Expat community Montreal resources?
Nov 6, 2015, 5:14 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: San Francisco
Programs: Four Seasons Aviara (owner), Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Hertz President's Circle, United MP 30+ yrs
Posts: 1,252
Expat community Montreal resources?
Any thoughts appreciated for a young woman I know (non-French speaking) who will moving to Montreal to be with someone. Would be helpful for community, resources, etc. Big move for her in many ways and online/local groups etc would all be helpful. Smart, and interesting woman who is a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Looking for ex-pat websites, or listserves she might plug into.
Last edited by mstraveler; Nov 7, 2015 at 8:03 am Reason: clarity
Nov 7, 2015, 12:38 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K MM, BA-S HH-D, MB-G LT Sil, IHG-Plt, Nexus, Global Entry
Posts: 3,803
I'm not sure if ex-pat resources are needed. It's not likes she's going to a "foreign" country. A unilingual English speaker is not going to have any trouble in Montreal, not compared to the same person going to Beijing, or Tokyo, or Santiago.
Here are my suggestions:
Montrealers are incredibly open and friendly. Hang out with them. Get to know them. Most of them speak English, and French, and probably one or two other languages as well. Don't hang out with other ex-pats, except maybe to partake of their own national celebrations, or yours.
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13F
Here are my suggestions:
- take yoga classes
- join a gym
- take a course at an English University. McGill and Concordia are both excellent.
- sign up for French classes
- take a cooking or wine tasting course
- start driving for Uber (an incredible way to learn about a new city, and with the Uber app, you will never get lost)
- buy a bicycle (Montreal is incredible for biking)
- buy a pair of hiking boots (same as above)
- join a cross-country ski club
Montrealers are incredibly open and friendly. Hang out with them. Get to know them. Most of them speak English, and French, and probably one or two other languages as well. Don't hang out with other ex-pats, except maybe to partake of their own national celebrations, or yours.
--
13F
Nov 7, 2015, 6:07 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: Star Alliance G*, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium,
Posts: 3,585
I could not agree more. Montreal is a very friendly & welcoming city, with excellent resources for newcomers. In addition to the resources listed above, I can add that Montreal has a busy nightlife and many places where immigrants can learn French P/T for free.
Nov 7, 2015, 8:16 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
And if websites are still required, meetup.com has an active community in Montréal, as does internations.org.
Nov 8, 2015, 12:28 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: San Francisco
Programs: Four Seasons Aviara (owner), Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Hertz President's Circle, United MP 30+ yrs
Posts: 1,252
Thanks all. She will undoubtedly figure that out also. She has been led to believe that everyone speaks French (which she does not) and that they will arrest you on site if you don't - kidding about this of course, but she feels like she is going to a more foreign place than it is. Appreciate feedback and reality check.