STUDENT HOME MAKES CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Decor as diverse as the roommates in this downtown apartment
Chatting to four out of five roommates who share student accommodations in downtown Montreal, it’s hard to imagine they’ve only been living together for a little more than a month.
Prior to the start of the university year, they knew nothing about one another. They come from different countries and have different cultural backgrounds and yet they already seem to be bosom buddies.
Florian Montaufier hails from France. His mother is a diplomat and his family has moved around, so he has lived in five different countries — his native France, Switzerland, Canada (on a previous trip when his mother was posted to the French consulate), Germany and the United States. A student at the prestigious EDHEC business school in Lille, he is currently working as an intern in the finance department of TC Transcontinental.
Mohamed Ali (he goes simply by Ali), is from Mombasa, a coastal city in Kenya. He is completing his studies to become a civil engineer at Concordia University. Jessica Currey, a New Zealander from Auckland, is an exchange student at the John Molson School of Business. The sole Canadian is Mathilde Granger. She grew up in Mont-Tremblant and is studying kinesiology at McGill University. (The fifth resident, known simply as “the German guy,” did not want to take part in the interview.)
Their home away from home is a far cry from the scruffy student digs of yesteryear. Their apartment is on the eighth floor of a modern block known as La Marque in downtown Montreal. The group of young people I interviewed (they’re between 19 and 23 years old), live in a spacious apartment with five bedrooms, two bathrooms (one for the women and one for the men), a shared living/dining room, a storage room and a galley kitchen. In addition to their private quarters, they have access to communal spaces such as laundry rooms, a cinema, a games room, a gym and a “quiet” study room.
Q This is a really nice apartment. How did you find it? Montaufier: We all went online individually and from the La Marque website we got a questionnaire that asked things like “do you smoke?” “are you a quiet person,” “do you like to socialize” and so on. Granger: La Marque then matched us all up because we had similar personalities and similar lifestyles.
Q So, in a sense, you didn’t choose the apartment, the apartment chose you? Granger: Exactly.
Q How much do you pay? Montaufier: It depends how long you stay here. The shorter the stay, the more expensive it is. In our case, we pay an average of $800 a month.
Q What about the furniture? I presume that’s included in the rent? Montaufier: Everything is included in the rent. Granger: All the furniture, the Wi-Fi, the electricity …
(The furniture is a blend of grained wood and steel frames and handles — sturdy, but attractive. The colour palette is neutral, except for the wall in the living room, which is burnt orange.)
Q I take it you like the way it has been decorated? Montaufier: Yes, but the good thing is every renter has also brought something to decorate the apartment and left it behind.
(He indicates a map of the world on the wall above the sofa, the print of a Turner painting of a maritime scene, a Union Jack poster embellished with the ubiquitous slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On” and a large Canadian flag.)
Q Who brought the flag? Montaufier: A former renter. He was a student from Venezuela. Ali: I brought some things with me from Kenya.
(He takes me through his bedroom door, which bears the word Karibu — “welcome” in Swahili. His bedding is covered with wildlife motifs such as zebra stripes, leopard spots and elephant hide.)
(All the bedrooms have the same furnishings but each student has decorated his or her private space a little differently, reflecting individual tastes. Currey has hung lots of photos on the wall. Granger’s room has a window, but she has turned her bed around so the light is behind her.)
Q You didn’t want to enjoy the view? Granger: In terms of the space, this was the best set up.
(We walk into Montaufier’s room, where he demonstrates his wall light — a cluster of LED triangles arranged in a snakelike squiggle above his bed.)
Q What on Earth is that on your wall? Montaufier: It’s called a Nanoleaf Aurora and it’s operated with an app on my phone.
(To demonstrate, he touches the screen, whereupon the light changes colour.) Granger: I’d really love one of those. When Florian leaves maybe he’ll forget to take it. Ali: Everybody has to leave something behind.
Q You mean apart from new friends?
(They burst out laughing.) Montaufier: The best thing about living here is learning about other countries. For example, when Ali explains something to me, I see Kenya through his eyes. It’s not just something I see on the news. If you would like your home to be considered for Shelter, please contact hloverseed@sympatico.ca