why did i move to montreal 

Thank you so much for your kind words! I love seeing this kind of stuff in the comments, looks like my video really struck a chord :D I'd be honoured!

Bonne chance à toi aussi :)

Tracey!! Haven't seen you in ages! Happy to see it resonated :) Thank you so much!

Going for it :D Enjoy E3!

+Michelle Xie Thanks Michelle!! :D

+Dante González Cheers Dante! Will do :D Didn't know you had your own channel too!

Yeah. I need the attention :)

+Dante González Don't we all

There's just something about the place 😊

+deafmaninalake Thank you! You're welcome, feel free to let me know if there was anything in particular you want to know about :)

Do it! I will, got a bunch of videos in the pipeline. Been working out the right length so I can put them out much faster and I think I've figured it out :)

Thanks Elizabeth :D Was nice meeting you on Thursday!

I've noticed! The last 2 times I came to Montreal it was in winter so summer so far has been a whole different level, the city is so alive it's great

+Vaibhav Namburi Cheers Vaibhav!! Keen to put out more

Happy to be here

Hope to come at January intake 2019

Thank you! I'll be putting out a new video super soon, more a travel/transit vlog though but I want to put out more Montreal related videos as well. Is there anything in particular you want to know about? It'd help with making more videos going forward :)

I’d love to see some more info about life in Montreal and the process of getting a visa, moving there, etc.

Samuel Barnagaud Perfect, those were some of the ideas I already had in mind :) Thanks!

Hi Sam! If you haven't seen it I uploaded a video detailing exactly how to move to Canada on a Working Holiday Visa, hopefully it's helpful to you! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HoLsHKWHT3o.html

Haha thank you so much! 😁

So happy to hear that 😁

You're so lucky going there with a job in hand already

@@samahamara8543 did he say he was going there with a job in hand already? or were we reading different comments? because I didn't see any mention of the sort. He said he'll be landing in Toronto in April (last yr) having been awarded PR. are you aware of what PR is? because one thing you certainly don't need in advance to get PR is a job...

Thank you so much Ashley! :)

Thanks for watching! :)

Laura I'm in the same boat. I'm Irish and moving to Montreal. I have basic french but I'm learning everyday. Now I'm nervous lol

Gillian I hope we do alright ❣️

Hi Laura! You sound a little like me in February haha. It's going to be extremely hard but it's doable, just depends on your skills, how agile/versatile you are, and your determination in learning the French language. Save as much as you can before you leave to give yourself a good safety net but also try to figure out what methods of learning work better for you, whether that's classes or a tutor, and combining that with language meetups to practice speaking and making friends in the same boat. I know it's scary but once you make it through it's an incredible place to live, I'm loving my time here :)

I live in montreal and i went to english school my french isnt too great dont worry about it, montreal is the most anglophone city in quebec!!!

Samuel Vasserman . But it is a lack of respect toward the French speaking majority !

+Riaz Oozeer There's really nothing else like it!

Im just back and im like i dont mind the cold haha. U from australia right?

Yep

Thank you 😄 Good luck, Melbourne is lovely!

+Alexander Rubio Thank you Alexander!! I'm doing great 😊 All it takes is a bit of determination and a plane ticket haha

@@LashanR (A plane ticket away from Montreal) 😂

Thanks so much for the feedback Gabriela! :) That's a great idea, I'll have to make a video on that soon

Lashan you're very welcome, awesome, looking forward to it! :]

Merci beaucoup! It's really great to hear steps are being taken, I definitely agree it should be the same or at least somewhat similar to what permanent residents get, as that's what a lot of people (me included) thought it would be like before arriving. When I told some of my friends considering moving here that the free french courses aren't offered to us they were a bit shocked because it seemed to be something available to everybody. Feel free to send me a message if you need anything else regarding this or if you have any questions!

The assumption was that people under temporary visas would not stay in Montreal, so the government didn't need to give them French classes, but we found out that the reality is different. If you still need some information or for your friends who want to come to Montreal, you can look at the website the City made to help people settle in Montreal: ville.montreal.qc.ca/nouveaudepart/en I hope it will be useful =)

Yeah that's what I figured the reasoning was. I've found in terms of how people use IEC visas in reality though was those going to Vancouver or other places only stay for the two years, ski, travel and go back home, but nearly every single person I've met on the IEC in Montreal is intending to transition to PR and stay here permanently. That's actually a super useful site, I'll keep it bookmarked for my friends!

I'm pretty impressed with myself that I've managed to keep it 😅

Sorry to hear that! Yeah it's extremely difficult if your starting your French from scratch, but if you're willing to put the work in it can work out :) It's a bit like Canada on hard mode. Barrier to entry can seem almost impossible starting out, but if you work hard and get past the initial stages you're rewarded with a life in one of the best cities in the world

Lashan thanks 😌

You don't always need french to live in Montreal, it is just better if you do...

Best of luck!! Merci beaucoup :D

Jeremiah makaveli I've found that one workaround for the French language barrier is to work in the entertainment industry, be it photography, videography, editing or production.

Thank you! :)

+Sang Phan Dropping a new one on Monday!

He did! He left Montreal.

+lalluna9 Hi lalluna, no that's not correct. Depending on your country you can get a 1-2 year working holiday visa, find a full time job and then apply for permanent residency/express entry from there. I made a video about the whole Working Holiday Visa application if you wanted to look! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HoLsHKWHT3o.html

Oh yeah, it's -20c 5 months of the year in Montreal. Real problem is they don't even shovel the sidewalks like other cities do. It becomes impossible to even go for a walk, it's all ice underneath!

You should try it! For acting/directing it's fantastic, I've never seen a city as creatively driven as Montreal. There's really nothing else like it

Clayton Orlando ya I lived in Victoria I'm from Toronto

Hey.. are there any good opportunities in montreal to pursue a careerin acting also considering if u dont know that much of french.

I live in Toronto now working as video editor and VFX, but thinking of moving to Montreal or Vancouver! Love both cities and they’re both amazing… each with their pro and cons… so hard to choose 😂 BC is expensive though but better $$$ I heard and more modern, whereas Montreal is very Europe feel and so much creative! 😍

Merci beaucoup Robert ! 😊

Max Salgado My parents were paying my rent during University which helped a lot, and I was working 20-ish hours a week while studying full time to save money. I don't know what your situation is but if you can pick up a job while studying and save as much as you can it will definitely help. It's not easy to keep up and can be pretty stressful when exams/deadlines come around, but you can do it.

Thank you

Hmm he left with good reasons, Montreal isn't that great...

Wow !!! You're the best!!! Learn French and you will be my hero!

Coming to Canada, winters are difficult everywhere except in BC. MTL is just magical...no other city in Canada compares, MTL has a soul and a vibe that is unique in North America.

+rhythmandacoustics East Montreal :) Yeah I noticed! Each part of the city is like it's own self contained unit, I love it

You were just unlucky at the beginning, Most anglo jobs tend to be at the west side of the island and fewer at the east side. Also most municipalities that are bad in Montreal are: Montreal-Nord, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Upper Cote des neiges, close to Namur and Plamondon, Some parts in Roxboro.Nice places are : Hampstead, Outremont, Westmount, Mont-Royal, Most of west-island, Nuns Island, and Old Montreal. Also not only finding a job is hard here, the City Councillors and Construction Industry is corrupt, see our infrastructure. The only huge benefit of Montreal is the large population of young adults, 5 universities and 100+ community colleges. Famous for artist because of the many festivals. By the way Montreal is not that beautiful, if you have not been to other cities and provinces in Canada you are missing out, this country is huge.

rhythmandacoustics, if it is so much nicer everywhere else, why are you here? I worked in New York, I worked in Miami, and in Paris, I was frequently in Europe mostly in Germany for work and I have to say Montreal is very nice and the quality of life is amazing, the same in New York, Paris or Miami will not only cost you a lot more you will get bankrupt in no time, a good restaurant in Montreal, cost maybe 150$ per person and I am talking the best, the same in New York will be 1000$US, for an apartment in Montreal center, yes it is expensive, but never as much as Toronto, Vancouver or any other great city. Travel a little and judge based on the reality of living in a place instead of dreaming about the grass being greener everywhere else, then you will realise that Montreal has a lot to offer and for a lot more people than just the ELITE. AND if you think it is corrupt here, have you ever been anywhere else? it is the same, just here we talk about it instead of sweeping it under the carpet and closing our eyes and ears to it, and we did clean up a lot of the bad, it is not perfect but nowhere is either.

In this case, yes

a combination of luck and hard work

Living in Australia it's extremely difficult to gain any functional proficiency in french without immersion. I took a beginners course when I was in Montreal on exchange and an intermediate course right before I moved to Montreal, and while they were great for vocabulary and learning the structure of the language, they don't cut it in terms of comprehension which you can only truly get by exposing yourself to the actual language and understanding all the different variations of a given dialect. For sure an intensive immersion course would have helped before I left, but in my opinion the best way to learn a language is still by jumping into the deep end and figuring it out. It's difficult and stressful but that's part of the challenge!

Canada is easier

@@LashanR Thanks. But since I only speak English but Montreal seems a good choice too since I'm thinking of moving there as a student and then get permanent residency, do you think, it would be a good choice? or I better choose another city where English is the only language, the city that I'm thinking about is Halifax

You can do it 💪

Its actually easy to live in Montreal without speaking french

Lol I'm there right now

Small world and small town haha

Haha for sure

Salut, oui! Je suis à Montréal :) Je vous remercie des mots aimables. I'd love some help if you're offering! Yep I've been going to language meetups and hanging out with my french friends a lot, donc maintenant je suis très à l'aise en français :)

Sorry for the late response - thank you so much for your message!! I can really understand your struggle, but good on you for taking the jump! If you're not feeling settled and at home in Toronto after 3 years then I don't think the city is for you, and it's probably worthwhile trying out another city in Canada. I've never been to Toronto but I've heard it's a lot like Sydney - very big, spread out and business oriented. Vancouver is very North American and surrounded by gorgeous nature but as you said horrendously expensive (as much as Sydney I've heard). Montreal is very, very different - probably the most unique city in North America due it's cultural mix. It's got this mix of big city/small town vibes, and feels like this cluster of smaller self-contained cities around Mont Royal rather than one huge conglomerate, and I think that's great. If you don't want to, you never have to leave your neighbourhood, because everything you want or need is there. When I first came here on exchange I hated Montreal - I had probably the worst first week one could possibly have in this city (I might go into this in a later video), but over the course of my exchange I grew to love this place to the point that I didn't want to leave - even though I was leaving to an epic 3 month solo trip through Europe, not even going back home. I loved Montreal so much I would have preferred to stay and enjoy Montreal over the trip of a lifetime. It's that great. You should come visit for maybe a week or so to get a taste of the city - as a tourist destination you could probably see everything you wanted in a day, but as a place to live it's unrivaled. A week should help you get into the groove of Montreal life and perhaps aid in your decision :)

Second best in terms of culture, architecture, art, history, food culture, fashion, night life, festivals, Montreal has a European vibe, Montreal has a soul, Toronto has more money, banks, it's our financial capital, Toronto is more of an American city. Toronto is great, but there is something magical that is different in MTL.

Take at least a beginner and then intermediate course combined with self study with apps Lingvist, Duolingo, listening to french talk radio/podcasts/youtubers and going to language meet-ups. The courses are important for learning the structure of the language and how it works, giving you the mindset necessary to learn on your own. I took these on exchange in Montreal and at university in UNSW. Good luck!!

Lashan awesome advice, thank you

@@ForzaTerra89 hi there. how is it going for you? I highly recommend the Institute Francais in London. their courses + tutors are superb. also Lingoda are pretty great if you want to work around your own schedule. have done both & both are just as good as the other.

skbfilm still living in Australia so not going to London anytime soon. I’d say I’m conversational

@@ForzaTerra89 Lingoda do their classes online

Thanks! This video was from 3 years ago so I've improved on the audio since :)

it certainly helps, that's like asking do you need french to live in Paris.

Yes. In fact you need to know more French than English. If you leave the island you're SOL. No one will speak to you in English and will really give you a hard time.

+MJBrady Looking forward to it! 😁

Utilisez-vous duolingo? Je cherche des amis pour apprendre avec

+MJBrady Pas vraiment, je n'aime pas Duolingo parce qu'il ne m'aide pas avec n'importe quoi a excepté quelque part de vocabulaire. Je utilise Lingvist, c'est mieux et il trouve ton niveau de vocabulaire et l'améliore

Lashan Ranasinghe ah Je comprend. Le bon chose que j'aime avec duolingo est le format. Mais, j'ai jamais utilisé lingvist #Ilyaunepremierefoispourtoutleschoses

L'essayez :)

Absolutely, many of my friends learnt this way.

Thank you so much! De rien :) Haha Vancouver is nice but my heart is in Montreal 😊

Vancouver is nice but it isn't Montreal. you should come visit,( in the summer) you'll understand.

I do! There's a café I frequent where the waiters get confused as to which language they should use with me, although mostly in french haha. One thing I find difficult though is that I find I'm a little more rude when speaking french because I'm thinking so much and it's hard to fluently come up with speech that isn't too rigid, it's hard to be casual and friendly like I am in english.

Gay!

not true, I lived in montreal my whole life and still don't know French, as for socialism, whats that!

Not sure if you actually watched the whole video or just wanted to rant mais je suis venu ici parce que j'ai voulu et j'ai appris le français. Apprendre une langue est une chose un peu difficile quand tu habites dans un pays, une île en fait, qui est très isolée.