French people: rude or not?

Before coming to Paris I had heard a couple stereotypes that I was a little worried about.  The biggest one I kept hearing from people was that French people are very rude and snooty people especially towards Americans or to people who don’t speak French. I was worried about this because my French was not that good when I arrived in Paris and I didn’t know if people would help me if I got lost or needed anything.  I heard this stereotype from people who had traveled here previously and they were telling me this as a warning.

Once I got to Paris I realized quickly that this stereotype is not true at all.  I think that if you are a loud and obnoxious American coming in high season with all of the other tourists then French people may not want to help you or even acknowledge you, but even I don’t want to interact with most American tourists that I run in to here.  I also think that being a young girl mostly anyone will be nice and willing to help you.  Since I have been here I have met a lot of people and made a lot of French friends and when I first met them they were very excited to meet an American and speak English.  Most of the people I meet that are my age know English and they are very eager to practice.  The only people that are harder to interact with are elderly people that don’t really know any English, but they are not rude there is just a language barrier.

I have also noticed that French people are not very warm and affectionate people, unless it is to family or longtime friends.  This is perfectly fine to me as I am not a touchy feely person and I understand that they really value friendships here.  I have learned that most French people have a couple close friends that they have had since childhood and it takes a long time to become someone’s close friend, unlike in America where people have thousands of friends on Facebook and become best friends with someone over night.

All in all I have come to the conclusion that French people are not rude, I know way more rude people in the US in fact, and I would love to stay here longer and meet even more French people!

Kaguyahime (Ballet at Palais Garnier)

When I heard that there was a ballet performance included in our program I was very excited. I love going to the theater and I have seen my fair share of musicals and Broadway shows.  The only ballet I have seen is The Nutcracker so I was very intrigued to see what I thought would be a classic French ballet performance. 

I was very shocked when the performance started and I realized it was a modern ballet.  Since this is not what I had expected I do not think I liked it as much as I thought I was going to.  Don’t get me wrong the whole experience was very interesting and the performers were amazingly talented.  What I liked most about this show was the lighting. Since it was a modern style of ballet there was a lot of strong, bright, and harsh lights strobe like even and it made the show very dramatic.  One of my favorite parts was when they played with the gold material because it had a cool fluid movement and you could see everything from our seats way at the top.

Even if the ballet wasn’t my favorite show, Palais Garnier itself was incredible.  My mom had told me that it was one of her favorite buildings in Paris so I knew it was going to be amazing.  From the outside it was glowing with all of the lights shining on it and the gold statues at the top, but it’s nothing compared to the inside.  The main room where the staircase is was full of people when we walked in and everyone was in awe of the detail of the room.  Ours seats inside the theater were at the very top, which was nice because we got to be right up next to the ceiling.  The seats were red velvet and the whole place seemed to take me back in time.  We snuck into a box seat after the show and the view from there was insane and we took many pictures.  

Overall I think this opera house deserves more of a classic ballet because of its ancient design and Kaguyahime should have been performed somewhere more modern like the Opéra Bastille.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris

 
















It was exciting to have a tour of the Great Mosque of Paris because I was able to experience a different culture that I was not expecting to find in here. Although I could not understand most of what the guide was saying, I could appreciate the beauty of the mosque itself. The Great Mosque of Paris in the 5th district one of the largest mosques in France. The mosque, which opened July 15, 1926, a pair was founded Si Kaddour Benghabrit. It has important symbolic place in June for the visibility of Islam and Muslims. During the Second World War (when France was occupied by Nazi Germany) and the Holocaust, as its rector Si Kaddour Benghabrit, the mosque was used as secret refuge for Jews persecuted by the powers of the Axis, providing shelter, safe passage and false birth certificates Muslim mosque. And the mosque as a place of resistance to flow Muslims living in France. It is currently headed by Mufti Boubakeur.

The decision to construct the Paris Mosque, the first mosque built in France, materialize after World War cast pay tribute to the 70,000 deaths of Muslims who fought for France. It was inaugurated July 16, 1926, in the presence of President Gaston Doumergue and the Sultan of Morocco Moulay Youssef. The minaret of 33 sqm is inspired by that of the Zaytuna mosque in Tunisia. The mosque, on a plot of 7,500 sqm includes a prayer room decorated by several influences in the Muslim world; June madrassa (school), a library, a conference room, the Arab gardens on the surface of 3.500 m² in June, the Appendices: restaurant, tea room, a steam room and shops. The Mosque of Paris to accommodate 1,000 people. Several parts of the mosque were built or come from many different countries such as Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In the prayer hall, there are many wood carvings, stained glass windows, chandeliers, and dark green carpet. You can not wear shoes inside the prayer room and each person has their own square to sit in when they pray. The court or Rhiad, Andalusia has a style with many fountains and marble floors. Inside the walls are covered with mosaic tiles, each color has a different meaning. The marble fountain in the middle is used for discharges of loyal visitors.

I enjoyed visiting the great mainly because of its beauty mosque. Even though it was cold and foggy I was able to take lots of great photos. Due to its elaborate design, my photos of the mosque were amazing.

Dali Exhibit at Centre Pompidou

One of the exhibits that I was looking forward to the most while being in Paris was the Salvador Dali exhibit at the Centre Pompidou.  I have been interested in going to the Centre Pompidou ever since I learned about it in high school, just because it is so modern and abstract, and I know many french people do not like it and its juxtaposition within Paris but I like it.  I have also been familiar with Dali's work prior to seeing any this exhibit because my family has shown me many of his paintings, my brother has a tattoo a melting watch from his famous The Persistence of Memory, and I have also visited The Dali Museum in Florida.  I was very excited to see what they would do with this exhibit since it is the biggest Dali exhibit Paris has seen in about thirty years, and I was not disappointed.

We went to the exhibit the very last night it was open to go with Holly, which was not the best idea since it was very crowded, we ended up waiting in line for a couple hours. But the wait was worth it.  There were over two hundred paintings, drawings, and sculptures. A couple of my favorite painting were there including Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man and Portrait of My Dead Brother.
















After looking through his numerous paintings and sculptures we snuck into a theater room and watched some of  his abstract movie, which was very confusing and I did not really understand what was going on, but that's Dali for you.  I liked listening to his voice overs though, he had so much passion for life and that kind of passion is contagious.  Another exciting aspect to the exhibit was the opportunity to put yourself into one of his photographs.  Which is shown in the picture of my roommate Nikki and myself sitting on the couch which are lips of a girls face.The exhibit and museum itself were very interesting to explore, and it was the perfect location to host all of Dali's work.  Also the view from the top floor was amazing!

After reading many reviews, after visiting the museum as I did not want to be influenced by other's opinions before I had time to make my own, I noticed that American and French perspectives are almost the same.  Mostly they were all split pretty evenly between loving and hating the exhibit.  A lot of people commented on the crowds and long lines, but then some said it was worth it, like myself.  I would say that there is more of an appreciation for Dali's work by french people.  I consider this exhibit much more exciting than others I have seen at The Louvre or Musee Rodin, mostly because there were so many different aspects to it.  I even liked it more than the permanent collection in Florida.

Impressions of a New Culture

Since being here for almost two weeks I have noticed a lot of cultural differences between Paris and San Diego.  One of the main differences is the use public transportation including the metro, RER, buses, and even taxis.  When talking to some French students in Paris they tell us how they automatically buy a metro pass every month without even thinking about it.  They are so used to taking the metro everywhere, where I am used to just jumping in my car.  Although San Diego has the trolley system, when we use it we are only buying one ticket at a time since a majority of students have their own cars.  We have only met one person who had a car who drove us to a club instead of taking the metro and he was very wealthy.  Even when we had to take a taxi home from a bar since the metro was closed one night the French people we met asked if we were rich.  This brings me to my other cultural difference which is daily routines.

One thing that really surprised me was how late people in Paris go out at night.  Coming from SDSU I thought we went out late when we would go to parties at 10pm, but here no one is even out yet that early.  Some of the clubs we have looked at don’t even open until midnight and they stay open until 6am.  The metro is closed from 12-5:30am which is why we had to take a taxi when we left a bar at 3:30am.  We thought this was really late but the French people we were with thought we were going home really early.  I have noticed this difference in routines all throughout the day as well.  When we get up and walk to school at 8:30am, no one else is out, but in the US this is a normal rush hour during the week.  However, when we try to get on the metro around 11am it is completely packed of people trying to get to work.  It seems as if they start and end their days a lot later than what I am used too.  In addition, when we go to get dinner around 6pm the waiters always seem confused when we ask to eat and not just order a drink.  Restaurants don’t get packed until around 9-10pm.  At least we know that when we go to dinner we will always be able to find a table.  

Other cultural differences I have noticed is that customer service doesn’t seem like a big deal here, for instance when you go shopping or out to dinner you aren’t constantly bothered by a sales associate or a waiter which I find to be refreshing.  Also the clothes in the stores are a lot more modest then the types of clothes I find in the states, and coming from the Greek system at SDSU it was really nice to see girls a lot more covered up in bars and clubs, and not just because of the cold. People here also seem a lot more natural, I do not see a lot of makeup, hair dyes, or any plastic surgery like I have seen growing up outside of LA.  

When I compare life in Paris to life in San Diego there are certain things I appreciate about both cultures.  For one I love the fact that public transportation here is so accessible and there is no need for cars or worries about gas prices.  On the other hand, taxis are really expensive and it is inconvenient that the metro closes at those times of night.  When it comes to daily routines I appreciate that here in Paris you are able to sleep in and start your day a little later, but I like how night life in San Diego starts a lot earlier than here. 

First Week Thoughts

Now that I have been living in Paris for almost two weeks I feel like I have been here for a lot longer as I am started to really know my neighborhood and recognize the people that live here.  The first couple of days were really hard, the jet lag made me feel completely out of it and not myself, I was sleeping for hours and hours at random times of the day and I couldn’t sleep through the night, but luckily that is over with.  Once the jet lag was over with, I was able to venture around this the 11 and 12 arrondissements without a map which was an achievement.  I love everything about our neighborhood. Around Ave. Daumesnil there is a long running trail, two grande marches (outdoor markets), a bunch of boulangeries, cafes, and shops, and just down by the Bastille there are a ton of bars, and Accent is only a five minute walk from our apartments. 

The markets are my favorite place to shop and the produce is so fresh; I have been getting the best grapefruits I have ever had and I feel like I’m immersing myself more in French culture when I shop there.  I have been waiting for a croque madame, which is basically a grilled cheese with ham and an egg on top, ever since I took French in high school and I have had two so far and they are amazing!  I’ve been eating my way through Paris and even went to my first fondue dinner last night with accent which was so good.  

I am also getting the hang of the metro system and I have even explored a little by myself (don’t worry mom only during the day).  I am always in awe when I step out of the metro station because there is always an incredible building or statue or something everywhere I go.  It’s fun to pick random metro stops and just see what we find.  I’ve also done a little bit of shopping, mostly window though because clothes here are a lot more expensive than back home especially somewhere like Galleries Lafayette.  

We are starting to get our calendars together and are thinking about doing some weekend trips together.  Oh so the people I am hanging out with are mostly all SDSU students and I have been going out a lot with three other girls from State, my roommate Nikki, Caitlin, and Thuy Tien (“2-10”).  They are really fun and we are basically always all together when we go explore.

I love being here and I am trying to do as much as I can the only thing that is difficult is the weather, it is just so cold and it’s hard to stay out all day when it is in the thirties, so hopefully it warms up soon so we can go explore more of Paris.