Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2015

A Survival Guide to France

Way back when (it seems like a lifetime ago) I was teaching French at the university level in the United States. One semester in particular, I had a group of architecture students who had never studied French and who I needed to prepare to go abroad in one semester. I've just found some of the final cultural notes I gave the students before sending them off.   In any case, this advice can be useful for both tourists who are only passing through for a couple of days, to people who are settling in France and need to know the basics of getting around. Keep in mind that France is a very high-context culture. In plain English, this means that much of what you are supposed to do socially is coded, and not explicit (see the first point below for an example). Whether you are just visiting France or moving here, remember the following... BONJOUR, EXCUSEZ-MOI...AU REVOIR : If you ever need to stop someone to ask for information (French people do this a lot), always begin wit

Getting Information in France: A Scavenger Hunt

I'm now in the always dreary and often stressful process of renewing my residence card here in France. I have to renew it every year, as this is one of the policies for non-European residents. A familiar scene happened the other day when I began to search for some answers to questions about my particular case, which requires changing the status of my residence card. My first technique was to call directly the administrative office where I would submit my application (called the préfecture ). I got no answer, even after calling four different numbers, several times. The line answering machine, however, suggested a general number, which I called promptly.  First thing after calling, it was announced that I would pay 15 cents/minute for the call, and that my waiting time was under 2 minutes. When I finally got to talk to a person, I realized that this is a general number for all of France, and not specific to my region (where procedures can be a little different). So esse

Ready, Set, Summer! : What to Expect During the Summer Vacation Period in France

a beach on the Mediterranean coast This post is going to be primarily informative about the quirks of summer vacation in France, including the common dates, weather, and other relevant details. First, a little lexique: Language: canicule -extended heat wave bison futé - the 'smart bison' path for car travel, which basically alerts you to the severity of traffic jams in different areas using colors as an indicator (black = heavy traffic jams, green = free flowing traffic) bouchon - traffic jam (also the work for 'cork' as in a wine cork) juilletiste/aoûtien - Julyists and Augustists, words French people can use to describe those who go on vacation in July, and those who prefer to go in August Dates: The first thing you need to know about France: since the school system is centralized, summer vacation is between July and August, in June school is still in session. The start of the vacation season is literally at the end of the school ye