Welcome to our April newsletter! In Montreal, the month of April started with an amazing first weekend and the temperature went up to 23 degrees. The last week of the month was a little bit cloudy and rainy and finally snowy! But everyone is impatiently waiting for summer to walk in the parks and have picnic parties. We can only hope that the nice weather will come back and we will all be able to enjoy Montreal’s “spring fever”.
Montreal’s public bike system, Bixi, is starting its second year and the first bike stations have already been available on the 19th of April. This alternative means of urban transport is not only the easiest, but also the healthiest way to discover Montreal. If you would like to have more information on Bixi, please see: http://montreal.bixi.com/accueil
We are really proud to announce that Ian Orti, one of our teachers, has just finished writing his second book entitled L (and things come apart). He is already the author of The Olive and the Dawn (Snare books).
Here is a little excerpt from the book: “A small flat sits unoccupied above Henry’s café. When a woman comes to rent the room, Henry’s world begins an unusual transformation. As they grow closer the city itself is affected, changed, and slowly dismantled. Unsure if he is a victim of his own senility, the chaos inches closer and Henry suspects it may have something to do with the woman upstairs and the stranger she is hiding from.”
In April, we started our activities with a movie session in the Dollarcinema. We decided to watch Olddogs, a comedy with John Travolta and Robin Williams. We watched the movie in the smallest of the three theatres of the cinema, we were very cozy as we had the theater to ourselves! On the following weekend we went to La Banquise, the most famous place in Montreal to eat the notorious Quebecois “poutine”. Maybe you are wondering what a poutine is? It is a popular Canadian fries snack with hot gravy, topped with fresh cheese curds. It was delicious! We had a very good time. Then, we went had fun playing pool. It was a great opportunity for students to get to know each other. To conclude this month, we decided on the last Friday to go bowling. It’s always nice to play bowling to end up with the week!
If you want to discover the cultural life of Montreal, the month of May offers you a lot of different events. From the 27th of May to the 12th of June the Festival Transamerique will take place with 25 dance performances and theater plays throughout Montreal. The 30th of May will also be the Montreal Museum Day. That means free entrance to 30 museums as well as free public transport during the whole day.
"When I was little it was never in my plans to live away from my home country, Egypt, especially here in Canada with its lovely winter, but as usual I changed my mind haha. All of a sudden in my first year of university thoughts of living abroad were just jumping in my head everyday. So I decided to do it and I transferred from the American University in Cairo to Concordia University in 2006, don’t ask me why but I wanted to try out new aspects of life, and I guess this was one of the most successful decisions in my life. In January 2010 I finished my bachelor’s degree in Marketing. And now I am an admin assistant here at GEOS Montreal and the Arabic representative of the Academy. Well that’s not all the story with me and GEOS. I have been a French student here since March 2008, but due to my “studies”, as if I was killing myself in studying, I was not able to continuously stay since that time. I took courses every summer which helped me tremendously in developing not only my French knowledge but in learning different cultures, thanks to GEOS now I have friends from all over the world, and I believe that’s the best experience anyone can get. So as a student and a staff member I really encourage you to take advantage of your stay at GEOS Montreal and get the best out of it. And if you ever need assistance with anything I would be very glad to help.
"Je m’appelle Ana, je suis Colombienne, Je suis arrivée à Montréal il y a 7 mois, j’aime Montréal, cette une ville multiculturelle et magique. J’ai aimé l’hiver à Montréal à cause de toutes les activités à faire, je me suis amusée. Geos pour moi est une bonne école. Je ne pouvais pas dire un mot en Français, je ne connaissais presque personne, et maintenant je parle avec tout le monde. La méthodologie est vraiment bonne. J’ai appris beaucoup avec toute le monde, parce que touts les étudiants, le staff et les professeurs sont très sympathiques. Avec l’école, j’ai trouvé mon stage et maintenant je travail dans le domaine que j’aime : le marketing.
Ana Isabel Gomez Colombienne Cours de Francais à temps plein, 30 semaines
The next English and French beginner evening classes will start on the week of May 17th. Our French evening starting dates for beginners are the same as the ones in the daytime: May 17, June 14, July 12, August 9, September 7, October 4 and November 1, 2010.
The next Japanese beginner evening classes will start on the week of May 10th. For 2010, Japanese beginner classes are set to begin on the following weeks: May 10, July 19, September 13 and November 22.
We have right now three different elective classes in English: The TOEFL, the TOEIC and IELTS preparation classes and our writing class. In French, we have a “communication francaise” class. If you are interested in taking the IELTS preparation class or any other elective class, feel free to contact us at info@geosmontreal.com.
We also offer seasonal study tours/holiday group courses that students can join individually for one or two weeks.
Furthermore you can send your own group. Please fill out the study tour analysis form that you can find on our website and we will then design a program and prepare a quote for you based on the activities and accommodations requested.
You can download our 2010 School Brochure here.If you have any questions regarding the programs or the starting dates, just send us an email by CLICKING HERE
It is a seasonal ritual in Québec. 77% of the world's supply is produced here. In early March to April, one of the most popular spring activities is to visit "sugar shacks" (Maple Syrup production facilities) across Quebec and watch maple sap being collected, boiled and converted to syrup in order to make the delicately flavored Maple Syrup everyone loves on pancakes. Maple Syrup can be used for baking, but you can also put it on your dessert or in your beer. The production of syrup ends in April… So, do not miss it!
Je m'appelle Vanessa et je viens d'Allemagne. Je vais rester sept semaines à Montréal pour améliorer mes connaissances des langues française et anglaise. En ce moment, j'ai fini mon cours de français (4 semaines avec le cours intensif) et je suis prête pour passer l'examen du DELF. Je veux le faire pour avoir un grand choix d'emploi en Allemagne et peut-être en France et en Suisse. Mais aussi la langue anglaise est très importante pour moi. Je vais faire un cours intensif d'anglais de trois semaines. L'école de langue GEOS me plait beaucoup. Depuis le début de mes études toutes les personnes ici sont très gentilles et serviables et on peut trouver une atmosphère très internationale. L'école se situe au centre-ville et comme ça on peut aller à l'extérieur pendant les pauses pour boire un café ou faire le magasinage. Si vous venez chez GEOS de Montréal, je vous propose de loger en famille d'accueil. C'est la meilleure façon pour parler la langue chaque jour! Et Montréal est une ville tellement intéressante et variée. Il y a aussi les autres curiosités comme Toronto, Québec, les chutes du Niagara ou New York qui offrent des possibilités pour s'amuser et faire de nouvelles expériences.
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