This week in Paris has been a blur, and I think most of what I've seen will have to be on my list of places to see in the future. I honestly didn't start to feel like I was really here till about Friday, and that was only because I realized how horribly American I look to people. Picture this: a street full of people, men and women all wearing gray, brown, and black wool coats, sometimes black gloves and always black shoes. Then you see this person walking by wearing a powder blue puffy coat. What do you think first? Americaine.
Well, at least I don't blame them. I just wish that didn't make me loose the nerve to speak only French to them when they insist on switching to English for my benefit. I am at least trying to learn the etiquette of French dining, how to navigate the metro without looking completely lost, and even how to walk in the street without feeling the urge to smile if I accidentally make eye-contact with someone who seems nice. It's considered a pick-up or an invitation if you do that here in France, and the last thing I need is to look like an American and to start picking up strangers in the street!
I will say in the defense of the French that we Americans do tend to stick out for better or for worse. It's like we want to be noticed or something. At the Centre Pompidou, I could tell which visitors were Americans and which were Europeans because the Americans wandered through the exhibit and periodically carried on commentary in normal speaking voices, whereas the Europeans generally only speak in hushed tones while they are in public.
One of my chief satisfactions at the end of this week is that I successfully rode the RER this morning to a part of Paris I've never been to and I didn't get lost! I made it there and back safely, despite the snow on the ground. (Yes, SNOW!) And yesterday, I was able to wander around and still find a way back to the metro station. I think the trick now is to keep myself aware of what's going on instead of just walking around in a herd of people. I look less like a bumbling tourist and I get around much better! And don't lose the landmarks. Those are more reliable than the streets, which often curve around so much you can't tell if you're changing streets or just merging into a new block.
Here are some interesting similarities and differences about life in Paris and life in the U.S.
Instead of a thermostat, my hosts have thermometers taped to the wall. Some conveniently just outside the window tell you what temperature it is outside. And the degrees are Celsius, so 0 is an actual temperature.
Eating bread and cheese after dinner is considered traditional, a staple of French cuisine.
Taxes are really high, so turning off the light is not just to save the environment.
Public transportation is your friend, but the people who ride it with you are not. Don't look at them, and keep your stuff where you can see it. You never know when a suspicious-looking minstrel type is going to hop on and try to get your money by singing to you.
If you want to dress like a Parisian woman, you should wear high-heeled, knee-high boots and/or tights and a dress. If you are a young woman, you can wear a mini-skirt and people don't seem to think you're trashy. I think mini-skirts are a pretty hot item here.
McDonald's serves pastries. Yes, pastries! Macaroons and croissants!
Most importantly, speak French. If you are already dressed in clothes that are slightly off, you're a sitting duck. "You are from USA?"
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