Quebec Two - Text
Subject is white male, born 1951, Montreal, Canada, where he lived for the first twenty years of his life. He later lived for twenty years in Quebec City, although was rarely at home due to his life as a seaman. He also lived in Gabon, and Zambia, and had been living in Cairo, Egypt when recorded there 6/26/99 by Krista Scott, where he was working as a mathematics professor. Definite French-Canadian sound, though muted by years of cosmopolitan life. Interview edited 11/03/99 by Paul Meier. Running time: 00:03:54.
TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH
So I’m (unclear) from—I’m born in Montreal. So I lived there for twenty years. (Um) Then I left for a smaller place, maybe five hundred kilometers from there, called Rimouski—Quebec province, still—to study. (Uh) I studied navigation. Then I stayed there for a year, then came back midway (unclear) somehow to Quebec City and lived there for maybe almost twenty years. Although most of the time (unclear) were out of the country because I was seaman. (Uh) Then I left for Zambia for a couple of years, then came back to Quebec a couple of years, and left back for another country in Africa, Gabon, then back to Quebec for two, three years. Then (uh) back to Cairo. And I’m still here. I’ve been here for six years now. (Laughs) Well, there is this (uh), there was a—I suppose, I suppose there’s still this tradition of (uh) winter carnival in Quebec City. (Uh) Some—some event where people used to (um), well, drink a lot. But (um) it used to be in the coldest time of the year and (uh) there would be activities ranging from all sort of sports like (uh) crossing the river (uh) on a boat (um) when there is a lot of ice so they have to walk on it and then to row and everything. Other sports, also, and some sort of cultural or half-cultural activities (uh) from sculpture (unclear) on ice or (um) some (um)—well, there is this beauty contest also which I—they didn’t know what to do even with it because they wanted to sort of keep the tradition but of course it was out of fashion even fifteen years ago, so they—I don’t know if they still hesitate or what they should do with that. Maybe they abolish it now. I—I have no idea. But they’re really, really looking for something—something to take the place of this thing. But (um) something maybe more appropriate for (uh) the time being (unclear). Anyway, it was a fun time and there were a lot of tourists coming for that.
UNSCRIPTED SPEECH TRANSCRIBED BY JOHN WRIGHT 15 MAY, 2008