⭐ Montreal Unpacked: Why This City Is One of a Kind (Online Talk) ⭐
Details
⭐ Montreal Unpacked: Why This City Is One of a Kind (Online Talk) ⭐
“Perfect if you’re curious about visiting, moving to Montreal,
or understanding what makes it tick.”
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Saturday, February 14, 2026
8:15 PM – 9:45 PM NY time
Online (Zoom)
Please note:
This talk will be in English (Q&A in English as well)
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Schedule
- first 10 min : introductions
- 60-min talk : What makes Montreal “different”
- last 20 min : discussion & comments
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Montreal is the kind of city that keeps surprising you — even when you think you already “get” it.
It’s not just a Canadian city with French signs. It’s a place where old stone and bold creativity live side by side, where people switch languages mid-sentence, where winter doesn’t pause life — it reshapes it, and where entire neighbourhoods feel like mini-worlds with their own rhythm, humour, and unspoken rules.
In this 90-minute talk, I’ll walk you through what makes Montreal genuinely unique — not only in Canada, but on a global scale. Expect stories, vivid contrasts, and a few “wait… really?” moments.
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What we’ll explore
- A city with two voices: how bilingual life feels in real conversations (and why it changes the vibe)
- Neighbourhood energy: why Montreal isn’t “one city,” but a collection of worlds — each with its own identity
- Winter as a character: how the cold shapes movement, habits, social life, and even the city’s creativity
- The Montreal attitude: playful, original, artistic, a bit rebellious
- Culture that spills into the streets: the “public life” feeling that makes the city feel alive
- The hidden Montreal: the layers people miss if they only visit the obvious spots
- How neighborhoods feel radically different
- The winter/underground/walkability reality
- Festivals/public-life culture
- Q&A: bring your questions (especially if you’re curious about living here, visiting, or learning French in the city)
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Style of the session
This is not a lecture full of boring facts. It’s a guided tour through the city’s personality — built to make you see Montreal more clearly, even through a screen.
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Zoom call details
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5456313643
Meeting ID: 545 631 3643
Passcode: galaxy
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Montreal Immersion Experience
If you are interested to come to Montreal in order to practice and improve your French, check out this immersion experience.
Speed it Up : 5-day French Immersion in Montréal + Daily Conversation Workshops
https://www.meetup.com/the-french-club-montreal/events/312669341/
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About us
Hi. Welcome. I’m François Normandeau, founder of The French Club.
We have over 7,000 members in 17 Meetup groups around the world (New York, Paris, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Dallas, Montreal, Atlanta, Mumbai, Chicago, Sydney, Toronto, Washington DC, Tokyo, Vancouver).
If you want the same thing most adults want, a clear path to real, practical French you can actually use when speaking, then this is the right place!
And your free gift is ready: the full A1 French course (50 modules), now available on our platform. It’s the equivalent of 1,200+ pages of explanations, examples, exercises, and homework, with extras like audio and video to help you build pronunciation and real speaking reflexes.
No catch, no gimmick, no obligation, no credit card needed.
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Start here:
To unlock it, two quick steps:
1. Create your account.
2. Enroll in the Free Plan (the A1 course is included in the free plan, but it requires enrollment).
Step-by-step guide (account setup + free A1 enrollment):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fSyoLZDxM2QdHXO0TnDh1UVFP_QjWTXA1Hj-qwcIIMM/
Once you’re in, begin with Module 1 right away.
The goal is momentum, not perfection.
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What The French Club is
The French Club is a global community of French learners with live events on Meetup and a structured learning platform on frenchclub.net.
We focus on real-world fluency through:
- Structured courses from A1 to B2 (50 modules per level).
- Skill workshops that fix the real sticking points (pronunciation, listening speed, writing accuracy, confidence, etc.).
- Conversation events (A1 to B2), including practice sessions and student-led events.
- Small-group immersion experiences.
Meetup is where you’ll discover and join live events.
Our site frenchclub.net is where your learning path is organized in one place (courses, materials, and enrollment).
See you at an event soon !! ツ
— François Normandeau
Founder, The French Club
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Links
The French Club — Academic Program — SPRING 2026
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xKGaWnqk2GOAXTduhpj0etXgXU7DNE_eML2GFgP52VU/edit?usp=sharing
Website + free A1 course: https://www.frenchclub.net/
Meetup hub: https://www.meetup.com/pro/learning-speaking-french/
Welcome video: https://vimeo.com/1148335419
Substack: https://substack.com/@frenchclub