Mike Avalon, Dr. McKenzie, Moota Zigler
Second Row: Jeff Quake, Sherry Deschenes,
Catherine-Jean Boehm, Amber Jadus, Anja Whitehead
Back Row: Olivia Hollister, Katelyn Schulze, Matt Burger, Noah Soltis
Photo Credit / Anja Whitehead
By Frankie A. Barrett
Contributing Writer
On Nov. 17, thirteen students, Dr. Robert McKenzie, and Dr. Kelly McKenzie ventured to Montreal in Québec, Canada.
On the trip, we had the luxury of touring old Montreal and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Prior to these tours, we attended educational workshops, so Dr. McKenzie could brief the class on a few disparities between the media in Montreal and the media in the United States.
Additionally, we were given mini-assignments throughout the trip to enhance our understanding of Canadian media.
At the first workshop, Dr. McKenzie hopefully expressed, “I hope when you are done in Montreal, you view yourselves not as Americans but as North Americans.”
On the first day, we toured old Montreal. Old Montreal is a historical, provincial trove, dating back to the mid-1600’s.
Its stone-paved streets and dated buildings with intricate, architectural features were revelations of its past. The cutesy boutiques and souvenir shops sprinkled modernity to its rustic, old-fashioned appeal.
The next day, we toured the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The tour guide first led us into a live radio broadcasting show where two French radio personalities conversed.
Katie Schulze, junior, commented, “to experience the tour of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and be invited into a live radio show was out of this world, even though we weren’t able to understand their French.”
As we journeyed further into CBC, we got to experience different sets where live studio game shows, talk shows, and news are broadcasted.
On the last day of the trip, we were free to explore the inner workings of the city. We stumbled upon a French café.
The restaurant was snug; the walls were decorated in ornate, plastic vines to create the illusion of an authentic, European coffee shop; a wooden grand piano, accompanied by a twenty-something pianist, reposed in the center. It was the perfect mini getaway from the bustling city life.
As we encroached further into the room, the pianist welcomed us with nods as he played a combination of medleys from popular artists.
The rounded belts from the grand piano evoked coos from the group, and we sang along to the many tunes we recognized.
At night, our young spirits strolled the streets. At times, we engaged in conversations with locals who were curious about our opinions on President-elect Trump.
Occasionally, we would come across a street performer, bashing on plastic container drum sets or strumming out-of-tune The Beatles riffs.
Throughout the trip, we became a tight-knit group of students, originally skeptical of this opportunity, became engrossed in new friendships.
Moota Zigler, senior, claimed, “I had such a great time in Canada. I made a lot of new friends. Dr. McKenzie should take people every year.”
Not only were we able to explore a foreign culture and gain an experience of a lifetime, but we were able to view ourselves not as Americans but North Americans.
Email Frankie at:
fbarrett@live.esu.edu
