I've updated my look here, (we'll see if it sticks, it may change again), to go with all the other changes going on. I've got a husband, a new house, a new country, a new job, a new language...there's a lot going on. I've had many comment that I seem to be adapting well to everything, and I think for the most part I am. I've always enjoyed new challenges and having to master something starting from scratch.
I had my first official meeting on my way to becoming a French citizen someday. For now I'm just a resident, but an official one. I have a "titre de sejour", which I have to renew every year for 4 years, then get one that lasts a while before being permanent. My meeting consisted of a 15 minute "introduction to France" video, a medical exam with x-rays, and an interview to judge my french language skills and job standing. After three hours, I passed all that and just have to attend another full day civic education seminar next month.
I've jumpstarted this process by starting a book "Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't be Wrong" by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow. I thought it was just going to be their experiences living in France, and it is, but they also did a lot of research and explain the history and thinking behind all the little things that drive Anglo-Saxons crazy. It's very organized and thorough, and since it's written from a north-American perspective, (they're French-Canadian/American), it's easy to absorb and understand.
Some surprising things I've learned...
-a quarter of the French workforce works for the state.
-have 35 hour work weeks, have 5 weeks of paid vacation a year, and are still the world's fifth-biggest economic power.
-they have very different ideas of what belongs in the public sphere and what belongs in the private sphere.
-the French expect people in power to run the country, not set moral standards.
-one of the reasons they stay so skinny? they don't snack much.
-Grandeur is much sought after. i.e. singling out the "great ones" in each field. They take the place of the aristocracy.
-France is kind of arranged like the military with officers and those of higher rank to lead.
-they love power, it's something you use and show.
-politicians can hold multiple offices at once, like being mayor and senator and a minister of something all at once. it's really their career, not just something they go into after being a lawyer for years.
-to apply for even the most menial public job, one must pass exams testing their knowledge of the position and their general culture. There can even be an oral exam they must pass.
-the french love talking and conversations are always competitive seeking wit and intelligence.
-France's biggest exports are the metric system and the Civil Code.
-to a large extent, General Charles de Gaulle created modern France after WWII.
-the French "State" is the core of French identity. It defines culture and language, runs the economy, dispenses welfare and charity, redistributes wealth, levels differences, and defines and defends the common good. It's the skeleton of society, and they expect a lot from it. This works because it's so centralized-in Paris.
-there is a residual belief in the intrinsic genius or superiority of the French language.
I could go on, but that's what has stood out to me so far. It's made me want to learn more and find out how it all seems to work. I will always be comparing everything to the American way of doing things, but that's inevitable.
I had my first official meeting on my way to becoming a French citizen someday. For now I'm just a resident, but an official one. I have a "titre de sejour", which I have to renew every year for 4 years, then get one that lasts a while before being permanent. My meeting consisted of a 15 minute "introduction to France" video, a medical exam with x-rays, and an interview to judge my french language skills and job standing. After three hours, I passed all that and just have to attend another full day civic education seminar next month.
Some surprising things I've learned...
-a quarter of the French workforce works for the state.
-have 35 hour work weeks, have 5 weeks of paid vacation a year, and are still the world's fifth-biggest economic power.
-they have very different ideas of what belongs in the public sphere and what belongs in the private sphere.
-the French expect people in power to run the country, not set moral standards.
-one of the reasons they stay so skinny? they don't snack much.
-Grandeur is much sought after. i.e. singling out the "great ones" in each field. They take the place of the aristocracy.
-France is kind of arranged like the military with officers and those of higher rank to lead.
-they love power, it's something you use and show.
-politicians can hold multiple offices at once, like being mayor and senator and a minister of something all at once. it's really their career, not just something they go into after being a lawyer for years.
-to apply for even the most menial public job, one must pass exams testing their knowledge of the position and their general culture. There can even be an oral exam they must pass.
-the french love talking and conversations are always competitive seeking wit and intelligence.
-France's biggest exports are the metric system and the Civil Code.
-to a large extent, General Charles de Gaulle created modern France after WWII.
-the French "State" is the core of French identity. It defines culture and language, runs the economy, dispenses welfare and charity, redistributes wealth, levels differences, and defines and defends the common good. It's the skeleton of society, and they expect a lot from it. This works because it's so centralized-in Paris.
-there is a residual belief in the intrinsic genius or superiority of the French language.
I could go on, but that's what has stood out to me so far. It's made me want to learn more and find out how it all seems to work. I will always be comparing everything to the American way of doing things, but that's inevitable.
my favorite point is the competitive conversations--I just can't do it in French.
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