RENTING SUITS STUDENT
Comfort found in Plateau Mont-Royal
Linn Blomkvist has a Swedish father and a Norwegian mother and although she is barely 22, she already speaks four languages (Norwegian, Swedish, English and French) and is working on a fifth (Arabic). She also started forging a career as a journalist when she was only 16 years old, in her hometown of Tromso in northern Norway. Working part-time for a local publication, she initially covered culture and was then moved into the news section, where she developed an interest in politics.
While still in high school, Blomkvist came to Montreal as an exchange student. She loved the city so much that she vowed to return. Last year she did just that. Now enrolled as a journalism student at Concordia University, she is studying Arabic language and literature because she says there will be opportunities for journalists to cover the Middle East for many years to come.
According to Blomkvist, there is a dearth of western journalists able to speak Arabic and while many work well with the help of a translator, it’s not quite the same as being able to communicate directly with the locals and thus gain an insight into their culture.
Blomkvist spent her first semester in a student residence, but soon decided that wasn’t for her, so in December 2016 she answered an ad on Kijiji from a musician — Miles DupireGagnon — who was looking for a roommate. Dupire- Gagnon plays with a local band called Elephant Stone and is often on the road, so according to Blomkvist, their living arrangement works well. They share a 5 ½ on the Plateau, splitting the rent between them.
Q Why did you chose the Plateau? A It reminds me of Europe and the neighbourhood really makes me feel at home. Even when I was an exchange student and lived in the suburbs, I used to come into the Plateau all the time. I love the cafés and the streets are interesting. Also it’s very francophone in this particular part of the Plateau and it gives me the opportunity to practise my French when I go grocery shopping or whatever.
Q Given that you had been living in a student residence, did you have to buy furniture?
A No. Miles had furnished the apartment already. That was what I was looking for. I’m going back to Norway in the fall so I didn’t want anything permanent. The only thing I brought with me, apart from my personal belongings, were a couple of plants — I’m a plant person — and the wine glasses!
(Blomkvist walks me through the apartment, starting at the far end where an addition has been tagged on to the kitchen. It serves as the laundry room
and a space for storage and was evidently built on to what was originally an outside wall. The bricks have been painted white and the window was clearly meant to open at some point.
(The kitchen is well equipped with plenty of cupboards and a centre island. There is enough space to accommodate a small dining table and chairs — an important feature for Blomkvist because she likes to cook and entertain friends. We walk from the kitchen into her bedroom — a bright, sunny space with a large window.)
Q Is the bed yours? A No, that was here already and also the chest of drawers. I did bring the full-length mirror and a couple of books. One thing I really like about this room — actually the apartment in general — are the high ceilings. They give the feeling of space.
(From the bedroom we walk along the hallway to the living room. It is furnished with a black leather sofa, a red steamer trunk that serves as a coffee table, a white tub chair and an oldfashioned, drop-down sewing machine. A black bookshelf holds a large collection of vinyl albums belonging to Dupire-Gagnon. A small anteroom, leading to the front balcony, is also filled with the musician’s gear — a drum kit, bongos and a mic stand.)
Q This an odd little room. I wonder what it was used for originally? A I really don’t know the exact age of the building.
Q Perhaps 100 years old? A It’s hard to say. You can see the building is pretty worn down but I don’t mind that because I wanted to live in more of a charming apartment. A lot of places in the Plateau have been renovated but there’s a big, big price difference between those apartments and here. I thought at first I might turn this space into an office but I haven’t got that far — probably because I know I’m going to be moving again in a few months.
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