People in France

I hate stereotypes. May be because, I like everybody else has faced it during my stay in foreign country.

I talked about breaking a stereotype about French Red Tape. I got my Visa in 15 minutes compared to most other consulates where you have to go back in the evening to collect it.

Here is the second stereotype that I want to attack. “French people are rude.” You might have heard and read this at a number of places. I never believed in this. In fact, I truly believe what I wrote in my MBA essays about my learning from living and visiting multiple countries – “People do behave differently, because of the culture and environment that they are brought up in. They have different slang and way of doing things. But, at the core people are same all over the world. They have same ambitions, aspirations and goals.” In fact, you find same kind of people in all the country – shy humans (I am politically correct), extrovert humans, ambitious humans, rude humans, flirt humans, family focused humans, and career focused humans. Now a flirty guy in Italy (now that’s another stereotype right) will behave differently from one in France or US or India. I also believe that if you respect a human being and his background, he will respect you.

I have yet to have a bad experience in France. When I have to speak to anyone, I try to use my French. It also helps me improve my French and then I revert to English when I am stuck. In normal shopping experiences, I just have to use a couple of English words. But, in asking directions, after a couple of sentences, I have to ask if the person speaks English.

I had a couple of experiences. This is during the RER C journey while going to HEC. I was going the other way and I asked a girl sitting next to me about the way to Jouy en Josas. I am sure she was busy with looking into her cell phone, but she jumped out of her seat, took my map and started reading the stations the train will stop on the Quai (Platform) through the train window. Now who takes so much effort to find out the way for a stranger even more a non-French.

Also when I reached the Saint Michel (Pronounced Mishel) Notre Dame, I way again stuck as there were C trains going both ways to Jouy en Josas. I asked a guy who was reading his novel next to the monitor on the Quai. He took the metro map from me. Looked in it then just ran in some direction. Stopped. Handed me the map and again ran somewhere. When he handed me the map, I thought “I thin I have met my first rude French.” Well I went back to monitor trying to find the next person I can ask. He had actually run a whole 50 meters to find the directions for me. He came back and explained me the whole way of Taking RER B to Massy Plaiseau and then RER C to Jouy en Josas.

I have met a couple of people who don’t know English and we get stuck, I just say Thanks You and move on. All of them feel genuinely sorry that they can’t help me. Some even try to help me in their very limited English. In these situations they think that they can help me, but their English is as bad as my French and we can’t communicate. A couple of times I have to say Thank you for your time as I realize that we can’t communicate with each other!!! So, my new stereotype is that “French are helpful.” Just be courteous and respectful. Take this with you next time you visit France.

If you meet a rude Frenchmen, think of a rude person you encountered in your own country and don’t box every Frenchmen into it. This is true to all the stereotypes including “Italian men are a great flirt :)”