REVELATION

1/18


The French are not what they seem.

Stereotype: cold, rude, snicker at “les studpides Americains” while running around wearing berets with wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Well most of that isn’t true: they do love wine and do their part in keeping the tobacco industry afloat but they blow the rest of the stereotypes out of the water. In only 5 days I have experienced several pleasant encounters with the French that are already disproving these criticisms.

1. Parlez le francais!
If you can, try to speak French with the French
They are much more welcoming when you try to speak French with them. I guess this is just them being creatures of habit. Take recent protests over increasing the national retirement age by just two years as case in point: here tradition reigns supreme.

I’m greeted with a lot more smiles and niceties when I demonstrate that I am trying to communicate in their language. And although I’m far from being a native speaker, for the most part they reply with patience and continue to speak French with me even though they most likely know English also.