ATHABASCA – What’s it like to spend a week living with strangers who speak a different language than you do?
That question sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen for many, but for the 15 Edwin Parr Composite (EPC) students who made the 3,550 kilometre journey to Plessiville, Que., it turns out the answer is that it’s easier than you think.
“Going into it, I expected it to be super awkward and stuff like that, but it actually kind of levelled out and it was pretty okay with everything, just going to someone’s house that you’ve never met before,” said Alama Gorski, a Grade 9 student at EPC.
The students spent seven days in Quebec, visiting Quebec City, going to volleyball games with their hosts, and getting the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture. All 15 students are in the French immersion program at EPC, which some said prepared them better than they expected for the journey.
“I thought the language barrier would make it difficult make friends on the journey but it actually wasn’t that bad. It was fun, there was no language barrier at all,” said Samia Bury, who agreed with her peers that their “twins” had worse English then they had French.
There’s a myriad of cultural differences between Alberta and Quebec, but one of the most striking changes for the students was the history. While Plessiville is “only” a few decades older than Athabasca, with the first permanent homes being set up in the 1830s, a trip to Quebec City was a highlight for many.
“It felt like it was very much built to go to a world war at any point, and Alberta is definitely not built like that,” said Gorski.
‘It was weird seeing how differently it was built.”
Joseph Seguin, another Grade 9 student, said there was some familiarity, but enough difference to remind him that he wasn’t at home.
“How everything’s built stood out; it kind of looked the same, but at the same time it was pretty different because the history is all different and so is all the culture.”
Athabasca’s students went to Quebec first, but their exchange students will be heading this way later this year for seven days of local events. The yearly exchange program gives students a chance to show off some aspects of Alberta that can be taken for granted, including Ukrainian dance, the lakes and rivers that criss-cross the north, and prairie twists on cultural foods.
All four students interviewed said they would recommend the trip to a younger student who was nervous about the possibility of travelling that far from home. As Amelia Grenier put it, everything will turn out better than expected.
“I would tell them to have faith in their French and their teachers. Everything will be all right, so go in with an open mind and just have fun.”
