Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius
So today I didn't do very much at all. I took it as a day of rest. I went to class, went grocery shopping, and then got my eurorail pass validated since I'm going to start traveling Friday!
So today I thought I would share some interesting little tidbits of information that I have learned about France while being here... There are some very interesting little quirks to France that I was totally unaware of before I came here. One thing being doors. Yes, doors.
A vast number of doors for French buildings are massive! Much bigger than they need to be, but the really interesting thing is that a lot of them have buttons you have to push to 'unlock' the door. If you don't push this button the door will not budge. If you push the button the door will unlock and you can pull (or push) your way through. Another thing with doors is the unique handles that always seem to face the wrong way (at least for me) I can never figure out if I'm suppose to pull or push and have had quite a few crashes into the doors when I pick the wrong direction and the door doesn't open.
Another thing is music choice. A lot of restaurants and cafes have been playing older american songs (anywhere from Elvis to Funkytown) with a mix of occasional french songs. It's really weird being in a little cafe and suddenly having the Beach Boys come on overhead. It's ever weirder hearing some french people hum or try to sing along.
And... The french do use deodorant, but 97% or so of Parisian buildings do not have AC, so when thousands of people crowd in, to say the metro for instance, things get very hot very quickly. It's impossible to stay smelling fresh and clean all the time, hence the famous use of perfume, to cover the odor when at the heat of the day. But then again, it doesn't get too terribly hot here, most of the time it has been cloudy and I've enjoyed wearing a light jacket to keep warm.
And then there is money.. oh the trouble this has caused. A lot of the stores I have gone to are very picky about the amount of money they will accept... For example if you spend 6 euro, do not try to pay with a 20 euro bill, most of the time the shop keeper will ask if you have smaller change, and on at least two occasions, I've been told no I couldn't use that bill. A lot of the places prefer using the 1 and 2 euro coins instead of the paper money, which presents a problem since the ATM only gives out 10 euro bills at minimum.
Also, in france, making eye contact, smiling and saying hello is considered a big flirt, a kind of 'Want to go to dinner' gesture which has caused some problems for some of the girls here. But, on the other hand when entering a store it is polite to say Bonjour (or Bon Soir depending on time) when entering and 'Au revoir' when leaving. You really shouldn't touch too much in the store. And dressing rooms are usually something like an arrangement of shower curtains. I've seen more of some total strangers than I have seen of anyone back home.
Also on the metro or RER system when on the escalators of moving sidewalk, it is customary to stand on the right side and leave a clear passage on the left to let fast moving people get by, it is almost universally followed and you can see it all around on the metros...
Speaking of the metros, it certainly destroys all sense of personal bubble space. I mean you basically ride on top of people. Smushed between a door and suitcase of your face in someone's armpits, the metros can be downright unpleasant sometimes, and the gypsies sometimes cause trouble when they start begging, but in all, the metros and really very effective and you can get almost anywhere in the city with them. I actually like riding them during slow hours and just sitting and watching the scenery.
On another note, vegetables are actually not apparently a wide part of meals (this is mainly by the food provided in the cafeteria and from the cafes I've gone to), since most meals consist of meat, cheese and bread. I remember how excited I got the one night at the cafeteria when I saw 'Hericot Verts' on the menu. (Green beans) but I've been eating a lot of fruit (and a TON of ham) and I enjoy munching on some strawberries with lunch....mmm.... fresh strawberries.
Well, that's all for now, but I just thought I would share some of the things I've been learning!
- comments