Blog post #5

 

How is Éco-Quartier NDG?

 

I work at an amazing organization that aims to help the environment. It is called Éco-Quartier NDG. I work in a very multi-cultural environment: some of my colleagues are from Romania, others from Germany, others that I have yet to discover.

There are no religious symbols or flags but there are paintings on the walls, posters that promote healthy living and respect for the environment. Some activities consist of building Halloween costumes and little sculptures. One thing is for sure, there is no lack of decoration. This kind of setting is lovely to work in.

Sometimes (rarely) they play music on the radio and listen to the latest hits on what I assume is a channel like 74.7 Hits FM which is Anglophone music. There are many flyers and papers lying around which again promotes healthy living, composting advice/instructions, Halloween recipes, new projects like ¨Buy Nothing Day¨, ¨Purse &Jewelry Exchange¨ or ¨Waste Reduction Week¨.

 
 

 

Holidays in other cultures

 

It turns out that Germany and Romania do not celebrate holidays the way we do.

 

Saint-Jean-Baptiste

 

This holiday is actually international and I learnt that Saint-Jean-Baptiste, religiously speaking, was the man who baptised Jesus. Romania celebrates this day on June 24^th.

 

Canada Day

 

My boss (who is a pure Anglophone), for her part, celebrates anything that can be celebrated. Some people celebrate this holiday like crazy. They have this special evening where they make fireworks and the whole package.

 

Thanksgiving

 

People at my internship aren’t traditional when it comes to this holiday. They do not bake a turkey or anything. However, my German colleague taught me that in her country, this day is very important and celebrated. It is like some kind of Christmas for them. They call this special day “Erntedankfest” and they have “Farm Parties” and in these you find donations for the 3^rd world, the children and the less fortunate. Sometimes people go to church.

 

Easter

 

What I have learned about Easter is that the dates are different for some places because it is unorthodox. People from Romania celebrate this in a huge and special way. They eat lamb to celebrate this holiday but they don’t go egg hunting. In the older and traditional manners, the older generations bought new clothes (like shoes, hats, etc.) on this day probably for church or for spring. On the night of Easter, groups of young male teenagers go door to door to carol (sing songs) and see their girl teenager friends with perfume and they are invited to their friends’ houses to drink tea and have a feast. Around midnight, everybody goes to church and at the end of mass, they eat holy bread.

For Germans, there are many holidays in this same one and it is stretched on a number of days. They have Green Thursday (where they must not eat sweets) and they have Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday. Monday is the most important of the lot because it is a day off for everyone. They usually have big lunches and dinners; also the bakeries sell cakes shaped like lambs. They also go egg hunting and at church on Sunday and Monday in the morning or in the evening.

 

In the workplace

 

Never has someone used slang or cursed while I was working. I have done work that has allowed me to expand my knowledge in the English language and been exposed to situations in which I have had the opportunity to use new idioms (in which I have shared in my last article).

 
 

Rewards and challenges

 

I have gained experience and made new acquaintances and I have gotten the chance to practice new verbal skills throughout my internship so far. I am very grateful to have landed on this particular team and project. The best part has been learning about all the new aspects that include my education and culture.

 

I look forward to next week’s activity (going door to door to do prevention for recycling). Wish me luck!