La Vie Française, American-style

Dear Madame André and students,

The
pace of life here in Paris is a vacationer’s dream but a type-A
personality’s nightmare. Laissez-faire attitude and lots of it. The
French, in general, differ from Americans in many ways.

One
of the first lessons I had to learn here in France was to be patient:
at the bank, at the Préfecture de Police for the Carte de Séjour, at
any paper-heavy bureaucratic agency where waiting three weeks for the
completion of a transaction is considered normal. At my bank, Credit
Lyonnais, for example, it was necessary to furnish all sorts of
documentation and proof that I, indeed, exist–work contract, passport,
apartment rental agreement, birth certificate-–and that I, moreover,
will be a satisfactory customer. After a series of photocopies, blue
rubber stamps and fancy signatures, my dossier was complete and I
waited to receive my account information in the mail, which arrived in
about three weeks’ time. When I moved, I went to the CL Agency in my
new neighborhood to change my address but was told they had no record
of me there, that I would have to go to the original agency to complete
the transaction. So I went, provided proof of residence, filled out the
paperwork with rubber stamps and fancy signatures all abound and played
the waiting game. My paper file was successfully mailed from the 13th
to the 3rd in only three weeks’ time and now I have a somewhat
competent woman in pigtails and bad lipstick who handles my questions,
though she once wrote me a letter suggesting I make an appointment and
was surprised when I actually did. I have moved again since then but
kept the same branch for obvious reasons.

Being
a young student—or even a low-paid worker—here adds another level of
benefits, or even a low-paid worker of the state. Based on the
socialistic principles of the country, the French believe in paying for
what you can afford. I am eligible for housing aid, for example, though
rents here are even less than Boston, much less than NYC. I pay 375
Euros for my share of a 2-bedroom apartment, 55m2, in the 20th, a not
so nice part of town. Last year I lived a 15m2 shoebox on the 8th floor
(without an elevator) in the 3rd arrondisement for about 600 Euros. My
apartment in the 20th was found through a friend of a friend that the
latter offered through an English-speaking magazine called the FUSAC
(France – USA Contacts). At the lycée Cantine, my meal tickets are the
least expensive, costing about one and a half euros for lunch. I have
often been taken out for dinner by friends who make more than I because
they feel compassion for my bank account. There are reduced rates for
films, museums and other cultural events, especially for students.

Working and Education
One
in four French work for the state, creating a rather heavy bureaucratic
system with lots of red tape. I, too, have been a fonctionnaire, which
means I was eligible for social security, health care, unemployment and
every other benefit the French system offers, which are much more
generous than those of the US. My visa was paid for as a lectrice, or
teacher’s aid, which gave me some flexibility in finding another
part-time job. I worked 12 hours a week in a French high school,
working with the English teachers and students of all levels: seconde
(freshmen), première (sophomores), terminale (seniors– there are no
juniors) and even post-bac students as well (those who have already
taken the graduate exam).

 In
my classroom, we listened to American music; I corrected pronunciation
as well as led discussions based on cultural, political and social
events of the States and France in groups of 5 to 20. They loved
dictées (dictations) too! It was interesting work and was fairly
rewarding as well; as a bonus, I became familiar with their
nationalized education system, which is much more structured than our
state-to-state system. Each school level or grade has certain required
courses, specialized tracks begin after seconde: Literature, economics,
European history, geography taught in English plus another required
language, and sciences.

Premières and
Terminales must pass the Baccalauréat at the end of the year in order
to pass to the next level. French education is based heavily on this
big, stressful, several-hour written and oral concours (exam); and if a
student fails to receive a passing grade, he or she will most likely
follow a “professional” path, where they will find jobs as skilled
laborers or other such jobs. Just as the British sort out the brightest
students by counting “A-levels,” the French and their educational
system consider exams to be a measure of intelligence and capability.

Getting
a work permit is frustrating. Most people I know have either finagled
Irish citizenship through tracing the birth of one grandparent in the
land or have slipped under the radar and have kept their tourist visa.
That approach, however, is something that has become really difficult
after 9/11, even more so after cooling Franco-American relations during
the war in Iraq. Maintaining a tourist visa only requires leaving the
country every three months, but the more I travel back and forth, the
more questions they ask about my intentions to work in the country, how
much money is in my bank account and when is my return ticket to the
States.

There is a host of
non-government organizations that don’t require working papers for US
citizen: that is, as long as the US is a member country. Such
organizations include UNESCO and the OECD. Giving private English
lessons is possible and there are certainly bars and cafés that are
willing to look the other way when employing a foreigner – English
speaking bars are your best bet, such as the Frog and Princess, Frog
and Risbif chain of Anglo bars. Teaching English is the primary
function of Americans trying to make a living here, though you will
find that most English-language schools (Wall Street Institute, for
example) require your papers to be in order before you will be offered
a position. Some people are able to work for American firms,
particularly as secretaries or paralegals for international law firms;
others work for US conglomerates such as IBM or Accenture Consulting
and were sent here after having worked for that company in the states.

Making Friends
Parisians
are known for being froid et fermé, much like New Yorkers or any other
inhabitants of a big city. The French don’t move from place to place as
much as Americans do. Most people grow up and remain in the same house
or apartment for their entire life, keeing their childhood friends and
a rather tight circle at that, which makes it difficult for an outsider
to enter. The college experience compounds that state of affairs for
most French students. As there is no campus life, no dormitories, and
the fact that most students continue to live at home with their parents
(or at best in the chambre de bonne [maid’s room] owned by their
parents in the same building), there is an overall lack of community
and general exploratory attitude among those at “la fac” (la faculté or
university). In this context, school spirit, cheerleaders for the
football team and learning to live with your roommates is a fantasy
reserved for Americans in Hollywood.

Becoming
friends with the locals requires work; there is a longer “courtship,”
especially if they think you are not here to stay. It has taken me a
year to become “friends’ with some of my acquaintances; they
distinguish between “copain” and “ami,” the latter meaning more
intimate and serious; and with the size of the city, it is possible to
mingle among several social groups. Most friendships are formed while
doing some kind of activity, like a cooking, photography or language
class, at work or in class. You’ll find here that many people are
constantly educating themselves (the land of intellectuals!) and night
courses in fashion, acting, and even Rock n’ Roll dance are common.
Check out courses offered by the Mairie in your arrondisement—French
classes and others are inexpensive and can be high quality. Unlike in
Ireland, rarely do you meet people in bars. If you look at the floor
lay-out of Parisian bars and cafés, the table set-up is not conducive
for such rencontres; chairs are either facing the street (for people
watching) or in small, intimate clusters. That said, I do know an
American woman who met her husband at a nightclub on the Champ-Elysées
(Le Monte Cristo for those of you who are interested…).

I Love Paris
Life
is wonderful here: there are so many interesting things to see and do;
the French are proud of their culture and eager to share. They will
tell you good cheese to try, regions to visit–and will often tell you
speak “very well” even if it’s not true. There are tons of events
sponsored by the mayors of each district-– music, food, books, parades.
True, there has been an increasing amount of American influence: films,
bars, clothing, but it is possible to escape that and immerse yourself
totally in French friends, food and activities.

The
glitz and glamour can easily be avoided if you don’t have the money to
keep up; most Parisians are not into the bling-bling lifestyle that
some people equate with the city. Money does not change hands as
frequently as is does in the US; most wealthy families tend to stay
close together, social mobility is not as possible as it is in the
states. I’d say the majority of people in the city are “BoBourge,”
bohemian-bourgeois, meaning they earn a comfortable living but prefer
buying more interesting, unique things than spending their money on
Gucci or other name brands. The sense of fashion here is unparalleled;
the French just know how to pair things in a way that most Americans
can’t. You see lots of layers (always a top under a sweater),
mis-matching lengths (a dress over a skirt, short pants over knee-high
boots), and blends of neutral colors and, of course, lots of black.

Sometimes
the French are a little restrained, which makes it difficult to know
what they’re really thinking. Always polite, extremely diplomatic, they
don’t always say what they mean. The men say that when a French woman
says no she really means yes. Getting a direct answer can be
frustrating, especially when dealing with the bureaucracies. Patience
is required at the Préfecture de Police for the Carte de Séjour, at the
AlloSecu for l’Assurance Maladie, at the ANPE for unemployment; the
timeline to get things done is a lot slower than it is in the States.
There is a certain code of politeness that must be followed–using
Madame or Monsieur is considered a common courtesy- and written French
is even more complicated when addressing a business letter. From an
American point of view it can be hard to understand why such politesse
is necessary, which is why some French believe Americans to be
uncultured.

These experiences I
relate to you are, of course, generalizations and are based upon my own
personal experiences here in France. I have worked hard to make French
friends and assimilate into that culture, minding my p’s and q’s, which
can be tiring. Thinking and speaking in this language was difficult at
first; I would goito bed absolutely exhausted, tuning out at dinner
when my brain was full for the day. Playing the politeness game with
bank personnel and other officials can be tiresome, but it has gotten
easier. After awhile, you begin to accept that life is different here
and that maybe America has some lessons to be learned from this
country. I have certainly become more liberal since moving here, become
more sensitive to social issues like the outrageous cost of health care
and education in the States, and of course to foreign policy.

It’s
hard to be away from home, but flights are less expensive coming from
abroad to the States. Resisting the urge to pick up the phone and call
friends gets easier after the bill from France Telecom arrives.
However, I discovered a telephone service called 3U Telecom which has
pay-per-second billing and no monthly fee (http://www.3u.fr/) – calls to the US are around 5.9 euro cents per minute.

And
as for you all, the stuff you are doing in the classroom with Madame
André is really French! Many of my friends are impressed that I have
read Ronsard, Molière, Gide, Sartre, Camus and can sing Joe Dassin’s
“Champs-Elysées” and that old “Bon Anniversaire” song. Coming to live
in France takes a big desire, a little persistence, and endless amounts
of patience. It is totally doable, a lot of fun and can be extremely
rewarding.

For more information about teaching in France, go to http://www.frenchculture.org/education/support/assistant/2004-05.html.

Bon courage, les enfants!