and home of "That Singing Feeling" workshops
| Home |
| Biography |
| Reviews |
| Journal |
| Recordings |
| Workshops |
| Links and Likes |
| Contact |
JOURNAL
July 2006
OH, CANADA!
You never get a sense of that until you leave the country, even a quick jaunt to Montreal, Canada, which is where I spent my summer vacation this year. Montreal is a large city, but you are not aware of impatient drivers honking their horns, or waiters rushing you the check so they can turn over the table. There is a sense of beauty and a pride in building structures meant to last--unlike the garish, ugly rectangular skyscrapers popping up in midtown Manhattan to house the young, rich and tasteless. In Montreal, the streets are clean, the train stations are airy and colorful. Historic sites are maintained and proudly displayed.
While Americans have heated debate about whether the national anthem should ever be sung in Spanish, Quebecans are happily bilingual: In stores, the clerk will begin spouting French, but then easily go to perfect English when she realizes you are American. They are not snotty about it like, say, the Parisian French or the heartland Americans, who seem to say “Speak my language or get out.” Wouldn’t we all have more respect for the world if we learned a second language from an early age? It makes us less isolating, more global.
Of course, part of my feeling free may have just been because I was on vacation in a strange land. I had no responsibilities for a few days. It’s a shame we have to leave the country in order to relax. Americans work more hours than people in any other industrialized nation. Is it making us happier, or can we learn to live with less things and be more satisfied?
During my short stay, I climbed the summit of Mont Royal Park, I leisurely enjoyed a flaky croissant with my morning coffee, I giddily danced to French-sung disco until the wee hours, I strolled the cobblestones of Old Montreal, I read my novel in Square Saint Louis. While each event is a memory I’ll cherish, it is the collective experience that will linger. This 4th of July weekend, I had the feeling of being free--outside of America.
What's Your Opinion?
KevScoHall@Verizon.net