I'm from New Orleans. I've only been here for a year now, I came down from North Louisiana for a better job, and fell in love with the culture and the food! There's always something to do - there's pretty much at least one festival going on every weekend, and the food just can't be beat. The crime here is a real problem, though. Recently, a trio of armed men have been robbing upscale restaurants...
I like its unique culture halfway between America's and Europe's; and with a non-negligible input from Native-American's (although it may be more subtle to the untrained eye). The way we defend and promote the French language in general, but our version of it which, in my opinion, has kept very interesting tidbits from historical French (like a distinct pronunciation of à and â), and at the same time encompasses modern additions that later get adopted in France as well. Its nature, its architecture, its food, its general dynamism and pole of all sorts of innovation and creativity.
I don't like the political dead end in which we are since the early 80's. Ever since we first had a referendum on the possibility to secede from Canada, we lost many businesses' head offices, quality people who felt threatened; for all we got in recognition of our uniqueness, we lost in bitter and insignificant quarrel and power games. A succession of separatist and federalist governments has put systems in place to prepare for an eventual separation and then weakened them, but as long as we still are part of Canada, all of this is doubled, and doubly ineffective , and we have to pay for them with our over-burdening taxes, which kills even more initiative and that beautiful creativity I liked so much. It made the federal government and the other provinces (even French speakers in them, since they fear of losing their culture and status if we leave) resentful and quick to fight for the littlest things, accusing us of trying to break the country each time we disagree about any political, environmental, diplomacy or social issue. And the consequences it had on the fight between the French and English language has left all Canadians the poorer, because too many refuse to learn the language of the other, when it could have been a strength that so many people would have easy access to a second language (tell me how can that be negative!?), and we can't have English immersion schools in Quebec because we have to protect the French language. Can't we protect one without threatening another? Both journalists and politicians take advantage of that divide to talk badly about one group in the language of the other and fuel the endless debate until the society will collapse on itself, in a way or another. I know I'm being fatalist here, but I can't see a more positive outcome unless we all work positively together for it.
I'm neither separatist nor federalist, at least not strongly one or another. I feel we Canadians could be so much stronger if we put our strengths together instead of this linguistic and cultural cock fight, but at the same time, some political groups have harmed us (Quebecers) so much in so many ways ever since the conquest of 1763 that I wonder if that ideal can ever be achieved and maybe secession would be a second best solution to shake things up and leave each part freer to do as they wish without impairing the other in the process. All in all, the current situation seems venomous and the absolute worst we can do, for all who are involved (Canada as a whole).
I love Vermont, I've only been twice, but I loved it. Its values, its nature, its sense of community, of local, its open-mindedness. It's by far my favorite state! It's been a while, I should go back soon!
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I'm from New Orleans. I've only been here for a year now, I came down from North Louisiana for a better job, and fell in love with the culture and the food! There's always something to do - there's pretty much at least one festival going on every weekend, and the food just can't be beat. The crime here is a real problem, though. Recently, a trio of armed men have been robbing upscale restaurants...
I'm from Quebec, Canada.
I like its unique culture halfway between America's and Europe's; and with a non-negligible input from Native-American's (although it may be more subtle to the untrained eye). The way we defend and promote the French language in general, but our version of it which, in my opinion, has kept very interesting tidbits from historical French (like a distinct pronunciation of à and â), and at the same time encompasses modern additions that later get adopted in France as well. Its nature, its architecture, its food, its general dynamism and pole of all sorts of innovation and creativity.
I don't like the political dead end in which we are since the early 80's. Ever since we first had a referendum on the possibility to secede from Canada, we lost many businesses' head offices, quality people who felt threatened; for all we got in recognition of our uniqueness, we lost in bitter and insignificant quarrel and power games. A succession of separatist and federalist governments has put systems in place to prepare for an eventual separation and then weakened them, but as long as we still are part of Canada, all of this is doubled, and doubly ineffective , and we have to pay for them with our over-burdening taxes, which kills even more initiative and that beautiful creativity I liked so much. It made the federal government and the other provinces (even French speakers in them, since they fear of losing their culture and status if we leave) resentful and quick to fight for the littlest things, accusing us of trying to break the country each time we disagree about any political, environmental, diplomacy or social issue. And the consequences it had on the fight between the French and English language has left all Canadians the poorer, because too many refuse to learn the language of the other, when it could have been a strength that so many people would have easy access to a second language (tell me how can that be negative!?), and we can't have English immersion schools in Quebec because we have to protect the French language. Can't we protect one without threatening another? Both journalists and politicians take advantage of that divide to talk badly about one group in the language of the other and fuel the endless debate until the society will collapse on itself, in a way or another. I know I'm being fatalist here, but I can't see a more positive outcome unless we all work positively together for it.
I'm neither separatist nor federalist, at least not strongly one or another. I feel we Canadians could be so much stronger if we put our strengths together instead of this linguistic and cultural cock fight, but at the same time, some political groups have harmed us (Quebecers) so much in so many ways ever since the conquest of 1763 that I wonder if that ideal can ever be achieved and maybe secession would be a second best solution to shake things up and leave each part freer to do as they wish without impairing the other in the process. All in all, the current situation seems venomous and the absolute worst we can do, for all who are involved (Canada as a whole).
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