Mijung Kim is a lovely woman from Korea who has been participating in EC Montreal’s Academic Year Intensive programme since January.  Mijung began in our elementary class and has already progressed to our pre-intermediate level.  This is a very impressive feat for Mijung as she has a disability.  Mijung is legally blind.  Despite this enormous obstacle, Mijung is determined to learn English.  We are in complete awe of her bravery and determination. Throughout the pandemic, Mijung has been studying online.  This was an even bigger challenge for Mijung as she has been lacking that physical contact in the classroom that she relies on given her disability.  She did not let this bigger challenge stop her.  We suggested that she transfer her studies to private lessons so she can learn one-on-one with our English instructor at her own pace. This week, Mijung did something incredible!  She presented to several of our English virtual classes on a theme she is very passionate about.  She is a competitor in the Paralympic games in the skiing category.  Mjung gave a wonderful presentation on Paralympic classification for blind sport. She explained the way she was trained and all the obstacles she had tackle to achieve her goal. Throughout the presentation, she talked about how hope, courage and hard work can help one reach their desired goals no matter what comes your way. Her EC family respects her great efforts and achievements and is proud of such a likeable and inspiring character. We have been blown away by her many achievements and success at EC Montreal!  There is one fitting word to describe Mijung and that is warrior! You can meet incredible students like Mijung by taking part in EC virtual online English or French lessons!

This week’s Throwback Thursday image is one of my favourite images of EC Montreal students.  It truly depicts what we are trying to achieve at EC and that is encouraging connections and creating opportunities for students to bond with one another.  We are proud of the fact that EC has had a hand in introducing students to new friends.  Through our many activities and events, EC’s aim is to give our students these wonderful opportunities to interact with one another.  Throughout the years we have seen so many beautiful connections; love stories, networking and friendships that have lasted decades!  I am still part of a social media group page of students from 1999!  The page is still very active with people posting current events.  It warms our hearts to see students staying in contact with one another and travelling to each other’s hometowns to attend weddings, reunions and other special events. We often get messages from former students giving us an update on what they have been up to and which former students they are still in communication with.  EC Montreal has a very active alumni and we make a concerted effort to keep very much alive. EC Montreal hosts an annual alumni reunion party.  We usually host in during our summer months as that is when most people are travelling and could very well be vacationing in beautiful Montreal.  It turns out to be such a wonderful event learning all about what are students have been up to.  It makes us feel so special to learn that we played a significant role in their life story. EC Montreal will be hosting a virtual alumni reunion this summer where we will invite former students to share their success stories and how their experience with EC Montreal has shaped their lives.  … Read more

We are still living with the fear of the covid 19 virus and didn’t expect to be on lock down for this long.  Many countries are experiencing their second wave of infections.  Now more than ever, we must do everything possible to protect ourselves and others from the virus.  As restrictions are being lifted in the province of Quebec, more and more establishments have reopened.  This is giving the population a false hope that everything is safe.  This is not the case.  The government is still insisting that we avoid crowds, remain at least two meters apart, wash our hands regularly and making mask wearing in all indoor spaces mandatory.  Experts agree that if everyone respects these protocols, we can avoid a second wave of the virus altogether. There has been a lot of controversy regarding mask wearing.  Some argued that wearing a mask decreased the amount of oxygen in your lungs and ultimately to your brain. All these social media postings can be considered fake news.  The World Health Organization as well as many practicing surgeons and physicians have come out to say all such claims are false.  One doctor posted a video on social media where he is hooked up to an oxygen monitor and wearing six masks to prove that the oxygen level in his body did not change one bit. When EC Montreal reopens its school on August 31, students will see that masks are mandatory in the classroom and around the school.  Students are encouraged to bring their own masks.  We will have disposable masks available in case a student does not have one and we will also be selling EC branded masks that make a great souvenir and will keep our students safe. Masks are mandatory on all public transportation and you can be … Read more

There is no place like Montreal in the summertime.  Every neighbourhood and every street corner somehow comes to life.  One of our former students once commented that what he liked most about Montreal was that the city was so green.  There are so many trees, shrubs, bushes and flower beds lining the streets.  This image contrasted with the gorgeous architecture makes this city absolutely breathtaking during the summer months. As lock down restrictions are slowly being lifted, more and more establishments are starting to reopen.  This includes tourist attractions, restaurants and bars.  We want our students to start going out to explore the city, however, we must encourage everyone to make smart decisions.  This includes maintaining safe social distancing with other people as well as wearing a mask, washing your hands regularly and avoiding crowds.  EC Montreal will be giving our students suggestions on places to visit.  We will only recommend activities that have safety protocols in place and where it is possible to maintain safe distances from others. One of our favourite tourist attractions is Old Montreal.  There are so many places to visit in this part of the city.  Not only is there an abundance of museums like the Science Museum, Chateau Ramsay, Pointe-a-Calliere and many others, but there is also great art galleries to explore as well as unique shops, restaurants and cafes. Montreal’s Old Port also offers a wide variety of boating activities, including cruise tours and it even has the Clock Tower Beach to enjoy.  It is a great place to put your feet up, enjoy the sunshine and the spectacular view of the harbour along the St. Lawrence River. The pedestrian streets and extensive dock area allow for social distancing.  There are also a lot of green spaces with picnic tables to enjoy. A … Read more

EC Montreal’s English and French plus programme is Gastronomy.  Our students learn early on in the programme that gastronomy entails a lot more than food.  The session options also include mixology lessons, wine tasting and barista workshops.  When you sign up to the gastronomy programme, EC Montreal organizes two sessions per week.  You have the choice of culinary classes, pastry making, food tours, cooking demonstrations as well as the very fun and exciting cocktail sessions. One of our favourite gastronomy vendors in the city of Montreal is Ateliers et Saveurs.  They have a wide variety of mixology lessons and wine tasting sessions.  I had the pleasure of attending their classes on several occasions and now, I can make the most fabulous cocktails anytime I want!  I have showed off these bar-tending skills at my dinner parties and everyone is always very impressed. Summer is here and it is a time to enjoy refreshing and festive cocktails.  My favourite cocktail is the mojito!  I learned how to make this drink at Ateliers et Saveurs. For my version of the classic mojito, you will need the following ingredients and supplies: White Rum Mint leaves Fresh lime juice Simple syrup Angostura bitters Soda water Ice cubes cocktail shaker Muddle Tall glass I like to make pitchers of mojitos, so you set it out at the bar or dining table for people to serve themselves. Place 8 to 10 mint leaves in a cocktail shaker and add 1 tablespoon of simple syrup or sugar.  Add several tablespoons of fresh lime juice and 4 to 6 drops of the angostura bitters.  Muddle the mint leaves with the juice, bitters and sugar mixture.  Make sure you do this for a good minute or two to release the mint flavours and to marry all the ingredients. Next … Read more

Sara Fernanda Gutierrez is a lovely 17-year-old student from Colombia who has been studying English with us since February. She will continue with her studies until October and might even try to learn French in the near future 🙂 Here is what she has to say about her experience at EC Montreal: I’m very glad to live this experience in a multicultural diversity and incomparable country where I have been building countless memories including the beautiful seasons changes in which my favourite has been definitely winter and all the activities I could do to enjoy the snow and the coldest weather, discover the magical views visiting Mount Royal and Niagara Falls, also to be able to understand and appreciate the Canadian culture. At the same time, I have been living the learning experience with the EC family which have allowed me to develop my language skills and enjoy myself immersed in a friendly environment that make this process significant and delightful, including close and kind management staff that share the funnest and the most creative activities with us, add to that supportive and fantastic teachers who have given me several tools to build self confidence and knowledge based on interesting and important topics, incredible classmates from different countries which has been the best thing thus I have been able to share, learn and understand various aspects of their valuable cultures and at the same time change my mindset and have a new perspective of the world. I will always remember all the things that I have learnt during this great adventure which have altered the way I look at my life. I love Canada. You too can get a head start on learning English or French with EC Virtual online classes.

This week’s Throwback Thursday image is from the Languages Canada World Student Day event from 2017.  Languages Canada World Student Day is an annual event that is held across the country from coast to coast celebrating our international students.  It is a day to say thank you to our students for choosing Canada for their language adventure.  They could have chosen to study anywhere in the world but they chose Canada. The celebration includes a thank you speech by a Languages Canada representative as well as speeches from tourism Montreal or even some local politicians.  It is a fun event that is organized by Languages Canada and a planning committee made up of representatives from some of the local language schools.  Our Centre Director, Elisa, is on this planning committee and has helped to organize the wonderful activities.  The event includes refreshments, a talent show, entertainment, a soccer tournament, dancing and much, much more.  The different language schools have a booth set up offering some time of activity or refreshment to the participants.  EC Montreal usually has a hot dog stand, serving delicious and festive food to all the students.  Other schools have a photo booth or face painting stations.  Everybody comes together to celebrate our wonderful industry where the world truly does come to us. EC Montreal is a proud member of Languages Canada.  We are accredited by this organization.  This means that we have demonstrated that we can offer quality service and education to our clients.  Being a member means we must respect the standards set by Languages Canada in terms of classes, teacher qualifications, curriculum, accommodation, activities, marketing and administration.  It is much safer to book your studies with a Languages Canada accredited institution to ensure you are receiving quality service and also to protect you.  If … Read more

This week’s recipe is one of my favourite dishes to make.  It is comforting, delicious and pretty easy to put together.  It is pasta a la Romana!  There are many Italian restaurants in Montreal.  It is a cuisine that is adored by many.  Montreal has a very large Italian population and we also have a Little Italy.  There are three hundred thousand Italians living in Montreal.  Most of them immigrated back in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  There were large waves of Italian immigrants coming to the “new world” in search for a better life.  Italians in Montreal  have done so much to preserve their culture and traditions.  Most of them grow their own vegetable gardens, make their own tomato sauce and their own wine.  They are proud to pass on these traditions through the different generations. Montreal’s Little Italy is one of our favourite neighborhoods and one that we encourage our EC Montreal students to visit.  It has the most wonderful restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops and boutiques.  Every August, Little Italy hosts Italian Week.  They showcase everything that Italians are famous for; music, fashion, food, opera, wine and art!  There are performances in the parks and they always end the festival with an opera performance.  It is an event that we look forward to every year.  We usually go to our favourite restaurant in Little Italy, called Pizzeria Napoletana and we get pizza and pasta to go.  We set up a picnic in the park and we can dine and watch the musical performances.  It is a magical experience.  The pizza we always get is called Pizza Trestevere that has prociutto and blue cheese and the pasta dish we always get is penne Romana.  Since we will not be attending the festival this year, I will share my version … Read more

This week’s Throwback Thursday picture is of one of EC Montreal’s most popular summer activities.  It is the party boat cruise along the St. Lawrence River.  The boat cruise leaves the Montreal dock and goes along the river as far as Quebec City!  There is a DJ on board and creates an incredible dance party atmosphere.  There is a full bar and drink service on the deck.  Once we leave the Montreal Old Port, we can get a spectacular view of the city.  Students take advantage of this to get incredible shots of the city! The boat cruise becomes magical under the stars and especially on one of the nights of the fireworks exhibition!  The activity becomes one of the most memorable Montreal moments for our students. Montreal’s Old Port offers a variety of boating activities.  There are dinner cruises, city tours, excursions to Quebec City, jet boating, sailing, canoeing and water rafting!  They even have an amphibus tour that does part of the tour on the river and the rest of the tour on the streets of Old Montreal.  It is pretty awesome! Old Montreal and the Old Port is one of the most popular tourist attractions.  The atmosphere is spectacular and the views are absolutely breathtaking.  It is definitely one of the most instragramable destination in Montreal! EC Montreal’s calendar of events includes a visit to the Old Port and Old Montreal several times a month. When we reopen our center on August 31, we will not have weekly excursions right away.  We need to avoid social gatherings to help prevent the spread of the virus.  We will, however, offer activity suggestions every week and will host at least one virtual activity per week so our students will have a chance to interact with one another and feel … Read more

Diana Marcela Zuleta Grimon from Colombia first joined EC Montreal back in January. She studied both French and English and experienced both on-site and online lessons! Here’s her story to tell everyone how much she enjoyed her stay at EC Montreal! We miss you, Diana. We hope to see you again! EC English is just the best school for learning languages in Montreal! I would recommend it right away. I loved it!!! They have professional and funny teachers, a lot of fun activities which let you interact with the classmates and other students outdoors, great office staff who is always willing to support you. Being in Montreal was a great chance to know a piece of the Canadian culture, languages and its diversity. I really enjoyed meeting new people from all over the world. I made really good friends, I have good memories of the places I did visit; the Ice Hotel in Quebec City, Mount-Royal Park, Jean Drapeau Park, the Old Port, Notre Dame Basilica and other places. Also, all the entertainment that involves the city during wintertime. Unfortunately, I had to come back to my country because of the pandemic. I wish I could have been in Montreal for summertime and enjoy better this beautiful place. It’s great the fact that EC was ready to provide high quality of online lessons to keep me improving the learning of English and French. I would like to thank each teacher who encouraged me to go forward; Shahrzad, Pooria, Jihene and Essadia. You guys have been amazing! Terry, thank you for all the fun activities you lead and Ms. Renee, thanks for your support! I hope I can come back one day! Get a head start on your education and take our English or French online lessons with EC Virtual.  Join … Read more