Happy immigrant!

Jajjemän! I've got a French course for immigrants - after all trouble and disappointment. Tjooo!
So, nowadays I'm studying French full time, unfortunately in afternoons/evenings, from 1 - 8 every day. We are a super nice bunch of beginners, trying to make this language into our won. But man, it's hard! Since I did take some classes before I actually feel like I'm quite good in the context of the beginners course, but it's still very, very hard. But I enjoy sooo much being there, learning and meeting all these amazing new people. At the moment I'm hanging out mostly with some Iranians, a bunch of happy Chinese, an energetic Indian, a cute Bangladeshi girl and some Russians, Cara bean, Colombians and Argentinians. It's quite a wird group together, but ojoj, we have so much fun! I love being an immigrant, well, at least for the sake of meeting others in the same situation. It's such an weird and outcast way of being, and you learn sooooo much about everything from life itself, longing, beeing outside, emotions, loneliness and belonging. It makes you humble in a way I never experienced before. Maybe I can say this because I'm an very lucky immigrant, guess things would have been different if I had to leave my own country due to other facts than pure love. I know. But still.

Viva la Espanol!

My new amazing friends are all from South America, a super nice mix of countries and the beautiful Spanish. It's full of happy laughter, friendly teasing humor and South American music. I love it! Unfortunately the two closest, whom I spend days learning French with and drinking tons of coffee, are both leaving back to their countries (Argentina and Colombia) in the end of June! Madre Mia! It's going to be sooooo lonely and quiet here without them. They are really making my life here lively and exciting. But me and my friend K from the states will be here, struggling along the path of love.

streets of Montreal

Does this feel like American streets to you? I'm thinking Amsterdam or maybe even in Austria somewhere. This is pictures from a nice neighborhood around the hip area of the Plateau. Like it! Common to see graffiti everywhere.

Bajja

Bah! Immigration rules! I didn't get my free 3 months French course due to some kind of an waiting list for at least 3 months! That's a looooong f***ing time when all you need is really the language! ANGRYYYY!!! And on top of those 3 months comes 2 months summer break for the courses, so my course won't start until late August! Man! Shitty immigration.

arty farty

Me and M went for the electronic art happening "Feed" at the festival Elektra yesterday night. It was supposed to be spectacular and cool and mind blowing. They talked about loosing track of space and find yourself lost in ambiance... öööh.. arty talk. Well... The artist was working with physical sound (you know, when your body starts vibrating due to heavy low frequency sound), 2D computer animation art, stage smoke/fog and strobe lights. All in all I would conclude it like this: after stressing to get there in time, we had to actually wait 40 minutes since it was delayed (supposed to start at 11 in the night), so by the time we were seated we were very tired. It starts with heavy sound (cool) and an arty animation on big screen with weirdly moving naked body floating around in the air, becoming multiplied and weirder as time went on (fun for the first 5 minutes). After kinda 10 minutes of not much actually happening, suddenly there came a heavy, duty fake stage-smoke, thick as grandma's whipped cream, and in an instant everyone around you in the audience dissapered in the fog and you found yourself "alone" and isolated. Cool! But irritating for the lungs and a bit like a sleeping pill. Then starts a flickering strobe light, music more intense and heavy, strobe a bit shifting with music... This was meditatively slow - and quite boring and after 15 minutes of nonstop of this, I couldn't help falling in and out of sleep, M too, I just didn't see it at the time. Then it was suddenly over, but the heavy smoke stayed and nobody could find their way out and everyone was coughing. Just great. Arty and weird. This is what they say in the festival program:
"... The loss of control that arises from this immersive environment assures a sensorial, emotionally satisfying and
truly alarming experience. This is a great opportunity for you to put your senses to the test… and experience something beyond understanding."
Yes, they were right - it was beyond my understanding - and the fire alarm actually did went of

mmmm... camera...

Today me and my French-class friend A went to look at some video cameras for me... Mmmmmm... I felt like a kid in a candy store.
This is the favorite so far. Canon XH A1

METAL head bang

Yes, my dude loves the metal scene and hard rock (sorry M, my categorization might be off the track a bit..), and since it's been his birthday recently, we decided to celebrate it a bit more by going for a show of metal music. And hey, it was the Swedish band Meshuggah playing, which M really likes), before the grand show of Ministry. Yes, it was hard rock/metal alright! I had a really good time, even though I had my earplugs stuffed extra deep in. Meshuggah ruled! It's dark, heavy and angry, every ingredience to make you wanna punch someone in the face. I really enjoyed to watch all these head banging guys and girls with looooong hair, on and off stage, some even sitting and head-banging. Rock'n'roll grandpa'! So, it won't convince me to start loving metal or hard rock, but it was great to actually be at a good show and just see it for real once. And Ministry, well, that's something. Very political, huge video screen showing really super good "film-sequences" behind, adding story to the music, a lot of Bush and war and anger and anarchy. And the singer was all dressed up in weird outfits and make-up, there was a cow scull attached to his mic stand and the band was performing behind a high metal fence, which was part of the staging, not for security. Very stylish! I only had one problem; I was sick as a half dead cow in fever caused by the measles (yes, it's true, all red dotted over my body!) and actually fell asleep in the middle of Ministry's show. Hmm... how's that for a resumé.
And a funny thing happened. Next to me in the crowed I spotted a known face, and yes, there she was, in all her glory: the Swedish Robyn! Hey hopp! I'm all surrounded by Sweden. :)