Six years ago, the only thing Dominic Ménard knew about Wales was that it had a Princess named Diana. He would have been hard pressed to point out Wales on a map, let alone provide any insight on Welsh life.

Today, Dominic is a published author on the topic, with an MA in Welsh culture, and he can even rattle off a few Welsh phrases.

What changed? The story begins with a single decision he made one snowy day in the winter of 1998.

While finishing his degree in Geography at the Université Laval, Dominic saw a small poster advertising a student exchange programme between Québec and the UK. Young Quebecers were being recruited by the British Council and the Québec Ministry of Education to teach French as a second language in the UK. Dominic decided to apply and was accepted.

Not quite sure what to expect, but with a sense of adventure, Dominic packed up his belongings and moved to the small town of Ffairfach (Welsh for ‘little fair’). He spent the next year working as a French language assistant in a bilingual Welsh-English school. It was a year of adventure, exploration and new friendships.

Living in Wales gave Dominic a chance to discover things most tourists miss. He was welcomed into the community, and even managed to learn a little of the Welsh language. He took long walks through the countryside and discovered five castles (that were not on any tourist map) within walking distance of the 1720s manor house he lived in.

Dominic’s travels led to an interest in the similarities between Québecois and Welsh culture. In 2000, he returned to Wales where he completed a master’s thesis on Welsh culture at the University of Wales in Cardiff.

Dominic has since written a book based on his experiences as a Language Assistant entitled ‘Pays de Galles: un séjour dans un monde oublié’. Today, he remembers his days as a Language Assistant fondly saying the experience changed his life.

Dominic continues to share his stories by talking to groups of high school students in Québec, possibly inspiring some young students to one day become Language Assistants themselves, and see firsthand where the adventure can lead.

Dominic’s book is available for purchase at most major bookstores in Québec. Here is an excerpt to whet your appetite...

‘The program’ excerpted from: MÉNARD-BILODEAU, Dominic (2004), Pays de Galles, séjour dans un monde oublié, Arion Voyages, Québec, 188p.

"A program set up by Québec’s Ministry of Education allows a few young students to act as French assistants in British or German schools for a full year. Having vaguely heard of this program in the past, I had submitted my application at the very last minute this past January. Then, after doing poorly in the interview, or so I thought, I started to forget about this whole project. So, I started looking for other interesting programs for the coming fall. Anyway, this year in the United Kingdom seemed too good to be true. I figured it was impossible that I would ever get picked. (…) The following month, a one-day training was offered to the lucky twenty who had been chosen in a government tower downtown Québec City. It was there that we would finally find out our destination, our home for the next eight months of the coming school year. The tension in the room seemed to weigh heavily on all of us. After all, we were still so young.

The official finally entered the room, accompanied by a British representative and holding a map of the UK. Our twenty names had been written on this map next to the place where our file had been sent. Suspense! Of course, he went on and on with every possible detail involving the program while we were all dying to find out our final destination. Was anybody really listening? We were too busy dreaming. Would I end up in the Scottish countryside, in busy London or… what else was there? Turns out I didn’t know much about other British regions. I would have to get a lot of information before leaving. Blah-blah-blah, it kept dragging on and on in the front, while an inquiring look around the room allowed me to discover many young faces who seemed excited, scared and anxious all at once. In their eyes, the same sparkle. For many, this adventure would not only be a first trip, but a first opportunity to live abroad. Some didn’t even speak English. We were young, innocent and were all dreaming of freedom.

My thoughts were interrupted when, suddenly, I saw everybody getting up excitedly and rushing toward the map. Time had come to find out my destination! But I couldn’t see my name anywhere! Finally, when my eyes glanced out west, I saw "Dominic Ménard" written away from everybody else, in an isolated region called Wales. Wales? My brain searched in vain for any information it might hold on it… Prince of Wales? Princess of Wales? I couldn’t find anything else in my memory. Well, could I have been more isolated? My talents in research would be called upon in the days ahead."

(pp.13-16)