2021: The People of Québec

So, from September 17th to the 20th, I had the golden chance to visit Québec. There I met a few cool Québecois and other non-Québecois living there.

French or Français is the dominant language there, but most young locals can easily switch to English, which is awesome. (I wish we could do that in the States!)

When entering shops or restaurants, most of them addressed me with “Bonjour” (Good Morning) and “Comment ça va?” (How are you/How’s it going?). (I could never get past the “Comment ça va” part, haha.)

So, these are the folks that I met:

Etienne was one of the first Québecois to welcome me to Québec through an AirBnB experience. He was chill and informative about the local bars and restaurants to check out. He owns a couple of Airbnbs, too. I would recommend meeting him if you enjoy chatting with people over a cup of coffee or, in my case, hot chocolate and a croissant. (;

This is Kamar. He’s an artist and a professor. He struck up a conversation with me in the same coffee shop after I met Etienne. He asked me if I could watch his “stuff.” He is originally from Jamaica, but he left when he was 18. He lived and studied in the U.S., and he had some art displayed on the East Coast, mainly in New York. And now he has found refuge in Québec. He asked me if I was married and if I wanted kids. I said “no” to both questions. Additionally, he thought that a woman traveling solo was quite “odd.” (Word, y’all – I think he was hitting on me all the way, man.(; )

While exploring through upper Québec, I met a shopkeeper of jewelry and artwork. She has been working at the shop through the summer to provide for college fees. And she showed me where I could buy jewelry. (;

This is Sandra. She’s a shopkeeper of Peruvian clothing and jewelry. While walking downtown in search of an affordable restaurant, I struck up a conversation with her. Most of her family live in Toronto, and part of her ancestry is Indonesian. Her native language is English, but she is also fluent in Spanish and lives in Québec to further her French. Also, she enjoys meeting other people, and one of her dreams is to visit Japan.

Xavier was my tour guide. (I definitely recommend his tours if you’re visiting Québec!) Initially, he came from Strasbourg, France. He met his Québecois wife, who was studying there at the time. He moved to Québec to be with her. He felt that there would be better opportunities for them, especially for their daughters. He knew a lot about the history of Québec and was generous with answering questions. Overall, he was a kind and friendly dude.

Additionally, some of the photos below were candid, and/or we just spoke briefly.