Some of the first things we noticed in France were differences in greetings/manners. With total strangers if it's just you and them crossing each other's path you almost always greet them with a passing bonjour or bonsoir. When you enter a store or a cafe you always greet/are greeted with bonjour but also when you leave it's common to say merci, au revoir, bonne journée - all three together. When I serve someone at my cafe I thank them, say goodbye, and wish them a good day or evening or weekend. Every time! And sometimes multiple times to the same customer. Sometimes you can say just merci, au revoir but the point is that French people have this built into them from their upbringing and it was a nice, friendly change. On the other hand, French people can be very demanding and they love to complain. During one of my French courses in Toronto at the Alliance Française we were taught how to complain the French way! I also find that they stare a lot, and when walking on the sidewalk you don't expect anyone to move out of the way for you; instead you both barely turn your shoulders at the last second to avoid hitting one another. It can be quite intimidating at first but you just have to stand your ground :)
For anyone who's read Le Divorce or seen the movie, you are likely aware of the scarf obsession in France. I personally love it and still don't understand how to master so many styles of scarf-wearing. Now that it's cold out though it's mostly the bundled up scarf look - as a Canadian I am very skilled at this particular style. Another very French thing would be les bises (short for bisous) - the greeting kisses. It took a little getting used to but it feels pretty normal now. It's two kisses, one on each cheek, though more like air kisses and not so much lips on the skin. As a girl I have to bise everyone, but James only has to do it with the ladies (or if he's good friends with a guy). Sometimes I just miss a good ol' Canadian hug though, and thankfully a fellow Canadian who also lives here shares my feelings on this and she and I sustain each other's need for hello and goodbye hugs!
One thing that is odd is there are no apartment numbers for individuals units, only the main building address and then the apartments have your name on the mailbox and door to your apartment. But something even more odd and completely unrelated is that scooters - as in the foldable, two-wheel scooters that kids glide along on in North America - are ridiculously popular here, and we're talking with all generations. I have seen women in their 60s on these things in full business attire. Of course kids of all ages use them here as well, but I will never get used to seeing adults on them. It's just weird!
We have definitely sampled a variety of food that we would not have tried elsewhere which was one of our goals before we moved here, and we continue to be brave and try new things (read: new animal body parts). James has become quite a wine drinker (though now I have to share my bottles...) and we've eaten so much cheese I can't even fathom the overall quantity.
Of course there are also downs with the ups and living in a foreign country in a language other than your native tongue and a brand new culture can be very frustrating. So here is my major acknowledgement to all immigrants living in their adopted home countries because it is not always walk in the park! In my experience French bureaucracy was enough to make me shake my fists in the air and practice my French swearing, both in applying for my visa to get here and then dealing with getting my job-specific work permit. And the absurdly slow pace of setting up a bank account (two weeks, beginning to end) was painful but we made it through. French people hate these things too though it's important to keep in mind; they are just used to it.
But overall it's been a really fulfilling life experience that continues to teach us new things and lead us to meet new and interesting people. With that I'll leave you with a random selection of photos of things we've done since arriving here that haven't been included on other blog posts!
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| Watching a local French band play great covers of classic southern rock songs at Les Trois Gaules |
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| Drinks at François' place next door to our apartment |
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| Hanging out with friends and drinks on the Rhone on a summer night |
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| Watching our Australian friend Toby play classical guitar at a restaurant |
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| Summertime pool party outside of the city! |
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| The view from Mont d'Or where we set up a countryside barbecue |
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| Homemade sushi at a friend's apartment |
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| Les Lunettes! Our band name if Bernadette, Eloise and I took our karaoke endeavours further |
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| Karaoke in full action |
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| Strolling through the beautiful Parc de la Tête d'Or |
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| Cuddling with a giant penguin near Cité Internationale by the park |
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| Bike ride day to the bottom of the Presqu'ile around Confluence (a modern mall in a section of the city being totally redesigned and built) |
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| Free outdoor concert put on by Tout le monde dehors which organizes free public events in the summer at Jardin des chartreux |
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| Sunday morning markets near our apartment |
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| James in his 10k run! And not missing a beat for this photo op |
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| Relief and satisfaction at the finish line |
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| The one-eyed mouse I accidentally trapped in our kitchen and then freed by the river (and yes, that is poo, my apologies) |
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| A free public performance of two actors doing cyclical movements on a stage built on water with a trampoline built into it. It was pretty cool. |
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| Thumbs up after my friend Rob's living room concert in Lyon! |
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| Enjoying the changing leaves of autumn on a chilly walk in November |
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