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 with
‘Bonjour Monsieur/Madame’ before continuing your question. Similarly, always
greet a person when entering a store, bank, restaurant, etc., and say goodbye
when you leave (Bonjour/Au revoir). (See
Simple comme bonjour, http://mavieinfrance.blogspot.fr/2015/02/simple-comme-bonjour.html)
SMILING
IS OPTIONAL: People tend not to smile at strangers in public and
usually don’t make eye contact. If you
do this, it can be interpreted like you’re trying to pick someone up! Girls and women especially, be wary of smiling
at people you meet/see in the street.
BEWARE
OF PICKPOCKETS: In touristy parts of any city, beware of pickpockets
and gypsies or ‘gitans’. In touristy areas of Paris I've seen a child approach people
with a card written in English or say ‘do you speak English’, probably trying
to distract the person to get their wallet. In other cities there are scams
where groups of people will try to get you to sign petitions. In any case, just
politely say "désolé" (sorry) and walk away, and hang on to your
belongings.
DO YOU
HAVE A LIGHT/CAN YOU SPARE SOME CHANGE? It is
common to be approached by people in the street in France and asked for various
things: a light for a cigarette, directions, the time, and obviously, also for
money.
When I first arrived here, I was always on my guard
when anyone stopped me in the street, but now I've realized that it's a pretty
common occurrence and most of the time people who do it are sincerely asking
for information.
In all cases, if you don't know what the person wants
or can't help them, the simple answer is always "Non, désolé" (no,
sorry). This also goes for people asking for money. In my experience, people
asking for money are usually polite and maintain their distance. Rather than
ignoring them, the politest thing to do is simply say "Non, désolé"
(No, sorry) and walk away.
THE
FRENCH SCHEDULE:
· *Many public places (stores, markets, offices) will close anytime between 12-2 in the afternoon during
the week. This takes some getting used
to, and you will need to plan accordingly.
· *Many businesses and restaurants are closed
on Mondays. The idea is these services are often open on Saturdays, so
closing on Mondays provides a two-day weekend.
· *Almost everything except for restaurants will be closed
on Sundays, so don’t count on doing your shopping then.
STRIKES ARE A NATIONAL PASTIME: You will no doubt encounter at least one strike (grève) while in
France. This is in part because of the
strength of unions in France. Get used to the idea now and just remember that
it’s all part of the experience. The
most common groups that go on strike are:
teachers, the trains (SNCF) and often university students.
8 recommendations of
places to visit in France outside of Paris:
Many Americans moving to France see this as their
ticket to Europe, and take advantage of weekends and holidays to explore the
different European capitals. While low-cost airlines provide a great
opportunity to discover Europe on a relatively low budget, there is so much to
see within France itself. If you're spending some time in the hexagone, I
highly recommend taking the time to also explore France and its many, diverse
regions (all incidentally with their own, delicious regional food).
Here are 8 of my recommendations for places to visit
in France (most of which are also presented here http://mavieinfrance.blogspot.fr/2015/04/a-regional-tour-of-france.html ):
1. Strasbourg-
Try to go around Christmastime, when they have their famous Christmas market
(marché de Noël). You'll feel like you're in Germany, and can actually walk to
Germany by simply crossing a bridge on the Rhine river.
2. Annecy-I
lived here for a year. Annecy is near
the Alps, so if you wanted to ski, this would be a good place to stop and visit
on the way. You can take buses from the
Annecy train station that will drive you to the ski stations. The scenery is breathtaking. There is a huge lake surrounded by mountains,
and the city is full of little canals.
They call it the Venice of the Rhône-Alpes.
3.
Aix-en-Provence/Marseille- Aix is a beautiful city with a lot of
fountains. In this part of France, they
have 300 days of sun per year! If you
like the 19th century artist Cezanne, he lived in Aix for a good part of his
life.
Visit Aix for a day and then take a bus to Marseille
(only about 30 minutes away). You’ll
notice a huge difference between the two.
Marseille has so much history, including an ancient port that dates back
to the Greeks. Marseille has a large
immigrant population, and it’s right on the Mediterranean. It is also France’s 2nd largest
city after Paris. A TGV(train) from
Paris to Aix only takes 3 hours.
4. Arles- Arles
is small, but there is so much to see.
This is where Van Gogh ended up in an asylum, and you can see the café
he painted, as well as other sites from his paintings. In addition, there is an almost completely
restored Roman amphitheater, a Roman theater, Roman baths, and a museum if you
want even more Roman history.
5. Lyon- Lyon
is the third biggest city in France and has an important place in French
history. You’ll get a different feeling
from Paris or Marseille. It’s right on
the Rhône and Saone rivers and also has Roman ruins, museums from the German
Occupation during WWII, other major museums, and is considered one of the most
‘gastronomic’ cities in France…meaning it has great food!
6.
Bretagne-(cities: Rennes,
Quimper, St. Malo, Brest)-Bretagne has been on my travel list for a long
time. It has its own culture, dialect
and has a lot of Celtic traditions. Just
don’t expect good weather!
7. If you get
the opportunity, go to Corsica, the island is supposed to be gorgeous. It would be best to go in warm weather. If you want to save money, you can take a
night ferry from Marseille. Corsica is
technically part of France, but has its own culture and language, closer to
that of Italy.
8. Nice- Nice
is a big tourist destination and because of this it wasn’t the first place I
wanted to visit in the South. When I
finally went, I saw what all of the fuss is about. It’s beautiful, on the Mediterranean, and has
a lot of culture. You’ll hear a lot of
Italian walking around, and there are some great art museums (Matisse, Chagall,
etc.)
If
you're moving to France...
If you
move to France and don't speak any French, make sure you can at least do the
following:
1. Memorize the spelling of your first and last name,
in the French alphabet. Especially while
you’re learning to pronounce your name with a French accent, you’ll probably
need to spell it out.
2. When you get
your cell phone in France, memorize your number. Before you have it memorized, store it in
your phone so you always have it on hand, and can just show to someone if they
ask for it.
3. memorize
your birthday in French: remember that
the French switch the order of dates, the date comes first, the month second
(i.e. February 10, 2015 is written as 10-2-2015)
On
meeting French people:
In my experience, it takes time to become friends with
French people. This can be frustrating
if you really want to work on your French and expand your social circle.
My advice to you: Get a French hobby!
Join a club, take a class, play on a sports
team…whatever your interests are, find a way to pursue them in France. French people are very into hobbies so this
is a great way to meet people.
I've now lived in France three different times, and
over the years I've taken piano lessons, played oboe in a city band, took art
classes, did volunteer work, participated in language exchanges, etc. These were great experiences, I met a lot of
terrific people and it made my social life more interesting.
A good place to find local activities is in what's
called an MJC (Maison Jeunes Culture). They’re basically centers that offer
recreational activities and clubs you can join, and often there is often one
per city, sometimes one even in every neighborhood. Most cities will also have a ‘foire des
associations’ in September, a sort of showcase for the different activities
available in the city.
Best of luck to anyone reading this moving to France.
Please comment on this post if you have other suggestions you think are useful for anyone visiting or moving to France.
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