Mes amis!

Je ne sais pas pourquoi la photo est telle petite quand ici son mes grands amis: Monique Laforce, Martin, Mathieu, et Itzela Sosa. Dans la bistro.

Vive Québec! Vive Québec libre!

Général Charles DeGaulle came to Québec in 1967 (November, I think, so just after my daughter, Leecia, was born in late October). His speech is a landmark in Québec history for his having shouted out Vive Québec! Vive Québec libre! I've walked past him hundreds of times now, because I live on an alley that is just the other side of that little red house with white porch. The one with the Québec flag.

*****
So much to learn, so little time to tell about it. On my last full day of this long stay, I'm in the Gabrielle Roy library on a nearly cold August 29. Monique Laforce has met me here. We're going to attend a workshop around the corner on Community and Free Education. Having Monique along will be great, because she can fill me in on anything I didn't understand.

Then I'll go for supper by invitation from Itzela Sosa and Martin. Itzela, from Mexico City, is translating to Spanish the first biography of Flora Tristan, by Éléonor Blanc, which I've already translated to English.



Here are Itzela and Martin. She works on a PhD in Sociology at Université Laval. Martin, from Argentina, works on a graduate degree in Engineering. Ils sont très beaux, n'est pas? Itzela is as beautiful as Flora Tristan was.

*****

On Wednesday Monique and I visited l'Ile d'Orleans, several miles north of the city. One gets there on a bridge from which you can see the water falls of Montmorency. It's one of those scenes that really deserves the word formidable. But I don't have a picture of that, because I was driving.


Here's a picture of me and Monique at a snackbar -- le Bar Laitier. Monique lived here on l'Ile d'Orleans many years ago.



We found the house where she lived, and now it's a gallery, so she was able to walk through some of the rooms she once knew. She lived only across the street while expecting that son. He is now in Afghanistan but only until he returns home to Québec on October 6.


And here's another picture of DeGaulle, because it is.

Goodbye for now, Québec, mais juste Au Revoir.

Au revoir et merci ....

Malhereusement, je pars de la belle ville, mercredi. C'est difficile le faire quand il fait si doux. On espoit à revenir bientôt.

Je remercie la ville soi-même, à tous les citoyennes, mais particulièrement à Mathieu Lizotte -- artiste, musician, écrivain, étudiant, ami, bon humain -- qui m'a aidée tellement...;

aussi je remercie Monique Laforce, poète, pour les heures de collaboration en faisant traductions de ses poèmes...;

je remercie Renée Lachance, qui m'a aidée beaucoup, avec la traduction et aussi pour connaitre la ville meillure...;

je remercie leComité Populaire de la Faubourg, Les Amis de la Terre, la Bibliothèque St. Jean Baptiste et la Bibliothèque Gabrielle Roy...;

la librarie Nelligan et Pierre qui travaille là...;

Jean-François qui m'a louyée la pièd-a-terre...;

Itzela Sosa, qui va traduire la première biographie de Flora Tristan (écrit en 1845) à l'espagnol...;

Connie Berg for two great writing sessions that were extremely helpful...;

all the bus drivers but especially the écobus drivers...;

sweet Tony who called me every night...;

c'est-à-dire: tous.

On remercie.

P.S. For about 6-8 weeks, I'll be sharing pictures and notes from my time here but won't actually be here in Québec. Plan to return for the summer festival.

If you`d like to study French in Québec, check out the FLE program at Université Laval. I think you could still register. It's a relatively inexpensive and really good program.