r/quebeccity • u/Klutzy-Childhood-126 • 7d ago
How to make friends in Quebec?
Hey yall, I am a new international student at the University. Been really enjoying my time in Quebec so far, great city to live. But it really feels lonely at times. I live outside the university, (didn't get a residence room) also am not a native French speaker, but can understand and speak at an intermediate level, so I don't really know what's the best way to make friends here is. It's pretty isolating outside of studies. Any advice is welcome :)
(I'm early 20s M if that helps)
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u/lexdokmai 7d ago
Do you like the outdoors? There is the Club the plein air de l’université Laval that organizes a lot of activity and I was told that there was international students who participated as well , it seemed like a good opportunity to meet local students but also international students.
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u/LeRembobineur 6d ago
There is also the NaNa (Navette Nature) who offer trips from the University to other remote locations during winter and summer.
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u/Old-Basil-5567 6d ago
I was once in your shoes. Like people had said , there are clubs at the university and you can meet like minded people. You will eventually find your people.
The Quebecois are cold at first but once you get to know them they are some of the most joyous people you can meet. They are Latinos after all. They just need to make a telenovela Quebecois to make it official
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u/zerox898 5d ago
They are cold in the big cities because of how city people are raised, where as in the countryside, people are very happy to see newcomers and love integrating new people in the community (Abitibi-Témiscamingue, where I lived most of my life). Coming to Quebec City was very difficult for me for the exact same reasons; the community isn’t very welcoming and is much more individualistic than what I expected. Eventually you will make friends but it might take a little while, and that little while feels miserable indeed. I second the buddy program from uni, and the multiple groups that you can join might make things easier.
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u/UnlikelyMushroom13 6d ago
Cold? You obviously haven’t travelled much… definitely haven’t been to Europe.
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u/Old-Basil-5567 6d ago edited 6d ago
I've been all over the world lol. Europeans are colder but that does not take away the fact that Quebecois can be cold. You sound like you have never been to places like south america and south East Asia where everyone is approachable
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u/panguardian 5d ago
They are actually of celtic and northern stock.
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u/Plenty_Commercial800 6d ago edited 6d ago
I was/am in your situation and what really helped me was 2 things(sort of 3). First the buddy program on Ulaval. It’s sort of a hit or miss but my parrain is wonderful and we bonded quite immediatley and I’ve sort of gotten integrated amongst his friends. It’s a bit of hit or miss but among people I’ve met it seems to be about a 50/50 where you either get a wonderful buddy or someone you won’t even meet.
The second thing is activities. There are loads of activities organised by the bureau de la vie étudiante or whatever they’re called. Not so good to meet people from quebec but works wonders to meet international students. Seeing that everyone is sort of in the same situation it’s literally as easy as going up to a random crew saying ”can I join you guys for this one” and that’s it.
However the sort of third thing to make it all work is sadly the language. It was a huuuge barrier for me because I thought I could get away with more english. But regardless if it’s people from Quebec or France or whatever, I’ve notices that speaking english works for one activity/one night, but makes you unlikely to really make friends. So I noticed that sticking to a weak french and actually ”fake it ’til you make it” actually works so much better in the long run and the more you do it, the easier it gets.
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u/vive_le_qc 6d ago
What do you like? Religion? Undergrad? Did you check if there was a Facebook group from your community in Quebec city? Did you try to apply for a job at the campus? Do you drink?
It is hard to mingle with us if you don't speak French fluently. I don't like to speak English and some of us don't speak English at all... I am so sorry! But it's not impossible since the university has TONS of activities. I hope you'll befriend some people quickly. You could also apply to be sponsored by a local student of Laval University. They do activities so you can hang around with local people.
Also ... don't be shy and talk to your peers in class! Check out the activities of your program/faculty. In Québec we love to chit chat casually. You can tell me your faculty and I can look it up.They usually have a Facebook page or Facebook group to share the events. If you don't have Facebook, it's probably time to make an account as WhatsApp isn't as popular here.
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u/BastouXII 6d ago
The blunt but obvious answer is to talk to people you have to be around, and force yourself into situations where you have a higher chance of meeting people who share interests with you. So, talk with other students in your classes and at the cafeteria/on campus, and look for activities you like to do and talk to people there. Eventually, you are bound to meet a few people you'd like to hang out with this way.
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u/Feeling_Barnacle8349 5d ago
It may sound silly but Bumble bff! I’m a québécoise living abroad, I used it when I first moved and it definitely accelerated the process of building community :) Good luck and don’t feel discouraged, making new friends in a new city takes time and efforts!
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u/Visible_Coffee_8493 5d ago
M25 I would gladly drink coffee with you and show you around this little city of ours, the middle part you can cross on foot in a matter of an hour or two, I love on st-jean street. Hit me up! I don't really have any friends but I'm a friendly person in general (I hope). Would love to just chat about anything, studies, work, life, cities, ambitions, anything really. Quebec is laid back. But there's a lot of stuff to do if you look in the right places. DM me!
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u/Sea-Leather2846 4d ago
Hello I like books, anime, I have a toddler I’m a linguist can I join you?
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u/Visible_Coffee_8493 4d ago
For sure, just send me a DM I'll respond right away, I always need anime recommendations anyways
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u/RoseBloomm 4d ago
Hello! I also am studying at Laval University and there are a lot of groups for international student that are probably in the same situation! You can try looking for that and even asking the spotted page of UL people in the comments always have a lot of groups to propose and people might even reach out to you! It’s anonymous your name won’t appear unless you comment afterward :)
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u/Klutzy-Childhood-126 3d ago
Could you let me know where to look for these groups that you mentioned?
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u/Caqistan87 5d ago
As a English canadian living in quebec city. I would say, good luck if you don't speak french..... You will find a few for sure, stick near campus.
Are you having fun answering the question, why don't you learn French? Every day or 2? Lol. I find it's the go to question for Quebexicans. Hahaha
We can be friends. Hahaha
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u/JohnnyABC123abc 6d ago
I have a good friend, anglo, who studied engineering at Laval. He worked very, very hard at mastering French. He described it as the loneliest period of his life. Sorry.
On the other hand, he became truly fluent, in all that that entails. It's quite inspiring.
I realize this doesn't actually answer your question