Så har vi kommit till den sista delen av intervjun med Farees och Vincent. Den handlar om Kanada och deras relation till, och tankar om, andra länder :)

28. What do you think about Sweden?

Vincent Mai (VM): Is it a trap question? :D

I loved Sweden. During my 8 months there I travelled a lot around the country, went in Stockholm and Göteborg but also in Jonköping and camping on the west shore. It is a very beautiful country.

I also really appreciated the way of seeing things the Swedes I met had. Everything seemed cool. You live to enjoy life and so should you. On the other hand, I have to admit it was very demanding to meet new Swedes, as they seemed to be, in general, quite shy towards international people. I still managed to become really good friend with some of them though :)

The traditions and monuments there are in Sweden are also amazing. I mean, here in Canada, we have 400 years of history and that’s not a lot. In Sweden, you can feel everyday the presence of all those things that we miss: old castles, churches, but also traditionnal celebrations (Valborg or midsummer) and small historical details (Lund’s university courses always started 15 minutes after the official time).

Farees Nathoo: (FN):  I’m actually the founding member of the Former Swedish Exchange Students Grieving Club.  I can’t wait to go back! Here’s a sense of charm to Lund, as well as Stockholm, Göteborg, Helsingborg, and all Swedish cities that is incredibly charming.  From winding little streets to some nice strong coffee, I loved every moment of the 6 months I spent in Sweden. 

29. What do you want to bring from Sweden to Canada? What did you miss in Canada when you lived in Sweden?

Vincent Mai (VM): Marabou! Gravad Lax! Knäckebröd! Fisk! Köttbullar! I really liked Swedish food and I actually start to miss it!

What I missed more from Canada? Poutine. But it was only in the first semester: when I came back to Montréal for Christmas holidays, I brought back several packs of poutine sauce in powder: I finally could eat poutine in Sweden (and so did all my international friends).

Yeah, you might have noticed, I like to eat good food :)

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I might be here a while… listing only food. Daim, Zoégas Kaffe, Knäckebröd, Köttbullar, Kannenbular, kardumumbullar, pytt I panna, and of course mintu ;).  Cycling, amazing sense of style and dress, and Swedish language are all things I wish I could bring back and make part of Canada. 

I missed Canadian beer and sushi!  Both are readily available and super inexpensive in Canada, and that’s definitely not the case in Sweden haha.

30. What is it like being the neighbor of the US? Is Canada affected a lot by the US?

Vincent Mai (VM): Hahaha, well, you know, we live with it. No, I’m kidding, US are actually (and without surprise) our biggest trade partners and we rather have them as neighbours than a lot of other countries. However, sometimes, we don’t really understand what those guys have in the head. But as they are the most powerful country in the world, we make sure not to upset them!

They really affect us, mostly in their economic situations (we usually are the first hit) and international affairs decisions (we usually have no choice – or do we? Anyway, that’s what the Conservative government seems to think – but to copy them everytime). That’s why we follow american politics nearly as much as ours!

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Nearly 95% of our trade is with the USA, and we watch/listen to/read a lot of American produced material.  We have funny jokes about each other, but at the end of the day our relationship is friendly and they have a huge influence on our politics and lifestyle. 

31. What do Canadians think of Americans? Are there a lot of jokes about them (like Swedes joke about Norwegians)?

Vincent Mai (VM): It’s not really like Swedes and Norwegians because we’ve been separated for a really longer time and actually we’ve even been in war in our early ages. But yes, we make a lot of fun about them, mostly about the weight, their dependance over guns and their totally stupid TV-Shows (would I be talking about American politics here?).

But it’s alright, I know for a fact they also make fun of us!

Farees Nathoo: (FN): What do you call a sophisticated American? A Canadian! Haha, in all fairness, it’s ambivalent and we don’t dislike each other at all.

…except when it comes to hockey. 

32. Which countries in particular does Canada have a good relationship with?

Vincent Mai (VM): USA of course, but also UK and all the Commonwealth countries. That’s for the English-speaking part. In Québec, mostly with France, Belgium, and somewhat with the french speaking african countries!

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Vincent got them all!

33. What are the stereotypes of Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): When we speak english, it seems we say “Hey” after every sentence and we say “about” in a strange way. I don’t know, I usually don’t speak English!

Otherwise, the stereotypical Canadian is whether the guy living with domesticated grizzlys in igloos, or the mounted police officer saying sorry. The “sorry” thing is true though, even in Québec we are always excusing ourselves, and I only noticed so when I was in Sweden :D

Farees Nathoo: (FN): We’re told we say "eh" and "sorry" all the time, and say "about" weird.  We also apparently have winter year around and live in igloos. 

Please excuse me while I have my evening dose of maple syrup and poutine….

34. Where do Canadians usually go on vacation?

Vincent Mai (VM): Whether in the US (New-York, Boston, Washington for eastern Canadians) or at Cuba! Yep. Some people need heat during winter! Actually there are a lot of resorts in Cuba that are only made for Canadian tourists. It’s a little troubling. I’ve never been there.

Farees Nathoo: (FN):  Cuba is definitely a big one!  There are places there that will actually take Canadian money.  Florida is also a big one, people often call Canadians who spend winter in Florida, snowbirds!

35. What do you think that others think of Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): I think that most people like Canadians and, except in Scandinavia where life is also very nice, I heard a lot of people wishing they could live here. I’m actually considering myself very lucky!
What do you think about Canada?

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I hope that others see us as a progressive country that is respectful of culture, the environment and the global community.  I was told in Sweden that we’re almost like a European country in North America, and I think that’s a great description.  Sweet question Vincent, what do you all think of Canada?

Det var de det. Hoppas att ni har lärt er lika mycket som jag har! Tusen tack för alla bra frågor :)
Och tack så mycket till alla som kommenterar, det uppskattar jag verkligen! Det känns roligare när det blir lite mer av en dialog här snarare än att jag bara babblar på om en massa saker ;)

Så, vad tycker ni nu om Kanada?

Här kommer den fjärde delen av intervjun med Farees och Vincent! Den handlar om hur det är att leva i Kanada, enjoy :)

19. Why should you live in Canada? What do you appreciate most about Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): People are nice, there is a lot of space, a lot of nature,  an awesome cultural diversity, one of the highest life levels, perfect winters (cold and sunny), no major society problem, ... I’m sure it is one of the best countries in the world to live in!

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I think the balance between the lifestyle and the cultural diversity makes Canada one of the most vibrant countries in the world.  Canada is really an amazing place, with geography ranging from tundra to dessert!  I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. 

20. Why shouldn’t you live in Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): The only reason I see is because you’re an overly-convinced Québecois (as some of my friends are).

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I think you need to be quite tolerant as a Canadian, of other people’s backgrounds, traditions and practices.  Without this, the cultural diversity can be very difficult to navigate. 

21. What is life like for the young? Do students work a lot during the semesters, summers? Is it easy to get a job?

Vincent Mai (VM): It is totally possible to get a job. Most students do work during summers, and a lot also do during semesters. Even if university studies are not as expensive as in the US (and especially in Québec where we only pay 2600$/year), most of us need to work to get enough money to study. It is considered normal that parents let their children pay everything once they’re out of home, and therefore most of the students coming from out of Montréal must also pay accomodation and food by themselves. No choice but to work!

Farees Nathoo: (FN):  Almost everyone finds a summer job here, it’s a type of rite of passage! Some will work during the school year, and it is pretty easy to find a good student job. 

22. What kind of charity work do people do?

Vincent Mai (VM): Canada gives a lot of money when other countries get catastrophies. For example, we just sent several millions to the Philippines.

As charity work is concerned, it’s not as popular as it might be in Sweden, especially for local actions. At least, as I can tell from my experience. I guess we prefer buying our good conscience with money than to work by ourselves? Still, some of my friends went in Africa to help building a well, but I think it was at least as much for the trip than for the charity work :P

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I think I have a bit of a different answer than Vincent here, probably because Ottawa as the capital city has bigger concentration of national charities.  I think it’s quite common to volunteer with an international development organization or NGO, or with a local charity such as a homeless shelter. 

23. Do people usually study at university? Is it common to, for example, go backpacking before studying at university?

Vincent Mai (VM): Not as much as in Sweden, but yes, there is a high proportion of people going to university. Once again, it depends in which province you live, though. In Québec, I know it is around 10% of the population that has a bachelor degree or more.

It is well seen to travel during your studies (as an exchange student, for example), but I’ve never met a Canadian backpacking before going to university. It’s not like Australians.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): For the generations growing up, university or some type of postsecondary education is almost essential.  Backpacking or travelling here is less common, but it is slowly starting to catch on!

24. Which is the national sport? Do most of the people practice sports?

Vincent Mai (VM): Strangely enough, our official national sport is la crosse, a sport I’ve never seen played and never heard about. However, the real national sport is ice hockey. We are also good in curling, although no one really cares in here neither. It just gives us two gold medals every winter Olympic Games :D

People do practice sports quite a lot, whether it’s going to the gym or playing hockey, skiing, paddling (we’re good at this too!) or playing soccer. We also play Canadian football, that is very similar to American football.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Lacrosse is the national sport, but not overwhelmingly popular.  The two most played sports here are hockey and soccer, and if Canadians don’t play one these two, they will often ski or go to the gym! We’re also quite famous for our speed skaters and kayak/canoeing athletes. 

25. What do people do on their spare time?

Vincent Mai (VM): Hum, a lot of things and nothing in particular :P I don’t know, play music, watch movies, play videogames, see the family... During winter, snowball fights and outdoor hockey.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): This is a bit of a tough question, we do much of what you do! It’s all up to what you’re interested in. 

26. Do you celebrate advent in Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): I’m not sure about what is advent (I think it is a religious celebation), but I guess it means no? Or maybe it is just my family who does not. I say I’ll refer you to Farees’ answer :D

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Haha, he passed off a question all the way from Montreal to Ottawa.  I think you mean the Advent season prior to the Christmas.  This is definitely celebrated in churches but doesn’t have a massive public presence.

If you mean the advent of spring, we celebrate this by shedding off our parkas, starting to walk to work instead of skiing or skating, and general being less miserable under the mountains of snow.  Just kidding… maybe.

27. Is it easy to find apartments? Is it expensive?

Vincent Mai (VM): All I know about the subject is in Montréal, but here it is quite easy. That’s not like in Lund! You usually can find a good apartment in two or three days of searching, for between 300 and 500$ a month (1900-3200 kr).

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Finding apartments in Ottawa is a little tougher because the city is bigger and there are 2 fairly big universities in the city centre.  Rent here usually starts at $500, and can go up to 800.  3200 to 5000 SEK)

Spännande att veta om ni tar er igenom intervjudelarna ;) Jag kanske har blivit så Kanadablind att det mest är intressant för mig att lära mig mer landet. Killarna är oavsett nyfikna på att höra vad ni tycker om intervjun, så lämna gärna en kommentar eller skriv till mig om ni känner för det :) 

Några små vita korn singlar ner från himlen utanför mitt fönster. Helt plötsligt är marken täckt av ett litet tunt, vitt lager. Den första snön har lagt sig!

Tur då att jag var på stan en sväng idag och inhandlade mössa och halsduk. Självklart fanns en tomte på plats i köpcentret som jag var inne i.

I torsdags var det Vin et fromage kväll i skolan. För 15 dollar var det öppen vin- och ostbar och det fanns mycket gott att välja på. En riktig lyckokväll för alla fransmän som saknar sitt vin och sin ost (det finns ju här, men det är väldigt mycket dyrare än i Frankrike). Och vi svenskar njöt också av godsakerna såklart. 

Igår kväll var jag och Coralie på bio, Hunger Games 2. Efter att vi hade köpt biljett ur en klassisk biolucka inne i ett köpcenter kom vi in till biosalongen och fick välja plats helt själv. Här jobbar dom tydligen inte med numrerade platser. Coralie upplyste mig om att man inte gör det i Frankrike heller. Hursomhelst, filmen var bra och till min stora lättnad var den inte dubbad (tydligen dubbas vissa filmer även här). Engelskan var som ljuv musik i mina öron! 

Idag saknar jag faktiskt Lund lite. Finn vann med 6-5 i sudden death mot våra stora rivaler Kävlinge och så är/var det Finnfest ikväll. Shit vad jag saknar att spela innebandy!! Dessutom har korridoren varit med i en pepparkakshustävling och är på fest på Vgs. Men men, min kväll är inte fy skam heller, strax ska jag iväg och spela FIFA hemma hos Miguel! 

Igår kunde jag säga hejdå till ytterligare två grupparbeten, såå gött! Vi hade inlämning i kursen Gestion de projets (Management of projects) och sedan redovisning i kursen som översatt heter Management of research-developement and innovation. Där gick arbetet ut på att göra en teknologisk strategi för Tesla Motors. Det var en 30 minuter lång redovisning (det är nog den längsta jag har haft) men vi var 6 st, så mitt framträdande var ca 5 min. Det gick bra för hela gruppen och jag har en fransk kompis i kursen som lyssnade och han sa att jag pratade bra och hade bra flyt, så det kändes bra :) 

Här har ni Teslagruppen i ett av caféerna på skolan: Martial, Patricia, Loic, Vincent och Paul . Killarna är fransmän och Patricia är tyska (hon har ju funnits med här i bloggen tidigare). 

I den kursen fick vi också tillbaka vår individuella inlämningsuppgift som för mig innebar blod, svett och tårar för några veckor sedan när jag sov typ 8 h på tre nätter. Jag fick iallafall 23,25 poäng av 30, vilket var över medelvärdet, så det var gött. Dock var det lite fusk, för jag gjorde den på engelska. Jag kunde inte motstå det när jag fick erbjudandet. Det var ju trots allt 13 sidor. Men all info var ju på franska, så det var väl halvfusk :p Men det är faktiskt det enda jag har gjort på engelska under denna terminen. 

Nu återstår ett sista ryck med gruppinlämningar. Nästa vecka ska två st à 25 sidor in på onsdag respektive fredag. Den ena gruppen gör mig galen! Folk gör inget. Vi säger varje gång att "nu gör vi detta till nästa gång", men det är alltid två stycken som inte har gjort något. Dom skjuter upp gruppmöten för att "hinna göra det vi skulle ha gjort", men sedan när vi väl ses har dom inte gjort det. Jag har försökt att styra upp det och göra så att vi iallafall gör relevanta saker ihop när vi väl har möte, men det är svårt på franska och när man uppenbarligen inte har samma åsikt om vad som är viktigt i ett grupparbete. I dom lägena saknar jag verkligen mina forna gruppmedlemmer hemma i Lund!! 

Efter nästa fredag så börjar tentaperioden, sjukt att terminen börjar närma sig sitt slut... 

Jag ger er här del 3 av 5 av intervjun med Vincent och Farees! Den här delen handlar om den kanadensiska politiken. 

15. What is the political system like? Does it resemble the US where all the states have some authority or are the different Canadian regions more united?

Vincent Mai (VM): Yes, actually, it is not called States but Provinces and Territories. Canada has 10 provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador (all together), and Nova Scotia. There also are 3 territories, that are in the North: Yukon, North-West Territories and Nunavut.

Over all the responsabilities a “central” government would have, half of it is under federal juridiction and half is under provincial juridiction. For example, Canada is responsible for international relations, peace, order, criminal law, civil rights (except in Québec), whereas provinces are responsible for education, healthcare (with federal fundings), natural ressources... Then, immigration and agriculture are shared by both.

The territories are very lowly populated and thus are mostly governed by the federal government.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): The federal government is based on the British system of Westminster democracy.  The federal government holds some key responsibilities and delegates the others to the provinces.  The key difference between the American system and the Canadian is that the Prime Minister needs the consent of the majority of the legislature for a policy to pass, and that residual powers are given to the federal government as opposed to the provincial government. 

16. Which are the biggest political parties and which one rules now? Are there a lot of differences between the parties?

Vincent Mai (VM): As I told you just before, there are two levels of government and both of them are as important. But as I don’t want to enumerate the provincial ones, let’s stay on the federal level. There are three main parties: the Conservatives (CPC), the Liberals (LPC) and the Neo-Democrats (NDP). The Conservatives are really right-handed and led by Stephen Harper (from Alberta). They have been governing for 9 years now and have the majority at the Parliament. The Liberals are now led by Justin Trudeau (from Québec, son of P-E Trudeau, ex Prime Minister) and have gone through some hard times last years. Before the CPC era, they were the “natural governing party”. In simple, they are centered, mostly right-handed economically and left-handed socially. The NDP is left handed and is now the official opposition party. They are led by Thomas Mulcair (from Québec). All the parties are federalist. It is important to say so because, before, there was the Bloc Québecois, a nationalist party that only took into cosideration Québec’s interests, and that was quite powerful due to a strong popularity in Québec. However on the last elections, they got swept by the NDP in Québec.         

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Ditto what Vincent has said here, it is interesting to note that federal politics still faces regional challenges, and certain regions historically vote for certain parties (ex. Ontario > Liberal; Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba > Conservative etc.)

17. Did you notice the economical crisis in 2008-2009 a lot here in Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): To be fair, not really. If there is a good thing the conservatives at the federal government did, that’s managing the crisis. Canada is, I think, the economically advanced country that suffered the least from the crisis and the only one in the G8 not to get into recession.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): It was a big issue in the media, but I feel that the Conservatives managed the crisis quite well, and our banks were much more strictly governed, keeping us safe from the type of crash that the American banks experienced.

18. If you got to rule the country for one day, what would be the first thing you would change?

Vincent Mai (VM): I would change most of the things the Conservatives did. Give a voice to the scientists again, stop encouraging the oil sands exploitation, stop following USA in everything they do internationally, put back the firearm registry, and put back all the art masterpieces that have been taken out of every Canadian embassy in the world to be replaced by the English Queen’s portrait. Yeah, I know, you asked for the first thing, but I would do them all at the same time, on one single day, if it was necessary :)

Farees Nathoo: (FN): I’m also not the biggest fan of the Conservatives so this is a bit of a tough question! I’d say that I would start paying membership dues and participating actively in the United Nations once more.  This used to be a massive Canadian commitment but has definitely dropped off in under the current gov’t. 

Hoppas att ni tycker att det är lika intressant som jag! 

Trevlig helg allihopa, kul att ni kikar in här och läser :) 

Många frågar hur det egentligen går med franskan. Det finns inget lätt svar på den frågan :P Det är alltid svårt att känna/märka en utveckling när man är mitt i den, men jag har absolut bättre flyt i tal och skrift nu, och man har lärt sig många ord och vardagsuttryck. Däremot så har jag ju inte studerat franska medans jag varit här, så jag gör ju fortfarande en del grammatiska fel osv. Eftersom jag pratar ganska snabbt på svenska så har jag svårt för att prata väldigt långsamt på franska och hinna tänka igenom grammatik osv, så därför pratar jag lite fortare och märker själv att gör jag vissa fel ibland. Men jag kan absolut ha vanliga samtal utan problem och så länge jag inte är i en väldigt detaljerad diskussion så kan jag nog alltid få fram vad jag vill säga. Jag kan göra mig förstådd med det mesta jag vill säga. Sedan har väl förmodligen mitt uttal förbättrats, som tur är så umgås jag ju mest med folk som pratar fransk-franska och inte quebeckisk franska.

Det som fortfarande är svårast är att resonera på franska och att sitta i en större grupp med bara fransmän. Om man har en väldigt specifik fråga kring något kan det vara svårt att få andra att förstå den, och om man sitter i ett grupparbete och ska resonera kring något så kan det vara svårt på franska. Ibland när man har en dålig franskdag så kan man känna sig så oerhört trög, och ibland börjar jag nästa ifrågsätta om jag kan någoting om något alls. Ibland känner man sig som person lika trög som man ibland låter när man ska försöka säga något svårt på franska.

Jag tror att det är väldigt lätt att tänka att någon inte är så kunnig för att den inte kan språket, så har säkert många tänkt om mig här ibland och även jag själv om andra. Det är oerhört lätt att undermedvetet bland ihop det där. Nu när jag varit på "andra sidan" har jag fått en ny respekt för människor som inte kan ett språk klockrent, det betyder absolut inte att man inte kan något. Det är något som ni alla kan försöka tänka på, inklusive jag själv.

MEN något som gjorde mig glad igår var att Andi sa att han hade pratat med en fransman som lyssnade på min redovisning i fredags och den fransmannan sa att jag pratade jättebra franska och att jag var bäst av alla icke-fransktalig bytisar som redovisat i den kursen (i den kursen är vi några stycken faktiskt). Så det är ju något att ta med sig när man ibland känner att franskan går åt pipan :)

En bild på Montreal som Malin tagit. Den har egentligen inte alls något att göra med det jag skrivit om. Förutom att man pratar franska i Montreal då ;)

Andra delen av intervjun:

10. Which are the most important traditions in Canada?

Vincent Mai (VM): Watching hockey games! We say here that hockey is a religion.

Then you have the Canadian Thanksgiving, but it’s mostly in the English speaking part. In Québec we are celebrating the national day, St-Jean Baptiste, on June 24^th. Everybody goes in the streets, we sing songs, drink beer, watch live concerts... If you want to celebrate Canada Day, you have to go in Ontario. Nothing is happening on July 1^st in Québec :D

Then there are festivals during summer, like Montréal Jazz fest (the biggest in the world), Festival  d’été de Québec (a lot of big bands), HeavyMtl (two days of heavy metal), Osheaga (two days of alternative rock) or Piknik Electronik (electronic music every Sunday on a huge island).

Farees Nathoo: (FN):  Thanksgiving is definitely a big one… mmm…. turkey….  Apart from that, Canada day is massive in Ottawa! There are over a million people drinking and partying in the streets while eating good food and listening to music, it’s definitely a crazy party!

Saturday Night hockey is a tradition for sure, you watch with your parents as a little kid, then as you grow you eventually start watching in pubs and if you’re lucky, at the arena! You’re likely to find most university students in a pub around 19:30 on Saturday nights!

11. What is typical Canadian food?

Vincent Mai (VM): Maple syrup. And poutine! Poutine... it’s the best. You take french fries, add some fresh cheese and pour with gravy sauce so it just starts melting when you eat it. If you’re a gourmet, you can add onions, bacon, bell peppers, tomatoes, sausages, or even go exotic and add guacamole and sour creme.  It’s just the best! (Oh, and, even if you can now find it all around Canada, it’s been invented... in Québec! Take that, Farees! ;) )

You also have in Québec a lot of traditionnal food from the «sugar house» where people make maple syrup. Usually, it’s a lot of potatoes, grounded meat and salted pork – everything accompanied by maple syrup. Enough calories to go cut wood all day at -30 degrees!

There is also a meal that has a lot of history in its name. It’s called pâté chinois (similar to a cottage pie). In French, it means Chinese pie. It’s not called like this because it’s been invented in China, no. But because it’s been invented by the Chinese workers who worked on building the railways all over Canada! It is basically made with mashed potatoes, grounded meat and corn.

Ha, now that I think bout it, corn also has a nice name in French Canadian. French from France would call it maïs, but we say blé d’Inde, which means Indian Wheat, as the first settlers coming here thought they were in India and it was the first time they saw corn!

We also have very good beers, with a lot of fantastic micro-breweries, awesome local beers as Unibroue’s La Fin Du Monde (personal favourite) and some worldwide brands like Molson.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Beer! Particularly Quebecois beer, Vincent knows I’m partial to La Fin Du Monde as well.  

I think the food of Canada is the food of the world, everyone here is an immigrant at some point in their ancestry, and the food from their countries of origin is a big part of the food culture here.  There is a joke in Toronto that says that if someone asks where they can find food from a certain place, there’s probably a metro stop that has a big community from that country!

12. What is a typical family? How many kids? Are there a lot of divorces? Do people usually marry at a young age or when they’re a little bit older?

Vincent Mai (VM): I’d say it’s mostly like in all “advanced” countries. A lot of divorces, one or two kids, sometimes three (some exceptions: a friend of mine has 7 brothers...), marrying age already high and getting higher.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): The national average number of kids is 1.5, and the family unit is pretty much the same as most developed countries.  Marrying age is definitely getting higher and is probably now in the late 20s. 

13. When people hang out, do they usually do it at home or in restaurants/bars?

Vincent Mai (VM): Even if it’s not free, restaurants and bars are a lot cheaper than what I experienced in Sweden! So we usually hang out in restaurants/bars. Sometimes, we party at home, but I’d say I go to the restaurant or the bar 2 or 3 times a week.

Farees Nathoo: (FN): Good pubs and restaurants are definitely the places we spend most of our time.  Most of us have our favourite restos or pubs, and I’d say I’m out at one of those at least 3 times a week with some of my friends. 

14. At what age do you start school and when do you finish? What is the grade system like?

Vincent Mai (VM): Education is a provincial responsability (again!) and thus it depends in which province you live in. In Québec, most people start school at 5 years old. Then you get to high school around 12 and to college (it’s mandatory before going to University) around 17. If you had a “normal” cursus, you start University around 19.

At school, grades are often on 100. To pass, you need 50% or 60%. At university (mine at least), you are still graded on 100 at the exams but then they give you a mark between E (0) and A (4) depending on your position in the class. You usually need a D to pass but an average of C (2) to be able to continue your studies.

Farees Nathoo: (FN):  Postsecondary education begins around the age of 18 a bachelor degree typically takes 4 years.  The grading system at the University of Ottawa uses percentage to score assignments, which is then converted into a letter grade (A being the highest and N/A being a fail). 

Tredje delen av intervjun kommer inom sinom tid ;)

Efter lite skolkande lyckades jag iallafall se matchen på en bar igår. Vi var i kvarteret little Portugal passande nog.

Jag och Erik var de enda i gula Zlatan-tröjor och omgavs av gapande och skrålande portugiser.

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Vilken andra halvlek det ändå blev, vi slets mellan hopp och förtvivlan. Det var riktigt surt att behöva ha alla portugiser gapande runt sig när Ronaldo satte det sista målet. Fan!

Efter match pallade vi inte riktigt vara kvar utan gick till andra rummet där Frankrikes match sändes. Dom gick ju tillslut vidare till många fransmäns glädje. Kul för dom.