Having worked at Sanofi Pasteur both in Pennsylvania and Paris, the differences relative to Canadian corporate culture were especially apparent. Canadians are generally less high-pressure and more easy-going than their American counterparts. If the atmosphere within the American part of the organization was a bit aggressive and cut-throat, I found it to be generally more humane in Canada. My points of contact at the Human Resources Department were especially supportive and made sure that I was taken care of both on a personal and professional level during my stay. I must say, that Canadians are generally very kind to the point that if you bump into someone in the street, they are likely to apologize before you even realize what you have done.
Saturday, November 19
I was a bit disappointed by the city of Toronto. When one of the top ten things to do in a city is to go visit the mall, you know you are in trouble. Toronto is an enormous and primarily industrial city. People live in Toronto to work; and I could not argue as I was there for that very purpose.
Sunday, November 20
Determined to get something out of my stay, I took a tour bus to Niagara Falls, which is only an hour out of Toronto. Oddly enough, my tour guide was from Israel and the three other people on the bus were from Iran. Representing the United States, we were the perfect geopolitical “don’t”! I suppose Canada represented a neutral territory for all of us! In any case, we had a great time. Once we got to the falls, the bus driver dropped us off so that we could a get closer look and take pictures. What a spectacular experience! I actually think that the falls are more greatly appreciated from the Canadian side of the boarder, because you have a better view. As winter was approaching, the water was a deep blue green. It is incredible to see such a large volume of water just falling off a cliff; a bit surreal. We first experienced the falls from a viewing tower and then got close enough to touch the water. By that time, I had already made friends with the Iranians, and Mohammed was taking pictures for me. The day trip to Niagara Falls was certainly well worth it, and easily the best part of my visit to Toronto.
Friday, November 25
After work on Friday, I took the train from Toronto to Ottawa; a journey that takes about five hours. As I was buying my tickets at the station, the vendor asked for my postal code. When he realized that I lived in France, he immediately switched to French. Canada truly is bilingual and I was excited about meeting my French speaking counterparts on the North American continent. I must say that the trains were not quite as nice as the TGVs that we have in France. I had to wait in line for quite some time to even load the train because the seats were not assigned. To make matters worse, there were no fast trains, which means that there was a stop every fifteen minutes or so. Then again, I was in North America. Of course there were no fast trains; everyone who is anyone has a car!
When I got to Ottawa, I realized that I was not at the right train station in order to meet with my friend Julien who was coming from Québec. He had recently moved from Toulouse to Québec and had agreed to meet up in Ottawa for the weekend. My cell phone does not work when I am abroad, which was actually done on purpose to keep work calling me long distance. I will get an international plan when they start paying for it! Fortunately, I had scribbled Julien’s number on a piece of paper. I called him from a pay phone and left a message to let him know that I would be at the hotel.
Truth be told, Ottawa was his suggestion. It was not until he made the suggestion that I realized that Ottawa is actually the Federal Capital of Canada. I later learned that when Ottawa was named the Canadian capital, Americans made jokes saying that it was a strategic decision, because in times of war no one will be able to find it! Ottawa is a bit in the middle of nowhere. However, located on the border of Ontario and Québec, it is said to be the marriage of the Anglo-Saxon and French cultures that account for the Occidental portion of Canada’s heritage.
Back at the hotel, I was starting to worry that Julien had not received my message, but he came just in time for me to hit the hay!
Saturday, November 26
Our first stop on Saturday morning was breakfast! It was fun to for me to watch a Frenchman eat French toast. Despite the name, the concept does not really exist in France. Nevertheless, he loved it. When he asked how it was made, I explained that you dip toast in egg and put it on a frying pan. He determined that it was sheer genius. 
As Ottawa is the Canadian capital, we headed over to the Parliament building; Canada’s equivalent of the White House. The building itself is made of stone and really quite stunning. Canada has a bit more of a European flair that can be seen not only in its architecture, but also in way people dress. I was a bit surprised to find that although Canadians have not been on this continent any longer than us Americans, they have a sense of history that is more strongly felt than in the United States; even on our east coast.
Just in front of the building’s enormous Peace Tower, a large stone clock tower reminiscent of London’s Big Ben, was an eternal flame that floated on top of a pool of bubbling water. The water spilled over the thirteen symbols that represent Canada’s ten provinces and three territories.
As we got inside, I could not believe that the guided visit was actually free. We first went to the top of the Peace Tower where we had an excellent view of the city and then proceeded to the rooms of the Senate and the House of Commons. The center block of the building was destroyed by fire on 3 February 1916. Despite the ongoing First World War, the original cornerstone was re-laid by Governor General Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, on September 1, 1916; exactly fifty-six years after his brother, King Edward VII, had first set it. Eleven years later the new tower was completed and dedicated as the Peace Tower in commemoration of the Canadians who had lost their lives during the war. From there we went to the historical library. The library is the only part of the building that was not damaged from the fire and it is certainly outshines the other rooms in beauty. Upon entering, Julien and I had the same thought; it was the perfect marriage of French and English décor. It was striking to see how these two cultures had come together and made a poignant statement in light of the conflict that has divided these peoples both in the new world and the old. 
As we walked out of the library, the guide pointed out that the symbol of each Canadian Governor General appeared in the stain glass panes that formed the ceiling above us. As they eventually ran out of space, the last pane to be added was marked “Quelq’un” which means “Someone” in French AND is spelled incorrectly! The reason behind this is unknown, but it sure does not say much for the Governor Generals that followed!
We then walked along the river taking in the scenery and eventually crossing the bridge to Québec. Québec is the only fully French speaking province in Canada and represents the greater part of the nation’s economy. They are a French speaking island in the sea of English that is the North American continent. Historically, Québec was taken over by the British, but they have fought to hold onto their language and culture. On each of license plates the words “Je m’en souviens” are marked; a phrase that means, I remember and refers to the war with the British. If Ottawa is bilingual, Québec is French speaking. As soon as we got to the other side of the river, all of the signs were suddenly in French. It was really fun for me to be there after having learned French in France. The Québécois accent is quite different; enough so that they often mistook me for a Frenchman. There are so many facets of their makeup that come directly from France, and yet they possess the heritage and mentality of North American culture. It felt like a perfect mix of my two worlds.
We proceeded to the Museum of Civilizations where I learned quite a bit about the Inuit and Algonquin peoples of Canada. As we walked back over the river, night had already fallen and we had a beautiful view of the illuminated parliament hill and its reflection on the waters below. We tried to find a restaurant where we could find “poutine” a traditional Canadian dish, but we stumbled across a TexMex place instead and the decision was made. After dinner, we took a little walk through the city to digest, thought about going out and then decided to slip off to bed.
Sunday, November 27
The next morning, I ended up having the French toast. From the hotel, we went to the Fine Arts Gallary, which was really quite impressive.
Just across the street was the most beautiful cathedral. It reminded me so much of the old Catholic churches of Europe except that everything was new and the paint was still on the walls. The inside was spectacular. Between the colored marble, the various colored stones, the stain glass windows, and the paint; it was like something from out of the book of Revelations.
When then went past the façade of a little tin house, the remains of a house made out of tin that once stood in Ottawa. Apparently, it did not hold up well!
That night I finally got try poutine. I had been imagining something similar to tartiflette, one of my favorite French dishes, but it turned out to be the Canadian version of chili cheese fries! Needless to say, it was a bit disappointing; but at least I can say that I have tried it! By then, the time to board our trains was drawing near. We spent the last hour or so talking over coffee and catching up on old times and old friends from Toulouse.
I cannot say that I would recommend Ottawa for vacationers, but it was a great little weekend trip and what I learned about the great white north and, consequently, my own continent was truly enriching.
Wednesday, November 30
Just as I was thinking that it was shame to not have been able to spend more time in Quebec, my client asked if I would not mind implementing a French version of the training sessions in Montreal, both at the end of the week and then again in mid-January. As I write this, I am on the plane and already on my way. French speaking Canada, here I come.
To be continued…
No comments:
Post a Comment