My time as an English soldier in Quebec City

ace1125

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If you get posted to Quebec and do not speak French are there courses offered to you on base to get you started speaking the language?
 

George Wallace

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ace1125 said:
If you get posted to Quebec and do not speak French are there courses offered to you on base to get you started speaking the language?

I suppose you could have read the answer in the previous posts, but seeing as you didn't:    YES!
 

ace1125

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George Wallace said:
I suppose you could have read the answer in the previous posts, but seeing as you didn't:    YES!

Which previous post would that be?
 

daftandbarmy

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When I saw the title of this thread I thought of this interesting, and historical, account of an English soldier in Quebec  ;D:

http://www.militaryheritage.com/quebec1.htm
 

Jungle

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daftandbarmy said:
When I saw the title of this thread I thought of this interesting, and historical, account of an English soldier in Quebec  ;D:

http://www.militaryheritage.com/quebec1.htm

Thanks for the link; the church in the last picture in the link, the church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire, is still standing today, in what is called Le Petit Champlain, next to the King's Battery.
 

xo31@711ret

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niner-dom, a snr nco clerk  got a CC RSS position in her primary language (her last after 22+regs) posting to NCSM JOLLIET (she's an Acadienne from the north shore of NB). Being a snr nco medic, I Couldn't get a position myself with the regs there, so after 24+ years I released out of gag town & followed niner dom. Got to Sept-Iles, applied as  a class A medic for the unit (did some class B instructing BOTC for the naval regs & res at Work Point in Esquimalt). Spent 4 years there & enjoyed my experience. Learned a little, but not much french (well drill being the top priority LOL!) , but the folks from the CO to the newly enrolled OS were awesome - it's been 4 years since we both retired out of the regs & res, and still in touch with a lot of the troops via fb; from the (retired|)CO on down. Besides the taxes there, I had a pretty good time as an 'square head' newfie anglo LOL! (I hate the term being referred as 'english' - but that's just me ;)  )
 

George Wallace

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xo31@711ret said:
niner-dom, a snr nco clerk  got a CC RSS position in her primary language (her last after 22+regs) posting to NCSM JOLLIET (she's an Acadienne from the north shore of NB). ....................................... I had a pretty good time as an 'square head' newfie anglo LOL! (I hate the term being referred as 'english' - but that's just me ;)  )

So neither of you speak one of Canada's Official Languages?    >:D 
 

dapaterson

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From what I've seen, Anglos have three possible reactions to being posted to Valcartier:

1.  Those who spend their entire posting saying "Woe is me, why won't people speak English?";

2.  Those who meet a French Canadian girl, teach each other the other language, and end up with a house full of bilingual children; and

3.  Those who get taken to L'Entre Nous and decide that it's really not so bad in Valcartier after all.
 

Bruce Monkhouse

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dapaterson said:
From what I've seen, Anglos have three possible reactions to being posted to Valcartier:

1.  Those who spend their entire posting saying "Woe is me, why won't people speak English?";

2.  Those who meet a French Canadian girl, teach each other the other language, and end up with a house full of bilingual children; and

3.  Those who get taken to L'Entre Nous and decide that it's really not so bad in Valcartier after all.

Did number 3 years and years before I took door number 2..........and I mock mercilessly those who pick #1. :nod:
 

dapaterson

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Bruce Monkhouse said:
Did number 3 years and years before I took door number 2..........and I mock mercilessly those who pick #1. :nod:

There's always the option of doing #3 and while there doing #2... though the "How did you meet" stories for the kids need to be sanitised a bit.  "Well, it was magic under the blacklight as I saw her..."
 

PMedMoe

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dapaterson said:
From what I've seen, Anglos have three possible reactions to being posted to Valcartier:

1.  Those who spend their entire posting saying "Woe is me, why won't people speak English?";

2.  Those who meet a French Canadian girl, teach each other the other language, and end up with a house full of bilingual children; and

3.  Those who get taken to L'Entre Nous and decide that it's really not so bad in Valcartier after all.

4.  Those who say "Cool, I'll learn French by immersion because the CF won't give me a course."

FTFY.  ;)  :nod:
 

dimsum

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dapaterson said:
From what I've seen, Anglos have three possible reactions to being posted to Valcartier:

1.  Those who spend their entire posting saying "Woe is me, why won't people speak English?";

2.  Those who meet a French Canadian girl, teach each other the other language, and end up with a house full of bilingual children; and

3.  Those who get taken to L'Entre Nous and decide that it's really not so bad in Valcartier after all.

Serious question:  Would this apply to Bagotville as well?  (Obviously not the L'Entre-Nous...but I'm sure there are similar establishments.)
 

observor 69

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Based on my four year posting to CFB Bagotville , bang on the money for items 1, 2, and 3.
And that is a serious answer.
And Bagotville, or the new amalgamated city of Saguenay, also has a abundance of item 3.  :)
 

Jungle

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Come to think of it: from the title, you'd think the guy was serving in the British Army. It's like when US personnel tell me "Ah, you're French" !
I tell them I am no more French then they are English.

The original poster has a perception problem: we are all Canadians, and he was a Canadian Soldier serving on a Canadian Military base in Canada. It is no different from a person originating from Saguenay serving in Cold Lake, or someone from Gaspésie serving in Esquimalt.
 

observor 69

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Baden Guy said:
Based on my four year posting to CFB Bagotville , bang on the money for items 1, 2, and 3.
And that is a serious answer.
And Bagotville, or the new amalgamated city of Saguenay, also has a abundance of item 3.  :)


Then again I understand this outfit has openings:

http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/airforce/

>:D :D
 

Good2Golf

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*sniff* Pas plus «d'Entre-nous»...alors, nous continuons de profiter de la présence d'autres musées de la nature aux environs... :nod:
 

Towards_the_gap

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Je suis un tete carre stupide....


...that is how you say 'One Joe Louis and a Pepsi please', right?
 
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