Montréal until now

Now I have been on exchange at Université de Montréal over the summer. At this stage I think it is time to make a summary of what I have experienced  so far. My impression of Montréal and being a PhD student in political science are:

• Things are not that different from Sweden
• People are curious about Sweden, and political scientists want to know more about the welfare state
• I am in Canada but most of all in Québec. Québec is international and protectionist, at the same time
• Most of the time English works fine but quite often French is needed. I have improved my understanding of the Québécois accent. Next step is to start using it myself
• Several nationalities are represented in the Department of Political science. I hang out with people from Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Belgium, France, Sweden and Finland
• Food culture is a mix of greasy American and fine French cuisine
• Music is present in many parts of the city
• People do not care too much about details
• The control function in public/private spaces is stronger than in Sweden. You cannot put your bike anywhere
• Most of the time people mean well