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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.