We are happy to introduce you to Haruko Honma, EC Montreal’s newest student ambassador.  Here is what she would like to share about her role at EC Montreal: Hello, everyone! I’m Haruka Honma from Japan. I’m studying here to improve my English skill. Before I came here, I studied English in the U.S for a year and also was doing Internship at Walt Disney World. I love travelling so I want to visit many different beautiful places in Canada! I also ravelled a lot of famous places in the U.S., so if you have plans to go there, feel free to ask me. I have lots of recommendations!

EC Montreal held its last Haunted Oktoberfest themed activity yesterday.  As it is Halloween week, we thought it would be fun to watch a horror movie together!  We wanted to get everyone into the Halloween spirit!  We are encouraging our students to dress up in costumes on Friday and participate in our Halloween party and costume competition! We dimmed the lights, lit candles, popped some popcorn and hit play!  The movie was The Conjuring.  It is based on a true story about demon possession.  It is absolutely terrifying! The student lounge was packed with students!  We don’t know how they stayed in their seats!  We could hear the sounds of the movie from the office and it was incredibly scary! We had a chance to speak to the students after the movie ended and they all said how much they enjoyed the movie.  They said that although the movie was really scary, it was well made and had a very good story line. The Halloween fun will continue until the end of the week!  EC Montreal loves Halloween!

Laura Avendaño Parra is participating in EC Montreal’s Bilingual Academic Year Programme which consists of 30 Lessons of instruction per week.  Her EC experience will be coming to an end next month.  We are sad to see Laura go.  She has been with us since February! Here is what she would like to share with all of you about studying at EC Montreal: I came to Montreal because I wanted to learn another language. When I came here I didn’t know anything in English, it was very difficult for me but nowadays I can communicate with confidence. EC Montreal is a good place and I like the staff, they are awesome! I do recommend EC Montreal to my friends. Here my friends come from all over the world and I love them so much. I’m having a great time here and I will never forget this experience.

Ana Alicia Nasuno Bastar is a lovely young lady from Mexico booked in EC Montreal’s bilingual programme.  Ana has been with us for many months but sadly her journey at EC Montreal is coming to an end.  Here is what she would like to share with everyone about her full immersion English and French programme in Montreal: I decided study in Montreal because it’s a nice city and I thought that I could learn English and French together but later I decided to focus only in English. I think that I improved a lot, because when I came I couldn’t talk too much and now I have friends from other countries, like Korea, and I can have good conversations with them. My favorite EC Montreal’s activity was learn how to do sushi, it was a good experience because I never done this before. The EC Montreal is a good school, my teachers are the bests, I like the class, they are interactive and interesting! My homestay is the best! I have luck to live with such nice family because they help me to feel confident in my new life in Montreal and I feel like with my grandparents. My homestay mom is a kindly person and also my homestay dad. I feel really good in my home here. I think everything in this experience it’s important for me. Every day I do something new, I meet new people, I make new friends and I will never forget this city. Montreal is beautiful, I feel safe here, it’s totally different from Mexico, but I want to go back to my country, this experience has been amazing but I have to go back to my reality and for my family.

EC Montreal’s academic extras include conversation clubs. It is sometimes difficult to break the ice with people and get the conversation going. The Business Insider has come up with some tips on how you can have a conversation with just about anyone! If you follow these suggestions, you will become a natural conversationalist. The more conversations you have, the more practice you will bet with the language. Eventually, you will be completely bilingual and be able to converse without any difficulty or apprehension. Here are 7 of the tips from the article entitled Start a Conversation with Absolutely Anyone: 1.  Ask for their opinion. Everyone has one! For someone you don’t know well, start with light subjects like the food, the music, the atmosphere, etc. “Do you like your Margaritas with salt or without? Do you watch horror movies? Do you like this song?” 2.  Ask for their advice or recommendations. This works very well when commenting on someone’s outfit or accessories, as in “What a great t-shirt! Where did you get it?” or if you are at restaurant looking at a menu “Everything looks great, what are you having?” 3.  Ask them a question that is easy to answer. This is great when you know or find out that a person has expertise in a particular field. Avoid asking anyone to explain something super complex or involved; if that’s where the conversation leads, great, but asking a really complicated question up front can feel demanding. 4.  Comment on the environment. No matter where you are, there are things to comment on: the music, the food, the lights or the guests, for example. 5.  Ask for an update. If you know someone a little or know them by reputation, ask for an update on something you know they’ve been doing, … Read more

Tatiana Rosas is a young lady from Colombia participating in EC Montreal’s bilingual programme. Here is what she would like to share with all of you about her full immersion English and French programme in Montreal: I am in Montreal because I want to learn French and improve my English. I chose this destination because it’s the best one to have both English and French. I LOVE EC Montreal because here I learn a lot and because the people (teachers, students and staff) are amazing and also because we do a lot of activities. I like the EC Welcome Party, especially karaoke! And in EC Montreal I love meet people from all around the world.

If you are looking for an escape from the city, just north of Montreal you will find the Laurentian Mountains.  A 40-minute drive along Highway 15 North will lead you to the majestic ski town of Saint Sauveur. This past weekend, we did just that!  We wanted a break from our every day routine and little change in scenery.  We rented a car with some of our EC Montreal classmates  and made a reservation at the Hotel Manoir Saint Sauveur.  It is situated in the heart of the Saint Sauveur Village and is a 4 star establishment. It was a cold and rainy weekend, but it didn’t matter to us!  We visited their spa and pampered ourselves.  We then hit the pool and hot tub.  The warm whirlpool was the perfect remedy for weeks of hard work and stress.  It felt great to just unwind and sooth our sore limbs. We then got ready for our much anticipated dinner reservation at Gibby’s.  Gibby’s has been around since 1969.  It is a warm, cozy restaurant that prides itself on good food and service.  They had several fireplaces going.  It was a perfect setting for a delicious fall meal. The took our drink order and brought us fresh warm bread right out of the oven.  The curious thing was they served the bread with a bowl of pickles and a small bowl of fresh, chopped bacon! We shared a mussels appetizer and couldn’t get enough of it!  We kept dunking our bread in the tomato, garlic and butter juices. We enjoyed our steak dinner but had to sadly turn down the offer for dessert.  I had my eye on the crème brule….next time! We enjoyed a stroll along the principle street and made a stop in their Christmas shop.  Most of us bought … Read more

The Montreal museum of Fine Arts is located only a few blocks away from EC Montreal.  The collections are showcased in two buildings right across the street from each other.  The building on the south side houses the permanent collection.  Visiting the permanent collection is always free. The building on the north side of the street is reserved for special exhibits.  The price is $15, however, Wednesday evening is free! The Montreal museum of Fine Arts is well known around the world.  It presents some of the worlds most valuable collections.  Montreal is a city that is extremely rich in art and culture. On October 11, the Van Gogh to Kandinsky exhibit began.  The theme of the collection is From Impressionism to Expressionism. Look for an outing at the museum on EC Montreal’s December calendar of events.  Every Thursday, EC Montreal adds a cultural activity to the social events calendar.  These outings include French cinema, museum visits, performing art shows and many other tourist attractions. Join us at EC for a full immersion English or French programme in Montreal!  We will introduce you to a wide variety of activities including sports, cultural, workshops, popular attractions and weekend getaways!  

Keita Namba has been participating in EC’s General English programme.  He is doing a full immersion English programme in Montreal.  Today was his last day at EC. Here is what he would like to share about his EC experience: I chose to study at EC Montreal for serveral reasons.  Firstly, I really love ice hockey!  I have been playing hockey for the past 15 years.  My team’s jersey is the same as the Montreal Canadiens!  Furthermore, I have heard many wonderful things about the city of Montreal!  These are the reasons that I chose to study here! All in all, I love this city!  I have seen a lot of beautiful places. I appreciate everyone at EC for everything they have done for me!  I will come back!