Their Instructors' Tales
~ Maria Desjardins ~ Leta L.-Malone ~
~ Maurice Michaud ~ Mary Lou O'Hara ~

Q-Tip Distinction
The Journal Award
...to the woman who wrote pages and pages in her journal: learned a lot of English and lost a lot of trees.
 

Being here in Halifax brings back all those good memories I have kept about Boston. Like Boston, Halifax is a city where past and present blend in harmony. Historic churches, houses and fortifications stand side by side with the modern buildings. It is impressive to find them together at the same place: universities, galleries, museums, stores, cafes and restaurant, as well as huge trees, parks and a beautifully restored waterfront which gives to Halifax a small-town atmosphere.

On the waterfront, we can visit the Historic Properties, which was the centre of Halifax's thriving sea trade from the mid-1700s until the early 20th century. The Market Mall reminds me a lot of the Quincy Market and the Fennel Hall in Boston. It offers a variety of boutiques and craft shops, as well as cafes and terraces. I could easily spend an entire day enjoying this historic part of Halifax.

One thing I didn't know is that after the Halifax explosion, on December 6, 1917, Bostonians helped Haligonians to recover from what was then the biggest human-made disaster. They sent goods to people who were in need after this catastrophe.

When I discovered Halifax, it was love at first sight ... probably because it reminded me a love of my youth...

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The Right Man for the Job
ALIFAX, N.S.—On June 30, 1997, a strange man was seen at Crystal Crescent Beach near Halifax. It so happens that this man was lying on the white sand with his harem around him. Indeed, 14 women from the province of Quebec went to Halifax to spend a whole month with this man, who in this case was Maurice Michaud.

As if that weren't enough, another woman, by the name of Ada Perrault, arrived in Halifax during the evening in order to be a part of this harem. Apparently, these 15 women are here for an immersion program in English at the Mount Saint Vincent University, and this man would be one of the instructors. MSVU had hired four instructors for this program, one being Michaud and the three others being women.

Michaud and his harem have been seen several times in downtown Halifax since their first appearance at the Crystal Crescent Beach. A witness saw them going down George Street and singing outloud Petula Clark's song, "Downtown." On July 15, another witness heard Michaud saying: "God, I love it when 15 women are following me like this!" They were on Prince Street when Michaud got carried away.

We know, from a reliable source, that Michaud has been an instructor in this immersion program since 1994. According to rumours, this man considers that being an instructor at the Mount during summer is a hobby more than a job. No wonder why!!!

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Q-Tips Faithful to Their Group Standards
he Q-Tips were really taking their immersion program seriously. They have been speaking in English since Day One, and they are very difficult to stop.

On their first morning with Maria, they established a group standard in which it is stipulated that they will always have to speak in English during their stay at MSVU. Well, these girls are really hard on themselves. Wherever the are, they speak in English. At the cafeteria, in the bookstore, in their kitchenette: you can hear them all around campus. You can even hear them at the grocery store, in the restaurants, in the bars, in fact, everywhere in Halifax. Actually, you can hear them throughout the province of Nova Scotia.

On their second weekend, a group of Q-Tips decided to go to Cape Breton Island. During the five hours it took them to drive to Cheticamp, they were using only one language: English. These six girls were so determined that they were even helping each other stretch their second language.

At their arrival to the Fraser Motel in Chéticamp, they were stunned. Everybody in this village spoke French. But these girls were really stubborn! They were still speaking English. Some of them were even disappointed to hear people speaking French! They felt like they weren't following the group standard.

Once they were in their room, a woman working at this motel came to explain how to use the television. She was speaking French. This immersion program must be really good, since these girls weren't able to understand a single word of what the woman was saying.

Even with all these people speaking French, they kept speaking English. At the restaurant, they were sitting in the middle of the dining room, where everybody could hear them. People were looking at them strangely, since they were French native speakers visiting a village where almost everyone spoke French, yet they were speaking in English. For the residents of Chéticamp, it didn't stand to reason that these girls spoke in English, especially when they heard their accent!

The next day, the girls were in Ingonish, and they went to a bar to play pool and have a beer (a Keith's, of course!). At their arrival, one of the girl suggested that they take a break for one evening and speak French, but the others were once again very stubborn, for they wanted to respect the group standard. So they rejected the proposition. However, when the bar got crowded, the girls had to resign themselves. They didn't want to be the highlight of the evening, so they decided to speak French.

It was strange for them to talk in French and to hear their colleagues speak French. Some of them even discovered that they have an accent. But we all know how talkative teachers can be. Within a few minutes, they adapted to the new situation and got involved in deep conversations.