Question
#1 Are the women hairy; do they shave?
#2 Do the French hate Americans?
#3 Do the French Smell?
#4 Cigarettes, Baguettes, Cheese and Wine, is there anything else to eat?
#5 Clothing: Black and white, is there anything else?
#6 Politics and Geography Do the French know their shit?
Okay so let see how you did....
1. When talking to a French person about this stereotype, i am almost always met with laughter. The women are very much into smooth and shinny legs and most definitely have no armpit hair. In fact most of the time the responses are "you are talking about Portugal women, no? Now i have not been to Portugal yet, but when i do i will be sure to let you know and believe me when i say I will get to the end of this!
2. I heard this a lot before i left and i am excited to say that the French are very kind people once you get to know them. All of our French friends love speaking English and learning about America. However, when asking them about the stereotypes they have about Americans, they think we are extremely conservative but love guns! Ironic combination, i know!
3. The French do take showers, they wear deodorant, and they even wear cologne!!! I know it's hard to believe but they really do take care of themselves, for image is important. Okay so some people smell bad, but that is only a few.
4. Yes these things are staples in any French diet, but they do have a daily fruit and vegetable market. In fact every Sunday i go to the same guy and buy my veggies and fruits for the week, Eggplant, Bell Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Tomatoes, Garlic, and Lettuce have become key components in my diet! Oh and thanks to my mother Peanut Butter too. Oh and i eat plain yogurt with either bananas or Peaches. I actually do not eat a lot of bread or cheese but i have to admit the wine is delicious.
5. Yes other colors exist, but black and white seem to be the way to go. Right now the Vintage look is in. Rustic jeans, and layers are the way to go.
6. Okay so i would say the French know a lot more about American politics than most of us do. I have made it a habit to check the news each day! And as far as Geography goes it is a running joke that Americans are terrible at it. I must say i am quite proud to be a Geography major. In fact i actually got to draw a map of California for a presentation in one of my classes. You do not even know how excited i was:)
Oh i must add that the French music is absolutely terrible. We went to a French rock/pop show and i actually left in the middle. Hands down American music dominates as far as Rock goes. The fun part of that night was our friend Yuri. She is from Japan and the funniest girl ever. She is only here for the summer so we took her out. I think she had fun hanging out with Americans. I also think it was a little overwhelming. There is a picture of her below.
This week was pretty laid back. Besides going to a Rock show, we went and watched the Rugby World Cup. Rugby is by far (along with Futbol) the beloved sport of France. The atmosphere is so intense and the crowd is crazy. I will have to take a picture on friday (the next game) to show how many people gather around to cheer on their team. Bars hook up big screen TV's outside and people sing (chant songs) and even dance. There are also major discounts on beer:) This is probably one of my favorite things about this town, There is a general sense of community!
On Sunday there was a festival. They closed down the main street and there must have been 80 booths set up. They had sporting, political, humanitarian, and cultural booths passing out information about ways to get better involved in the community. In the street they had performances all day. Everything from Caporeia, Belly dancing, Swing, and Salsa. It was quite fun! In fact i am going to take a Belly dancing class and possibly a pottery or sculpting class. I've decided it is time to learn a new skill. Also all the museums were free. I was too tired to do all of them, but i did go in the Hotel D' Vile which is in the center of the city and also extremely close to my house. I have put some pictures below of this day.
This blog would not be complete without telling you my first major culture shock. Fellow Americans enjoy the fact that you have dyers because living without one pretty much sucks! Our living room has become our dryer. The picture below does not do the annoyance factor justice. The washers are tiny so you can only wash like 5 or 6 articles of clothing at a time and then it doesn't even work that well. When you take them out you have to ring them out because they are soaked and then we have to put towels under the hanging clothes because the floor gets so slippery. Efficiency is definitely an American thing.
I've said it before, but our house is the place to hang out!!! My roommate is a huge football fan so we downloaded the Panthers game on Sunday, ordered pizza and did the American thing. We invited our French friends and had a football night (well french and spainsh) . The picture below is of my roommates and those who think they are:)
