French First

This Summer my friends and I decided to live in Montreal and one of the first things I noticed was the language. Whenever I visit a local cafe, grocery store, or restaurant, they’ll greet me with “Bonjour” or “ca va bien”. Eavesdrop on a conversation on the street, and you’ll likely hear french as well.

When I got my earlobes pierced, the man that was piercing my ears didn’t speak a lick of English. There was a language barrier between us.

In Quebec, it’s mandatory to speak french first at retail stores. Speaking french first is a way of preserving culture. Unless these precautions are made, each successive generation, especially in Montreal, will slowly become gentrified.