It’s just a coincidence because we often talk about everything Quebecois happening in the U.S. Then again, it’s also probably a Freudian slip or something like that for me. It’s not bad, let me explain…

It’s something regarding my daughter. She’s 17 and a senior at the Lycée Français of Los Angeles. Great school, very happy with it, but it is time for us to think about what’s next. And next could really be Quebec - Montreal, to be precise. She and her mother even went college scouting in Canada recently. Her number 1 choice is HEC in Montreal. It’s a great choice and I couldn’t be prouder if she gets in… Where am I going with this, you’re probably asking yourself? Patience, my friends, patience…

As we were doing our research, we realized how badly French students who spent most of their school years in the USA wanted to get into college like McGill, Concordia or others in Quebec. And why not? They’re pretty good schools and, yes, it’s much cheaper the U.S. College. Believe me, after 12 years of Lycée Français, it will be more than appreciated. But it’s not the principal reason. They could go to France since colleges are not cheap there, they are free. Yes, I know…

The number 1 reason for all these French students - daughters and sons of longtime expats is the language. I am convinced that there is a moment in the life of these kids where they want to come back to the roots of the language of their parents, French, but without losing what built them as young women and men, English. Quebec is the perfect meeting point, the perfect bridge between the 2 languages, the 2 cultures. I don’t know if our teenagers are aware of that when they fill up their applications for a college in Québec, but I’m convinced it is part of the process.

They will find this bridge between the 2 cultures in Québec and so much more. French Canadian culture is something so rich, so deep, and so unique that most of those kids will discover something they’re really not expecting - a new way to see the world. Which probably explains the uniqueness of movies like Antigone or of the music played by the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal…

To learn more about Quebecois and Francophone culture in America, tune-in to episodes of Rendez-vous d’Amérique on TV5MONDE USA. Click here for more information.

Exploring cultural diversity entwined with the insatiable energy of New York’s Carnegie Hall, the bright lights of Hollywood red carpets, the inspirational beauty of Louisiana’s bayous, and beyond - Rendez-vous d'Amérique invites you on a journey to discover Francophone culture in America. Your host on this cultural experience is Didier Allouch - reporter, cinephile, and a familiar face at movie premieres. Click here to learn how you can get TV5MONDE USA and never miss an episode!