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Archive For September, 2011

Things I Learned This Week (from the Flu)

September 30, 2011 · by Nikki

I had two posts that I planned to publish this week, but they are still waiting as lowly drafts thanks to the stomach flu that decided to grace me with its presence. But while I was laid up for a few days, I learned some interesting things, so I thought I’d share…

  1. I forgot how much I love the show Friends.
  2. I miss American-style grilled cheese (why on earth…?!).
  3. There is a very nice, English-speaking doctor not too far from where I work. Victory!
  4. Crappy French daytime TV is better than Glee in English. Yeah, I went there.
  5. Spending three days in my own head is enough to create unnecessary problems.
  6. When strangers show up unexpectedly in your home for some obligatory service you were unaware you needed to have done while you are sweating and trying not to get sick, you will most certainly begin to feel worse.
  7. Being ill is much more difficult to endure when it’s absolutely gorgeous outside.
  8. I can handle a fever. I can handle an upset stomach. I can handle body aches. But combine the three and you can call me Ms. Cranky Pants.
  9. Toast with a super-thin layer of PB works best for me as my safe-for-the-stomach food.
  10. Being told you look pretty when you feel (and undoubtedly look) like death is probably the best medicine. EVER.
Next week, I promise to deliver some slightly more entertaining posts on packing (because no one I know is organizationally-inclined when it comes to travel) and a brief recap of my trip to Amsterdam. Stay tuned 😉

Ciao!

48.868711 2.417708

Things I Learned This Week (And Last)

September 23, 2011 · by Nikki

  1. Many drinks in Paris are served with candy as an accompaniment.
  2. “The real party starts at 7am” (At least, that’s what I’m told).
  3. Not all expat bars are created equal.
  4. You’re not supposed to eat chocolate when drinking wine (aaahhhh!).
  5. It’s not important to win every fight (I think I’m still learning this one).
  6. A (fake) mustache is the secret ingredient to making a great party.
  7. September in the Netherlands requires my winter wardrobe.
  8. If you can drive in Amsterdam, you can drive anywhere.
  9. I can still function on three hours of sleep… though I’d prefer not to have to.
  10. Alcohol + heels + bicycles = a bad idea.
  11. When friends are coming to visit early in the morning, set the alarm.
  12. There’s a decent following of American Football fans in Paris!
  13. I am not a huge fan of grappa. Yet.
  14. If I spill one glass of wine on someone, there’s a good chance I’ll spill another. 😦
  15. In Amsterdam, a sign reading “pin storing” actually means “We apologize for any inconvenience, but credit cards are not accepted at this register.” See the obvious connection?
  16. In the US some of us have been taught that trust can only be given after it has been earned. The French don’t work this way.
  17. Seeing good friends in other countries is just as fun (if not more) as seeing them in your own.
  18. There’s a Frank song for every occasion (including, but not limited to, dancing in living rooms).
  19. Writing notes to myself serves as an effective method for clearing my head.
  20. When you’re really happy, even work doesn’t feel like work (but you still can’t wait for the end of the day)! 🙂
Ciao!
48.868711 2.417708

Fact & Fiction about the French

September 15, 2011 · by Nikki

As I was preparing for the big move to Paris earlier this year, I received countless “words of wisdom” (read: warnings) about French people and their culture. Now that I’ve been here a while, I have a pretty good understanding of which French stereotypes hold true, and which have more holes than that piece of Swiss cheese you just ate, which probably came from Ohio. It’s time to set the record straight.

Stereotype: The French Hate Americans

FICTION

First of all: this may have been true in other eras (I’ve had more than one conversation about the opinions of America during GW’s glorious reign), but my personal experience has yielded very positive encounters with anyone who learns of my nationality. Second of all: It’s important to remember that a) just a short time ago, Americans called French fries Freedom fries, French toast Freedom toast, and so on, in an attempt to vocalize distaste over France’s choice not to join us in (a stupid/pointless/unnecessary) war with Iraq, and b) much of the previous negativity directed at Americans comes from us living with a set of our own stereotypes that the rest of the world has created. So I can confidently say that the French have been très tolérant of Americans given the treatment we’ve shown them throughout the course of our co-existence following American independence (which, by the way, America would not have had without French support).

Stereotype: Pretty Much No One In France Is Fat

FACT

The rumors are true: The French consume more wine, cheese, bread, pasta or pastries than most Americans I know, and yet they are all thin. Most that I know personally exercise very little. What’s the secret? PORTIONS. The French have this very impressive way of consuming food and drinks more slowly, appreciating each sip or bite, allowing themselves to really taste what they’re putting into their bodies. When this happens, they don’t eat as much because they feel satisfied. The difference between “full” and “satisfied” could be a few dress sizes.

Plus food here is much more simple. Less chemicals. Little to no hormones. Fresh. It’s wonderful 🙂

Stereotype: The French Are Rude/Arrogant

FICTION

They don’t smile at you if they don’t know you. They are very direct when they do (i.e. “Yes, you look bad in that dress” type of direct). Despite these differences in communication, I find French people to be warm, friendly, inviting, and some of the most helpful I’ve encountered. All I can say is that I can’t imagine getting as much help as I did when I moved here if I were a foreigner moving to the United States.  So does this make the French rude, or are Americans just sensitive?

Stereotype: Everyone in France Smokes Like a Chimney

HALF FACT, HALF FICTION

Not everyone in France smokes. In fact, most people I know do not. However most of the ones that do smoke A LOT.

Stereotype: French Guys Are Feminine

FICTION

They care about how they look. They dress better than I do. Their shoes are more expensive than mine. They wear scarves in the summer. They think flowers are beautiful. And shopping with one of them is the equivalent to shopping with a hoard of fashionable girlfriends. And they do it all while still exuding a serious amount of manliness.

What makes them not feminine is the fact that they don’t care if you think they are manly or not (among other things). Somehow the lack of excessive assertions of masculinity serves as a pretty good indicator of masculinity. Who knew?

Stereotype: French Tempers Flair More Than Hairstyles in the 70s

FACT

It’s happened to me more than once that I’ll be in the middle of a conversation with someone and suddenly voices are raised and faces are red. Most of the time I didn’t even see it coming. And these aren’t just political or religious conversations. I’m talking “what kinds of flowers should you plant in a garden” kinds of conversations. But there are just as many reasons to love the passionate French as there are to fear them, and the storm passes just as quickly as it strikes. Like the old adage about weather in the month of March: their tempers come in like a lion and go out like a lamb.

Stereotype: French Women Don’t Shave

FICTION

Fortunately.

Stereotype: The French Are Very Sexual

FACT

Of course I am from “puritan America” where sex is largely censored in the media, sex education in schools  is still extremely controversial, and nudity on most beaches is illegal, so my views are inherently biased. But I have never heard people talk so openly about their (very active) sex lives before. Sex is on TV, sex is in the movies, sex happens. Here, it’s just part of life and not some taboo topic you can only discuss with girlfriends or after too many glasses of wine.

Stereotype: The French Hate Anyone Who Doesn’t Speak French

FICTION

This statement couldn’t be further from the truth. English is taught in schools starting at a young age, and a lot of people I’ve met are happy to practice their English with a native speaker. What they do hate is when they are approached in their own country and spoken to only in English, with the offender thereby making the assumption that a person can and does speak English. I don’t think this is such a hard concept to grasp, actually… can you recall a time when you’ve been somewhere in America and someone starts trying to talk to you only in Spanish, Chinese or some other foreign language? Your reaction was probably “Come on, we’re in America!”

However, if you make even the smallest attempt to speak French, the effort is typically well-received  and often the conversation turns to English quite easily and with no ill-will.

So there you have it. Maybe I’ll write a future post on some of the stereotypes the French have of Americans and share them. Some might be true, others might only be good for a laugh, but in the end it’s the exploration of each other’s cultures that’s really insightful.

Ciao!

48.868711 2.417708

Things I Learned This Week (And the Week Before)

September 2, 2011 · by Nikki

  1. You can drink alcohol in public in Paris.
  2. I cannot walk from the arrondissement where I work to the one where I live after dark.
  3. I understand more French than I think I do.
  4. The guy at the salad bar I frequent has a crush on me.
  5. The view from Montparnasse Tower is pretty spectacular!
  6. Cocktails are sometimes referred to as cocktails, but other times are referred to as “long drinks.”
  7. A PlayStation 3 purchased in the US and plugged into an outlet in Paris will not blow up/catch on fire/self-destruct.
  8. Eastern Europeans wear their wedding rings on their right hands, and now some Western Europeans are following suit.
  9. I enjoy running with a running partner! (And, subsequently, I also learned that I can run further and for longer while with one.)
  10. Fresh baguette + goat cheese = pure bliss (and my friend Célia tells me I need to try adding honey)
  11. Sometimes you just have to let go. And sometimes you just have to trust people.
  12. Rain during a picnic does not necessarily ruin said picnic.
  13. I don’t know anything about life.
  14. Black sheath dress + black heels + metro at night = uncomfortable
  15. Sometimes the best sentences are spoken without using words.
  16. The tolerance required to consume as much wine as is common in French culture is higher than my own. But I’m working on it.
  17. No, I don’t care that you are from NYC and used to be in a band. And no, I won’t go to a concert with you tomorrow. (Something I learned, but the guy did not)
  18. Sharing a dinner table with strangers is a recipe for a good time… even if you don’t speak their language.
  19. Sophia thinks I sing “like a Disney Princess.” (Is that good or bad?)
  20. I LOVE laughing. And when other people laugh. And when we laugh together.
  21. I miss the NFL like WOAH. (Must… find… way… to attend… yearly… Patriots game!!! Ugh!)
  22. Things change fast. Roll with it.
Ciao!
48.868711 2.417708
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