I've been doing a lot of reading lately about French culture. One particular book that I can't put down, entitled French or Foe?, explores cultural misunderstandings between Americans and the French. Polly Platt gives insight on French culture and communication that is based not on surface observations, but on a holistic understanding of the historical and anthropological context of what makes French people so.. French. She does make some pretty bold generalizations; you just have to recognize that, as in any culture, attributes of the population as a whole are not essential to every individual. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone preparing to study abroad in Paris--but then we'll see if her claims live up to reality once I actually get to France.
She lays out some simple codes for being in sync with French culture, and the first and most important one is: DON'T SMILE.
Now one thing that Buddy the Elf and I have in common is that we love to smile. Smiling is our favorite.
This might be a problem for me.
The author goes into detail about the way that this simple difference between American and French folks can cause cultural misunderstandings. Americans (and other anglophones) might see the French as cold, rude, and unfriendly. Meanwhile, the French might find the constant wide and fake smile of American visitors to be manic, hypocritical, and a little bit terrifying.
That got me thinking.
You see, I like to think that smiling often and giving a grinning "hello" to everyone I see is who I am innately. To say that it's just something that has been pounded into my head by an American cultural hammer is, to say the least, a bit unnerving.
It's kind of like the first time someone told me that individualism was a cultural value caused my socialization in a Western society.
"Now you wait one second mister academic smarty-pants! I have the individual right to be whoever I want to be, and if I decide I want to value individualism then by-gosh I'll....
oh.... right."
While it might be hard for me to suppress my smile as I walk down the street, I am actually quite cajoled by the idea. It's not that French people don't smile, it's just that they only smile when they have a reason. That makes a French smile much more meaningful than an American's compulsory facial contraction in response do making eye contact with any stranger passing on the street...
It's amazing how much more compelled I am to learn about French language, culture, and history, when I know that very soon it is going to be a reality for me. As I read, I find myself already falling in love with French culture--and I'm not even there yet! The most disappointing thought for me is that five months is such a short time. I will no doubt arrive to Paris as a foreigner and leave several months later, suitcase full of photos and memories, as a foreigner, nonetheless.
c'est la vie!
She lays out some simple codes for being in sync with French culture, and the first and most important one is: DON'T SMILE.
Now one thing that Buddy the Elf and I have in common is that we love to smile. Smiling is our favorite.
This might be a problem for me.
The author goes into detail about the way that this simple difference between American and French folks can cause cultural misunderstandings. Americans (and other anglophones) might see the French as cold, rude, and unfriendly. Meanwhile, the French might find the constant wide and fake smile of American visitors to be manic, hypocritical, and a little bit terrifying.
That got me thinking.
You see, I like to think that smiling often and giving a grinning "hello" to everyone I see is who I am innately. To say that it's just something that has been pounded into my head by an American cultural hammer is, to say the least, a bit unnerving.
It's kind of like the first time someone told me that individualism was a cultural value caused my socialization in a Western society.
"Now you wait one second mister academic smarty-pants! I have the individual right to be whoever I want to be, and if I decide I want to value individualism then by-gosh I'll....
oh.... right."
While it might be hard for me to suppress my smile as I walk down the street, I am actually quite cajoled by the idea. It's not that French people don't smile, it's just that they only smile when they have a reason. That makes a French smile much more meaningful than an American's compulsory facial contraction in response do making eye contact with any stranger passing on the street...
It's amazing how much more compelled I am to learn about French language, culture, and history, when I know that very soon it is going to be a reality for me. As I read, I find myself already falling in love with French culture--and I'm not even there yet! The most disappointing thought for me is that five months is such a short time. I will no doubt arrive to Paris as a foreigner and leave several months later, suitcase full of photos and memories, as a foreigner, nonetheless.
c'est la vie!
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