Expat Diary: French vs. American Lifestyles
Sacré-Cœur | Paris, France
LE MODE DE VIE AMÉRICAIN. At the time of this post, I am learning a lot about French culture from my co-workers (thanks Mehdi, Paul, Aminata, and Marie-Pierre) so depending on when you read this, my views likely have changed.
Have you ever had one of those moments where you think to yourself, “Why would I do that?” Well, I certainly have and I feel it is happening too often right now. My adoption of the French culture is met with a 50/50 split between trying new things and questioning why would I do something?
INITIAL REACTIONS (I’M ONLY 3 MONTHS INTO MY LIFE IN THE 7TH ARRONDISSEMENT, PARIS (75007).
Using salutations in French goes a long way
Bonjour (Good day) - ALWAYS use this greeting when you enter a business or restaurant. ALWAYS!
Salut (Hello / Hi, Bye) - only use this greeting with people you know very well. Not appropriate in a business setting. A good rule of thumb is allow a francophone to use the greeting with you first then you’ll know it’s okay to use with them!
Bonne journée (Have a good day) - usually used when leaving work or a business/retailer well into the evening time.
Bonsoir (Good evening) - used in the evening hours when you enter a restaurant, cafe, retailer (avoid bonne nuit (have a good night) as it’s used for when you go to bed)
Bonne soirée (Have a good evening) - used when leaving a restaurant, retailer, etc.
Pardon / Pardon Moi (Excuse me/Pardon me /To call someone’s attention) - more common than excuse-moi, which is more commonly used to interrupt what someone is doing to ask question or call their attention to something.
Learning what’s popular in sports and activities will help you make friends
American soccer is called football (always say football when referencing soccer)
Petanque is a popular game. You will be asked to play and expected to participate. The game is the easiest way to understand French non-verbal behavior as well. It’s fun!
Walking/Running and other outdoor lifestyle sports are highly encouraged. I don’t play football (soccer), yet went to watch my coworkers play and helped keep score.
Visit as many museums as you can
Culture is a huge deal in France and casually in English or French, mentioning a particular artist, muse, or writer comes up. No one is going to forgive the fact you don’t know historical French themes, literary writers, or wartime heroes. What they do expect is you gain the knowledge so you can participate in dialogue, events, etc. Only knowing Victor Hugo or Napoleon won’t help!
Try something different on the menu
Steak and frites aren’t the only thing you can eat, regardless of how popular it is… venture out and try things you can’t pronounce or wouldn’t normally eat. This is especially important for cheeses… even the smelly ones! Go for it!
Petanque: a popular French game. How to play: https://youtu.be/IjmLFKlVHlk
I’ll post more in the coming months as I learn and experience the French culture. To keep up with my adventures, posts, and other oddities about international life, follow me on Instagram!