Living in Paris for so long, I have adopted many Parisian habits. Sometimes it's hard for me to know now which of my behaviors are me, which are French, and which are American.
In small-town Colorado, where I am right now, I have come to realize that certain things I'm used to just won't do. For example, people here have a much bigger "personal space" bubble around themselves than Parisians or even New Yorkers do. Going in and out the door to the post office here, I notice that everyone holds the door for the next person to arrive, even if that means standing there while an old person struggles slowly up the steps. How polite! But even when going down the outside steps-- which are about six feet wide within the railings-- sometimes people stand aside and wait for the first person to go down before they go up. Very un-Parisian!
Maîtres mots
Il y a longtemps que notre pays est beau mais rude.
--Newspaper editor Olivier Séguret, 25 January 2012
The USA are entirely the creation of the accursed race, the French.
--Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), writing to Nancy Mitford, 22 May 1957
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French Freedom of Speech
- Latest person being sued in France for saying what he/she thinks
The mayor of Calais is suing Marine Le Pen of the Front National for saying "repeatedly" that citizens in Calais need a pass issued by the mayor to get to their own homes (because of the number of migrants in the town). In fact, the passes are issued by the police prefecture.
Today the cheminots are:
"À nous de vous faire préférer le train!"
"Voyager autrement"
"Avec le SNCF, tout est possible"
--Former ad slogans of the SNCF (French national trains), each in turn quickly dropped
Fun French words
- ouistiti
(literally: marmoset)
Etymology: onomatopoeia from the sound a marmoset makes. Actual meaning: this is what you say in France when you want people to smile for the camera.Selon une étude réalisée par le fabricant d’appareils photo Nikon, le « ouistiti » utilisé en France au moment de se faire prendre en photo est le petit mot le plus efficace pour s’assurer un joli sourire.
Who's en colère today?
Private sector
First strike in 43 years at an aeronautics company in Toulouse, Latécoère
Public sector
The SNCF (toujours eux), regional train employees in the Lyons area guaranteeing unpleasant travel from the 17th-21st December
Also yet another strike by Sud-Rail, a particularly truculent SNCF union in the south of France, this time five days in January: 6,7, 21, 22 and 23. "We have no choice." Right.Marseilles trams on strike until February
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Their shirts are cool - Council for the English-Speaking Community
has a list of schools, associations and organizations - British and Commonwealth Women's Association
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Rock? no, reel
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The Irish College is hundreds of years old and offers music, drama, lectures, and courses to Parisians in English. You can learn Irish here too. - Open University (U.K.), distance learning in English
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Today's quotation
In Paris, the purest virtue is the object of the filthiest slander.
–Honoré Balzac (1799-1850), in Scènes de la vie privée
À Paris, la vertu la plus pure est l'objet des plus sales calomnies.
Le petit aperçu d'Ailleurs
Annual Geminids meteor shower (shooting stars!) coming this weekend, if it's not too cloudy out at night.
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Beautiful photo-blog by two professional photographers. They each have their own blog as well (La Panse de l'Ours and Le Pieton de Charonne). In French
Paris Karin here -- or formerly Paris Karin. I moved *back* to Colorado three weeks ago. Just by chance I happened to pop in here again. Someone on Facebook had linked in a post by French Girl in Seattle, who linked in a post to you (the one about bureaucracy from 2011). I clicked on recent posts to read you are in "small town Colorado." LOL!! My gosh the world is a small place. :)
I'm in Denver. If you should happen to be passing through and have time for a coffee, send me a message via the Contact page on my blog!
As for this post, I keep catching myself saying "Pardon" when getting out of someone's way. Thankfully, it's pretty close to how we say it in English, too, if a bit formal-sounding, lol.
Take care & have fun in Colo-radical. :)
xx
Karin
Posted by: Analienparisienne.wordpress.com | 28 August 2012 at 17:57
Hi Karen! I do go through Denver a lot. I'll see if we can meet next time! Right now I'm on the Gulf Coast... eyeing that hurricane
Posted by: Sedulia | 29 August 2012 at 04:29