French Stereotypes and what I Expect

There are many Stereotypes of the French in America, a few examples are...

They don't like working and enjoy relaxing

I do think that this is true compared to Americans, I remember hearing from my European History teacher in high school that "the French love to riot" and that the Farmer's Union would drive their tractors into Paris and block traffic.  Also Dr. Desplaces said something similar about the Parisians striking during tourist season.  

Eat small meals very slowly

I have heard that the serving sizes are very small, but also that they have much longer meals than what I would be used to.  I think that this is probably true because the "fast food" culture is predominately American

Most/All smoke cigarettes 

This is another common stereotype of French people that is probably true.  I know that people in other countries smoke much more than Americans do, probably because in the United States commercials advertising cigarettes or other tobacco products are restricted and children are taught about the health risks.  I don't smoke and neither does my family, but luckily I don't have asthma or mind the smell so if it is true then it won't be an issue.  

They like to dress fashionably

This is the oldest stereotype I ever learned about the French and it is also probably true.  I don't remember where I first hear it but I probably learned about it around the time I learned about the Eiffel Tower.  I don't know much about fashion and I don't plan on buying anything I don't need other than maybe a small souvenir.  It will be interesting to see how people choose to dress in a foreign country though.

They smell bad

I don't know if I believe this or not.  This is the a common stereotype I have heard of the French people so I think it must be at least partly true, though I think it has probably been exaggerated.

Think France is the best nation

This again is probably true, but I would think that it is a common sentiment shared across countries.  I know many Americans believe the same for the United States and unless an individual comes from a country going through difficult times they will probably believe the best for the country they live in.

Early Class

Today I woke up early to get to Kudu for the 8am mandatory class with Dr. Desplaces, I ordered coffee for the caffeine though I was still tired until noon.  Dr. Desplaces gave out syllabuses to the class as we drank our coffee, and we talked about what we expected to be different in Paris than in Charleston.  We then went to the Farmers Market to look around and imagine the similarities and differences of a similar market in France.  I learned that the French bought food, especially bread everyday from markets, but that their markets had more produce than the one in Charleston.  We saw sweetgrass baskets being sold and since sweetgrass baskets are a cultural part of Charleston I wondered if they would have similar items in a french market

Sweet grass Baskets being sold

After walking through the market we went to Beatty Center and I watched people play a card game that I didn't understand, and I don't think most people playing it did either.  It was done to show how not being to talk about how the game was played caused difficulties and that ignorance of the rules caused mistakes that people usually just went with.  Then we were told more of the schedule of the trip and I learned a lot of things about the French culture.  I thought that the Hofstede charts on the cultural differences between nations was very interesting and informative and don't think that writing an essay will be as difficult as I expected beforehand.

Week in Utah

This week I went to Utah for my sister's spring break to ski and snowboard.  While there I took photos for my family and of the country side.

A photo from the side of the mountain

What the mountains look like from the top of a slope

At night in the town

While on the slopes I was able to practice taking photos with my iPhone.  Hopefully I can get some good photos of Paris to show to my family.