Québec déjà me manque / I miss Quebec already ...

...and I'm only 21 miles south of the border! I left Quebec City at noon yesterday and by 3:30 pm, even with once getting lost and two brief stops, plus a rather long wait at the Derby Line border, I was still in Vermont in those 3 and a half hours.

Today attended a meeting of the newly formed French conversation group here in Barton. The librarian for Barton and Glover, Toni Eubanks, began this group in case there were Vermont francophones who would like a chance to speak French and also for those of us trying to become francophones. It's a good group, and indeed some of those who attend are people who learned French in the home. Today the Vermont French-Canadian present was Fred Snay, whose real name once was Fernand Senay, I think. His parents came to the U.S. as a young couple (I think for work in Massachusetts) and adopted English as the home language, but his grandparents encouraged him and his siblings to speak French whenever they were with them; also, the Catholic schools he attended were strong for French. Fred says that the Catholic schools in the New England mill towns were centers for French learning. Four of his classes in secondary school were taught in French, and in his prep school which was directed toward seminary, the Latin was translated to French, not English. His French is very easy to understand, very clear.

There are many stories to be gathered from these New Englanders of French-Canadian heritage. Fred Snay is luckier than some, I know, for having kept his French.

I miss Quebec City, yes, but part of my motivation for wanting to learn French was that I myself, as a young woman living on this northern border, witnessed some of the prejudice against Vermont francophones. So this is part of that, being here in northern Vermont again.

There is a francophone legacy right here, to say the least, and everyone who loves French can help in its restoration. Librarian Toni Eubanks saw notice that the Burlington public library had a similar group for French practice and thus was encouraged to start one here. I'm sure those of us who attend are all grateful to her for doing so.