It looks like winter is truly about to begin now! On Tuesday, my school was closed because of a snow storm.
Whilst you read this time, put on Pantera Arctic Cat Triple 800 by Québec Redneck Bluegrass Project: it’s about how much a guy loves his Ski-Doo… We’ll start off with a little bit about winter and then I’ll give you a bit of year abroad advice!
What is winter like in Quebec?
From the moment that I decided to apply for the British Council assistantship in Quebec, the topic of the Canadian winter has come up in a lot of conversations. For those of you that don’t know, the winters in Canada are harsh and the eastside has a reputation for taking that stereotypical Canadian winter to the next level…
So what are the temperatures like and how much snow can there be?
Rumour has it that temperatures can drop to -30 degrees Celsius and that -4 is tropical here. Some of the students seem to think that there can be up to 6 metres of snow, too. Fun!
How long does the winter last?
When our first snow came, I sent a picture to my friends in Nottingham. One of them very humorously replied with “Take note of what grass looks like Karolina because you won’t be seeing it for the next few months!”. That comment really put things into perspective for me. However, I don’t find the concept of such an intense winter daunting. From what I’ve heard, people here really “love” the winters. They go outside and take part in many activities. In Quebec City, there’s even a music festival that takes place in the snow. More locally, in La Pocatiere, I’ll be taking part in what one of the English teachers coined as my first “winter sport” in Quebec, otherwise known as snow shovelling… who needs a gym membership after that kind of workout? I’ve also been invited to go ice-fishing with one of the other English teachers! Didn’t think I’d ever be excited about sitting around a hole on a frozen lake…
How have I prepared for the winter?
Currently, my secondary 1 students are working on a project where they are compiling together advice for me on how to survive the winter here in Quebec. I’ve already changed the tyres on my car from summer to winter ones, I’ve bought snow boots and I’ve sourced a winter coat. Am I forgetting anything? I guess I’ll find out when I get the check list from my students!
How to cope with being away from family and friends?
Now, as the winter is long and snow storms could mean school closure and more days off for me, I wanted to give you a bit of advice on how I cope with not seeing my friends or family. I think the most important thing I’d like to mention is that if you do feel like you are missing people from home, then mention it to someone! They will for sure make you feel better, especially as people here are super accommodating. When I was struggling at the start and mentioned it to a teacher at school, she immediately invited me for dinner round her house every Tuesday. The other reason for this was that she was also concerned about my lack of cooking skills, but that’s all in the past. Maple syrup dumplings anyone? Jambalaya? Poke bowl? These are just some of the tasty dishes she’s taught me! It was really lovely to spend time with her family because sometimes you just miss the small things like watching TV with other people!
To finish…
Winter is here. The snow has arrived. I propose we all make a hot chocolate toast to me making it into school everyday without slipping on the ice in front of my students (we got very close to that last week…). Cheers!