Articles tagged with: Snapshots of Ottawa
On Campus (Part III)
The Winter semester started early January, but I can’t seem to put myself into study mode. First, there is my very full-time job. I work in an environment where futile things such as eating and sleeping are almost frowned upon, let alone studying. And then, there is the usual winter blues. Hard to walk to class after a full day of work when it’s cold, windy and pitch black.
No Prorogation Rally In Ottawa
Let me put it this way: Canadians are usually pretty quiet and it takes a lot to have them go down in the streets. But Stephen Harper made it, he managed to anger Canadians enough and have them demonstrate in the middle of the winter. Way to go, Stevie!
Château Laurier
The Château Laurier was constructed between 1909 and 1912 and named after Sir Wilfrid Laurier, then the Prime Minister of Canada. Over the years, it met with history. For instance, the hotel was to be opened on April 26, 1912, but chairman Charles Melville Hays, who had commissioned the hotel and was returning to Canada fo its opening, perished aboard the Titanic when it sank on April 15.
The Olympic Torch Relay In Ottawa (2/2)
After shooting the torch relay, I decided to stay downtown and to have a look at the night festivities on Parliament Hill. By the time I got there, I learned from two ladies (pictured below) that they would only start after sunset… I wasn’t going to sit on the cold waiting, like them, for a few hours. I headed to Chapters and grabbed a hot coffee.
The Olympic Torch Relay In Ottawa (1/2)
Today, the Olympic Torch of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics arrived in Ottawa and it traveled all over the city. I walked to Bank Street and waited patiently with the next torch bearer for the current bearer to arrive.
On Campus (Part II)
I have always been fascinated by North American high schools and universities. They seemed to have so many rituals, so many traditions that I felt we were really missing out in France. Take graduation, for instance. One of the rite of passage in France is the “baccalauréat”, the national high school graduation exam. But it quite different from the North America graduation exam.
On Campus (Part I)
My oral exam lasted exactly three minutes. It may have something to do with the fact I wrote in big bold letter “I am French !” in answer to the question “where did you learn French?” in the preliminary questionnaire. The examiner was a nice guy and admitted there was no point in testing me any further. Phew, thanks.
