their concerns
about making sure that the United States were not
allowed to take advantage of Canada within the scope
of our relations with them. The U.S. Embassy staff
seemed to desire to be allowed to further partake
of Canadian resources. But altogether, both groups
seemed very aware of the intentions of the other and
it appeared that both sides are politely agreeing
to disagree on a number of issues at this time.
It was a very educational experience to examine the
concerns and viewpoints of each of these different
groups on some of the same matters. Something that
I did take away from these presentations is that both
Canada and the United States are very fortunate to
have such a positive rapport with such a close neighbor
and they should work to keep this union strong. Our
extensive tour of the Canadian Parliament was one
of my favorite activities of the travel study. From
the artwork, to the architecture, to the bilingualism
of the chamber processes, one thing was clear: the
government of Canada is just as diverse as its people
and is always working toward a more even playing field
for all of its citizens.
When our group arrived at our hotel in Quebec City,
it was clear that this city would be very different
from the first two we visited. No one seemed to speak
english as a first language, (though many people graciously
switched to english for our benefit), and the people
here seemed more homogenous than it Montreal or Ottawa.
Though the people of Quebec City did appear to have
more similar backgrounds to one another, it is worth
noting that there is still a strong departure in their
cultural values from just a few decades ago to now.
Here we were given a presentation at the Ministry
of Foreign Relations and a tour of Quebec Parliament.
During our meeting with Mr. Godbout, we learned how
Quebec was working to protect its culture and the
cultures of the many different immigrant groups within
Quebec.
Throughout our tour of the Quebec Parliament, we were
shown how the Quebecoise have tried to honor the different
cultures that have built their society. Our group
was given a fairly comprehensive walking tour of the
city of Quebec, concentrating on the Lower, older
area of the city. This walk, paired with our instructive
visit to the Historical Museum of Quebec really gave
us a comprehensive view of the historic evolution
of this part of the world. We were able to appreciate
how far the citizens of Quebec had come to have power
over their own government and their own lives.
Before our flight home to the much warmer winds of
northwest Tennessee, we drove through the eastern
townships and stopped at Lennoxville. Upon arriving
in Lennoxville, we were able to experience a small
pocket of Anglophone life in a Francophone section
of Canada. We stopped at Bishop’s University
and were given a tour of the campus and a little insight
into the differences between the private university
system in Canada and the public university system
in the United States. While in Lennoxville, we also
visited the Lion’s Inn and were able to observe
the day to day operations of a small business in Canada.
Throughout this travel study to the southeastern area
of Canada, I was able to experience the history and
the present day lives of its inhabitants in very rich
and meaningful ways. I had the opportunity to learn
of the rather homogeneous history of the place and
marvel at its astounding growth into a multicultural
urbanized society that respects the varied backgrounds
of its citizens. When our plane arrived in Nashville,
my ears were confused to here english everywhere and
all spoken with the same southern accent! Since my
travels in Canada, I will never again make the mistake
of thinking of Canada as the United State’s
colder twin and will try to encourage everyone I meet
to make the same journey and see this charismatic
country for themselves.
