As a counterpoint to liberals' frequent refrains about leaving the country if Donald Trump gets reelected, we have a story about one older couple who decamped to France last year and haven't really been loving it.
It’s like that story about the family that moved to Russia and said “We didn’t think it would be so hard to live in Russia when we didn’t speak Russian!”
You can move to most European countries and learn the language from the welcoming people there that can switch to English or use a translator if necessary.
In France you are just a outcast, this is due to French people being assholes with their noses up their ass.
That has not been my experience of France. Maybe its just me but almost everyone I met in Paris was friendly and many spoke English at least a little. I had some wild nights getting trashed and riding the Metro all over, no one gave me any shit for speaking English anywhere I went. I wouldn’t try to live there without at least a basic understanding of the language but as an English speaking visitor it was perfectly fine and I found the random Parisians I met to generally be cool people and not at all like their reputation.
Note: I was an exchange student in the US, and hosted some US student in return, back in France. So I was able to live the culture shock first hand. 😆
It is true that there is a sharp contrast between the French way of life and other, more easy going countries, like the US.
Politeness is key, especially between strangers. But without knowing any of the rules, a foreigner has a good chance of being rude without even realizing it.
But once you got past that hard outer shell, we can be quite friendly. Of course, there are exceptions, and I personally experienced some pretty rude waiter in Paris… once.
I live here, as a foreigner, and sure the bureaucracy is wild as is the language but I haven’t felt what you’re conveying, especially in Paris where no one gives a damn if you speak english or anything, you could dress up in toilet paper and people wouldn’t care.
Gotta go look at some impressionist paintings and then go to the movies, after eating some good stuff, all on my modern bicycle.
On the countryside people are more like the common clay, but they are like that for everyone.
It didn’t seem like stress, it seemed like they genuinely enjoyed being superior entitled assholes.
And as an American, I thought I had a high threshold for that.
The rest of Europe was incredible, the Nordic countries are my vision of heaven on earth. Mostly moved to Sweden, yesterday basically cut my last ties.
It’s also cultural, when you go to a café or a shop or a restaurant in Paris, you go to someone elses place (theory is that as it’s so small in overcrowded Paris, it was actually someones home too and history made the rest), you are not some golden client and instead you are on their turf, so they can ask you to move, not serve you etc.
Maybe that’s why some people think the french are rude.
I can agree that some of my compatriots can be rough with tourists, and I apologise for that. I personally try to help everyone I come across. There is, however, a big difference between coming for a few weeks for vacation, only speaking English, and believing you can come to live and not make the slightest of effort to learn the tongue. People will notice you can not learn how to ask for a baguette, and in return, will not make efforts either.
This was my experience in Paris, but not in Nice, even away from the tourist traps like Vizille I was very much encouraged to speak my broken French so I could learn. If they spoke English they’d apoligize for a dropped participle and then pull out a word like pugillistic.
You can move to most European countries and learn the language from the welcoming people there that can switch to English or use a translator if necessary.
Not in the Netherlands. Nobody will speak dutch to you, and will switch to English immediately if they detect an accent.
They didn’t learn French before moving to a French country? Just… wow.
It’s like that story about the family that moved to Russia and said “We didn’t think it would be so hard to live in Russia when we didn’t speak Russian!”
You can move to most European countries and learn the language from the welcoming people there that can switch to English or use a translator if necessary.
In France you are just a outcast, this is due to French people being assholes with their noses up their ass.
That has not been my experience of France. Maybe its just me but almost everyone I met in Paris was friendly and many spoke English at least a little. I had some wild nights getting trashed and riding the Metro all over, no one gave me any shit for speaking English anywhere I went. I wouldn’t try to live there without at least a basic understanding of the language but as an English speaking visitor it was perfectly fine and I found the random Parisians I met to generally be cool people and not at all like their reputation.
Yeah, France is the exception, but only because they’re narcissistic pricks with nothing to be narcissistic about, particularly their pricks.
I speak French and was an outcast, though it wasn’t nearly as bad outside of Paris, other cities just ignore you mostly.
Note: I was an exchange student in the US, and hosted some US student in return, back in France. So I was able to live the culture shock first hand. 😆
It is true that there is a sharp contrast between the French way of life and other, more easy going countries, like the US.
Politeness is key, especially between strangers. But without knowing any of the rules, a foreigner has a good chance of being rude without even realizing it.
But once you got past that hard outer shell, we can be quite friendly. Of course, there are exceptions, and I personally experienced some pretty rude waiter in Paris… once.
It’s not that.
Sweden is probably more polite, and it’s fine. The rest of France is also lovely.
Paris just seems to breed assholes somehow.
Maybe it’s you, not the french?
I live here, as a foreigner, and sure the bureaucracy is wild as is the language but I haven’t felt what you’re conveying, especially in Paris where no one gives a damn if you speak english or anything, you could dress up in toilet paper and people wouldn’t care.
Gotta go look at some impressionist paintings and then go to the movies, after eating some good stuff, all on my modern bicycle.
On the countryside people are more like the common clay, but they are like that for everyone.
Again, every other country, every other city in France were lovely.
The louvre was gorgeous.
As I said, Paris would be great if it wasn’t for all the fucking people.
Ok, yes that’s known, in paris people are stressed and rudish, but they are that to everyone without discrimination.
It didn’t seem like stress, it seemed like they genuinely enjoyed being superior entitled assholes.
And as an American, I thought I had a high threshold for that.
The rest of Europe was incredible, the Nordic countries are my vision of heaven on earth. Mostly moved to Sweden, yesterday basically cut my last ties.
It’s also cultural, when you go to a café or a shop or a restaurant in Paris, you go to someone elses place (theory is that as it’s so small in overcrowded Paris, it was actually someones home too and history made the rest), you are not some golden client and instead you are on their turf, so they can ask you to move, not serve you etc.
Maybe that’s why some people think the french are rude.
I can agree that some of my compatriots can be rough with tourists, and I apologise for that. I personally try to help everyone I come across. There is, however, a big difference between coming for a few weeks for vacation, only speaking English, and believing you can come to live and not make the slightest of effort to learn the tongue. People will notice you can not learn how to ask for a baguette, and in return, will not make efforts either.
This was my experience in Paris, but not in Nice, even away from the tourist traps like Vizille I was very much encouraged to speak my broken French so I could learn. If they spoke English they’d apoligize for a dropped participle and then pull out a word like pugillistic.
Parisians hate everyone, including the French.
Not in the Netherlands. Nobody will speak dutch to you, and will switch to English immediately if they detect an accent.