Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Alphonsine Sefu is a student in the international journalism master’s degree program at Université Laval, currently on exchange in Lille, France. She is also the QCT’s newest freelance writer. Ruby Pratka set up a trans-Atlantic Zoom chat for readers to get to know her a little better.

Ruby Pratka (RP): So tell us a little about yourself – did you grow up in Quebec City?

Alphonsine Sefu (AS): Yes! I was born in St-François- d’Assise Hospital, if I’m not mistaken, and I’ve lived [in Quebec City] all my life, except for this semester.

RP: How did you get interested in working in English?

AS: My parents aren’t anglophone, but I have family in the States, in New Brunswick and in England. I naturally had an interest in English when I was younger. I would watch English shows or movies and take notes of the words that I didn’t understand, and try and translate them. I em- braced anything that had to do with English-speaking culture, initially American but also English-Canadian and British culture. From Grade 5 through Secondary 5, I was in intensive English classes. I feel like every time you learn a new language, you have a different perspective because the people who speak that language come from different countries and you have access to a different mentality as well.

RP: You’ve travelled around a lot – England, Italy, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, different places. Where does your passion for travel come from?

AS: I’m very curious, and I’ve also had opportunities in my life. Sometimes it’s school trips. Sometimes I’m visiting a friend in another country, and this time, I’m studying abroad.

RP: What’s the most memorable trip you’ve taken so far?

AS: Italy last year was one of the most memorable, be- cause it was the first time I was travelling totally on my own. Before, it was always either organized trips or with friends. I really like the way I managed to travel alone in a country where I didn’t speak the main language at all. The first city I visited was Lucca, a little city in Tuscany where I don’t think there are a lot of tourists. I came there thinking people would speak English, but that wasn’t necessarily the case, and I didn’t have Inter- net service, so I had to use a physical map! I saw that I could manage to adapt in different or uncomfortable situations, and I liked the independence of going places when I could because I wanted to.

RP: I saw that you also travelled to Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is also one of my favourite cities – what’s the story there?

AS: I have a lot of family there. I only went there for two weeks, but they made a big im- pression because it was my first time in Africa. The stress levels were so much lower – the way people carried themselves and the way people saw their way of life was very different from North America. I realized we didn’t really need that much of the go-go-go sort of mentality we have.

RP: What kind of stories are you most looking forward to writing for the QCT?

AS: I like anything that has to do with social justice, with minorities, especially religious and racial minorities. I think it’s very important to have their point of view in the media. Now we’re getting more and more of it, but I’d like to contribute to this effort. I’d also like to implement some international stories into local events. Anything that has to do with culture or consumer rights is very interesting to me as well.

This interview has been edited and condensed.