La cabane à sucre, suivie par la grève.

So I may or may not have skipped by blog-related obligations last week. No excuses, minus the fact that I was tired, perhaps? Writing is becoming increasingly difficult, as the amount required is increasing at a similar rate. Good news: I only have three weeks left in Québec (good in terms of homework! Soon enough I will be on a four-month haitus from school! yippeeeee!)

I'll do a quick description of my activities from the past week or so. Last Friday, I went to what is known as a cabane à sucre, or a sugar shack, with Guillaume, Geneviève and some of their friends. Essentially, it is a (normally) family-run restaurant in which maple syrup is the main ingredient. There isn't so much a menu as there food that they bring you, whether you want it or not, which you cover in maple syrup (l'érable) to your own taste. It is quite a lovely experience, including the sugar pie that follows the meal, a photo of which can be found just below.





After we ate, the locals were having a line-dancing event (la danse en ligne), which we happily joined in on! You have to give them credit for memorizing all those dances, because lord knows that we found it more or less impossible to grasp them. All had a great time though!

The following week has been a surprising break from the usual grind of the school week. As a result of increased fees by the Liberal Party government of Québec, certain departments at UQAM were on strike this week. Due to the combination of the strike, easter, and my usual weekly schedule, I got an impromptu week off of school! For me, this was great! I have done some homework during the week, but to be completely honest, I have used it largely to relax. I went to Leah's on Wednesday for dinner with Lauren and Morris. Wine was enjoyed! Thursday night I went out dancing, which was a lot of fun. Friday, I went to the dollar cinema and saw "It's Complicated", starring Meryl Streep, with Cameron. Afterwards, we had drinks on his balcony and had a good chat.

Oh that reminds me! We will hit by record-setting temperatures over this weekend! We hit the high-70s, low 80s F, and around 26-29C depending on the day! It was unbelievable, and I spent a large portion of my time outside in shorts and t-shirts. Hence why we had drinks on the balcony; it was just too warm to pass up! Saturday, I had a picnic in the park, and I rather enjoyed my nap in the grass. Naturally, it isn't quite as warm today, but I am on my way over to "Dans la bouche" to meet up with Fauve, my friend who now lives in Toronto, and Gabrielle and others. Ought to be great fun, as I haven't seen either of them in a long time!

I can't quite believe that I will be home in three weeks' time. On the 16th of April, about 10 days before I head home, I will have been living in Montréal was 8 months. 8 MONTHS! Goodness, how time has flown by! I have seen summer, fall, winter, and spring in Montreal. I have been to Ottawa, Québec City, Boston, and Toronto. I have tried many different foods, beers, wines, clubs, languages, and other things. I am certainly going to miss it, but I am also glad to be going home. For those of us abroad, some feel 100% in love with the places they moved to. Others, while having love being away, have had their love for home confirmed by being away. While I know that the suburbs of San Francisco may not be the most exciting place in the world, I will be happy to be back to the world that I know so well.