This man loves his dog...and a prize poodle!

From the Salon de L'Agriculture

Photos!

Okay, so I've bitched out a bunch in my previous posts about things which have irked me about French culture. But let's get back to basics--here are some things I love about being here!

Food, dogs, babies, beautiful sunsets.

Ethnocentric exchanges

Parisians have a reputation as beginning rude, haughty, and self-centered with regards to tourists and foreigners. In fact, this stereotype is often extended to all of France, but most people will agree that it really only concerns the inhabitants of the City of Light. The majority of my experiences with Parisians have been fine. Certainly, they're by no means warm and welcoming (that qualification I reserve for the Dutch), but in general, I have not experienced much of an attitude problem. However, recently I had two fairly innocuous experiences with rude Parisians which also betrayed their ethnocentrism. I had a package to pick up at the post office yesterday (thanks, Mom!). When you pick something up, they always ask for ID. I handed over my Pennsylvania state ID, as it is, indeed, an identification card with my picture on it, that proves I am who I say I am. The woman at La Poste looked at me aghast and said, "What the hell is this? This is not an ID!!" I explained to her that yes, indeed it is an ID, an American ID. She refused to accept it and asked me for my passport. I gave it to her and got my package. This really does put me in a bind though. It means that I am forced to always carry my passport with me, something I am not entirely at ease doing since it is such a precious document. This episode speaks to general French ethnocentrism, as they only accept forms of identification that the French themselves would accept. In the US, no one would ever dream of carrying their passport around with them. That's precisely why we have ID's! They are just as valid. Simply because I am currently residing in France does not automatically invalidate my US ID. It still has my full name, photo, date of birth, and signature. But the French are very particular, and it is one more example of how when you come here, you must conform to their system, even if you are not a national.
The second incident occurred today. I went to my local fnac (like a best buy but so, so much better). I was interested in perhaps purchasing Intouchables, which has just come out on DVD. The film was the runaway hit of the year, and I missed it in theaters. Moreover, I was interested in the DVD because it would have subtitles, and as there is a lot of slang in the film, I had resisted seeing it out of fear of not comprehending everything. I was having trouble reading the back of the box to see if there were English subtitles included, so I went up to the cashier and asked her. She said, "it's a French film! Why in the world would this have subtitles? Do you always read every film you watch?" I explained to her that typically DVDs contain subtitles and audio tracks in different languages. At least American DVDs do. And guess what? This one didn't have English subtitles! Just another example of how French products and systems are made expressly for the French, everyone else be damned. I guess this should come as no surprise to me, as I am living here and everything. It's surprising and a bit jarring because I am so used to the American system, replete with multiple language tracks on DVDs and customer service options in Spanish. One of the founding principles of my country of birth is the notion of tolerance and open immigration. The French don't have that. In fact, they have what many call an 'immigration problem'. This ties in to what I've noticed here about immigrants too--if you immigrate to France, the state expects you to fully assimilate into their system. Furthermore, I think many of these experiences and expectations stem from the fact that France has an official national language. America does not. As someone I know said, in many ways America is a truly polyglot nation. Don't get me wrong, I adore France and am having the time of my life here. But sometimes I miss American open-mindedness. Believe me, I know America isn't perfect--far, far from it. Nevertheless, I feel that as a whole, the US is more welcoming, open, and tolerant. Even new York!

Racism and prejudice are GLOBAL issues

The topic of racism is always taboo and prickly. It exists everywhere, however, I have noticed several key differences in the way the French and Americans respond to this issue. A lot of my French compadres waive away accusations of ethnocentrism or racism by saying, "You Americans see racism in everything", "Americans are obsessed with racism", and "Americans are so obsessed with being politically correct all the time". These accusations may be true, and even so, they lie at the heart of these cultural differences. For example, there is an enormously popular film that was released this year called Intouchables. I have not yet seen it, but I have an understanding of the plot. It is about a successful executive who becomes paralyzed and must hire an aide to help with his basic daily actives. The executive is white. The aide is black, recently released from prison, and from the banlieue. The banlieue refers to the suburbs on the perimeter of any big city, in this case, Paris. Although the direct definition of banlieue is 'suburb', it is synonymous for 'ghetto', as it is in these areas where masses of immigrants and minorities live together, sequestered from the city limits. It is also here were the infamous riots occurred in 2005. Okay, now you have the gist of the plot. The New York Times recently wrote an article about the runaway success of the film, in which a review in Variety was quoted. The Variety review found the film rife with racial stereotypes, going so far as to call the young aide an 'Uncle Tom'. I shared this review with my students and colleagues. When I asked one of my colleagues what she thought about the purported racial stereotyping in the film, she told me, 'You Americans are so concerned with racism because it's part of your history, because you had slavery'. I felt this was a cheap excuse, as the French have a troubled history with all their formal colonial territories. Don't even get me started about the anti-Semitism (ahem Dreyfus affair). She continued, 'the fact that the character is from the banlieue and an ex convict refers not to his racial situation, but to his economic status'. Again, cheap evasion. Although that is true, in the banlieue, as in many areas of the United States, poverty and race are often inextricably linked forces that join together to marginalize entire communities. I'm not saying there isn't racism in the United States. Of course there is! All I'm saying is, at least we admit to it. Another acquaintance recently told me that her apartment in Cannes was rented by a Muslim, and that he destroyed the property. She continued to say, "Once they move in to a neighborhood, it is ruined forever". I couldn't believe my ears, but then again, I could, as this is the same woman who once told me that "France doesn't have a racism problem. The problem is the Algerians. They come here. They don't work. They hate us. They do nothing good for our society". Okay. Okay. France, I know you had issues with the Algerian war and everything, but can we please call a spade a spade? I've seen graffiti that says"Nique les Arabes" and "Le Shoah est un mensonge" (Google it!). By denying that these prejudices exist, the French are rendering themselves a disservice. Denial implicitly condones this behavior. It makes me irate to see this kind of bigoted language and behavior rampant. One other favored defense is, "We have the policy of laïcism, we are all equal under the eyes of the law". Not so much. Laïcism, or secularism, is the principle which guides the laws against head covers and displays of religious faith in schools. Furthermore, religion cannot be taught whatsoever in schools. I'm not advocating a dogmatic teaching of religion, but rather, a comparative one. If students don't learn about other faiths and beliefs, how will they ever learn tolerance? Also, the French are far from equal before the law. Women still make dramatically less than men here, even if they work in the same field. An article in Marie Claire magazine last year addressed this issue, with images of women protesting for equal rights in the 70s and now, accompanied by the harrowing headline: "quarante années de lutte, rien a changé" (forty years of struggle, nothing has changed). Pennies for your thoughts!

Social workin'

I try not to mention my personal life in this space, but I've recently had a big life change, and I'd like to reflect upon it here. I was recently accepted into a masters of social work program. I am thrilled. My educational background is in comparative literature, but I see many common themes in these two areas. I realized that what drives me to pursue social work is pure engagement, with society and social issues. The same style of 'engagement ', both political and artistic, that Sartre highlights in his essay, 'L'existentialiste est une humanise'. I have always felt deeply commuted to cultural engagement, which is to say, keeping current with films, art expositions, politics, current events and pop culture. I'm a city girl, I like being surrounded by the pulsation of creativity. That being said, I've always wanted a career wherein i will be able to make a difference or impact in others lives. The principle of direct engagement underscores the entire discipline of social work. It is the practice of engaging with individuals and groups, whether in an academic, corporate, hospital, or private practice setting. Social work is about attacking problems head-on. All I have to say is, I know this will be a challenge, but I am so incredibly excited!

Better living through chemistry...or not

One of the main cultural differences I've noticed between the French and Americans is their attitude towards medication. As the daughter of two doctors, and a migraine sufferer, I tend to pop ibuprofen like it's candy. In any other situation, I take medicine. If I have a stomach ache, I take Pepto. If I have a cold, I take cough syrup and decongestants. It's just second nature to me. You don't feel well, take something and you'll feel better. I don't want to give the impression that i'm some kind of addict, because I am not.
The French, however, take an entirely different perspective. I've had the misfortune of being sick quite a bit here, and my first move is to always run toute suite to my local pharmacy. My friends however, when they're sick, take nothing. I recently had coffee with a friend who was so decongested Ii couldn't understand what she was saying. I told her to take decongestants. She asked why, and said she never takes anything when she's sick. I've heard similar things from colleagues at work, along the lines of, "that cough syrup will only make you sicker". And yet, whenever I've been sick (fortunately only with a head cold or stomach flu) the first thing people tell me is GO SEE A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. First of all, I'm not yet on national healthcare here, so it would cost a lot more for me. Second of all, with something like a simple cold, I know perfectly well how to take care of myself. If it lasts two weeks or longer, then I'll go see a doctor. The rationale also seems to be, why take medication if you'll still be sick for the same amounts of time and it won't speed your recovery? The answer is, in my mind, is BECAUSE MEDICATION MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER and feel like a functional, productive human being. I get headaches a lot, and if I'm at any number of friends places, I've found, they don't have any medication whatsoever. So, being prudent, I came over here with a big stock pile of good old American ibuprofen, which always does the trick. I realize that it's bad to ALWAYS be taking something day in, day out, and if someone has that kind of need they should probably go get a checkup. Nevertheless, I don't understand the French resistance to over the counter meds. Are they scared of some Pringles commercial phenomenon? I have news for them: once you pop, you CAN stop. We're not talking crack here, but things like aspirin, Pepto, cough meds and decongestants. If all of these items (or like products) are sold at pharmacies, which litter the Parisian landscape, how bad can they be? I'm going to stick to my guns on this one and keep on taking medication every time I don't feel good. Better living through chemistry indeed.

Just one of those days

Today, i had no one show up (neither teacher or students) for not one, but two classes in a row. What's more, I had seen one of the teachers in question in the hallway a few hours before. She failed to tell me if there weren't classes. I wouldn't have problems if this was a one time thing, but it's fairly regular. And seeing as I commute from Paris, I have a bit of a thorn in my side about this. Either my status as an American or as a new Yorker has led me to be constantly connected with everyone, either by phone or via email. In college, it was perfectly common that a professor would email me and expect a response within an hour. The system worked vice versa as well. If I contacted a professor or the administration, I was certain to hear back promptly. I'm continually surprised by the amount of bullshit I deal with from colleagues. I came in expecting a certain level of bullshit from the students. Indeed, one might argue that "dealing with bullshit from students" is a dictionary-worthy definition of a high school teachers job. Honestly, I've never had much of an issue from the students. It would be nice, though, if my colleagues could email, call,or even text me if something comes up, so I could plan accordingly. Sitting in an empty classroom waiting for people to show up really doesn't do me or the school much good. What's more, I'd the students didn't know there was class, how come the teaching assistant didn't? I take it as a subtle slap in the face, as it has happened so many times (at the very least 10). It implies that it doesn't matter to let me know ahead of time, as I'm just the assistant and my job is insignificant. Ugh. As the French say, j'en ai marre!

Lazy Sunday, à la façon Parisienne

Hello! To the entire blogosphere, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year, or Bonne Année! I can't believe it's 2012! I am back in Paris, after having spent a wonderful holiday break in the States (only complaint: far too brief). I'd like to guide you through my lazy Sunday here in Paris. Step 1: Wake up way early at 6:30am, unable to fall back asleep (thanks, jetlag.) Commence the day by watching episodes of Downton Abbey (best new show on television...Maggie SMith is a hoot). Then proceed to actually get some work done with grad school applications and registering with the American Embassy. Step 2: Get out of bed finally, at about 10:00. Step 3: MAKE AND DEVOUR A LARGE CUP OF COFFEE. YOU CANNOT SKIP THIS STEP. Step 4: Go to local market. Try to return a vegetable chopper that was purchased several weeks ago, but find that alas, the woman selling kitchen products today does not sell said chopper. Fail. Keep useless kitchen utensil, for you do not want to throw it out, yet it doesn't work and you can't clean it properly. Evidence of red peppers remains in it's grate. Step 5: Do shopping. Buy merguiz sausages for dinner, enough Gala apples to suffice for the week, paté and cheese. The paté and cheese may seem superfluous, as you can find them at the supermarket, but don't be fooled. The quality is not the same. Finally, on the way out, buy some choucroute garmie, or saurkraut with bits of ham and sausage mixed in. Notice that the nice lady at the charcuterie stand gives you a huge chunk of ham to go with it. How nice! Step 6: Go home, but on the way stop at the boulangerie (not the best, but it will suffice) to buy a demi-baguette à la tradition. Step 7: Arrive at home. Realize that you haven't eaten yet today, and proceed to have a lazy sunday breakfast. Otherwise known as, having a little bite of everything you just bought at the market (sans merguiz and apples), just to make sure it's good. Have a few bites of saurkraut, and some paté and cheese with bread. Feel deeply satisfied with the French way of life. Done. Repeat as necessary on forthcoming Sundays.