What a lot of Americans don't get is (I m a bartender in paris) employees in restaurants or shops are not your property or their bosses property just because you pay. So yes, say hello, say thanks , say bye, from a french perspective it shouldn't even have to be explain to grown adults, it's just some basic shit parents teach their kids when they're 4 years old. I m glad you still like it here, I wish y'all the best
We (French) are strange people. Having lived and worked in the USA I can feel the change. This is NOT about inefficiency in France but rather a TOTAL refusal of taylorization AND a way to understand better what you are trying to achieve. There is a definite approach to make things sophisticated. As a Frenchman I felt this frustration the otherway around observing how simple questions in the US were (they take us for deeply stupid dafts). Don't be fooled, French are very effective but they learn to behave as if it was not the end of the world in the next 5 minutes.
in fact it doesn't shock me, we have our schedules, we stick to them, we make sure to finish the day's work before it's time to go home, and since we don't feel obliged to be double shifts at office to appear efficient and invested, we ultimately probably spend less time on CandyCrush during work hours, than in countries where they are obliged to appear to live in the office to be taken seriously. If we have an hour of downtime during the day, we'll play for 5 minutes, and then we'll go around in circles, tidy up a little, take advantage of it to reclassify this damn file, go have a coffee with the colleagues, maybe give them a slip a helping hand if needed, but in any case, the job is done at departure time.
looking like you are doing stuff =/= doing stuff. (also this prodictivity thing is linked to the fact we have generally better trained workers and pour main economic sectors have more value added)
Je tombe sur votre vidéo par hasard. C'est amusant parce que, vu de France, ce sont les États-Unis qui, malgré leurs indéniables réalisations, paraissent les rois de l'inefficacité hystérique qui laisse tant de gens au bord de la route. En France, et malgré le fait- ou à cause de lui- que les Français ne sont jamais contents de rien et râlent beaucoup, tout est fait rationnellement et ils savent profiter de la vie pour beaucoup moins cher que dans les pays anglo-saxons, qui plus est. Bien que cela soit en train de changer, hélas, à cause d'une volonté politique systématisée de casse du Service Public mis en place après-guerre. Bon séjour et bonne journée. Corrigé à des fins orthographiques le 22 mai 2024.
Je vous conseille de lire Jean de la Fontaine (a french writer born in 1621) Le lièvre et la tortue ... If you like books you're gonna love it , and have a better understand about french cukture is 😉😉
The french are amongst the most productive in the OECD. Americans are not fundamentally more productive, contrary to their assumption. I know what it is like to be under tremendous pressure at all times and do the job of 3 different persons at the same time, without even more than 2 seconds to let out a sigh. And i am certainly not american.
I agree ! Americans have this false sense of being super productive compared to others, and that can lead to being condescending, when in fact statistics prove otherwise. There are just different ways.
I lived in the US for a while (Rochester, MN) and I can say that Americans are very productive at getting the things done that I don't care about much. French administration is terribly slow. My French friends know this, and don't like it, but nothing changes, but it's just something you accept. French lifestyle is why I now live in France. Yes, everyone stops for a 2 hour lunch. Many shops are closed for a 2 hour lunch. You can treat this as a bad thing or a good thing. You can see it as inconvenient or you can see it as a way to spend a civilised lunch with your family, every day, rather than eating a Subway at your office desk, with a phone on your shoulder. BTW. It's "Pay-Ree-Gur", not "Perry-Goo".
As you said, it all works out. We came by ship via the Queen Elizabeth , picked up in Ft Lauderdale, traveled thru Bahamas, Portugal and final port Barcelona. And then a train to Bordeaux to start our life in France. Yes, every single person and even some French surprisingly, " why not take an airplane?" Well, it will be in our family an experience we will forever hold dear. Our kids keep asking to do it again. And we might but maybe just around the Mediterranean! Of course, 15 years ago we took a train from Fl to NYC , so thats been always our mode. French life overall has been just what we hoped. We still have been frustrated but now 7 months later we are feeling at home here. Enjoy every step , every view , every person. And as many lives as you can do in this one lifetime, do it!
Hey ! French 23 years old in aerospace engineering here, doing a double degree with Georgia Tech in Atlanta. It's a great video for me to try to get a grasp a bit better of american culture, and how you think. I just wanted to say that having done now a full semester in this american university, I just feeel like... Americans are super inefficient, at least academicaly speaking ! It's not a necessarily a bad thing, but i got really frustrated the first semester for several reason. First, the amount of things done in a semster. To be fair, it really depends on which courses your're taking, but for example, it was mandatory for me to re-take classes in the university that i've done before, during my scientific "prépa" (If you don't know the concept, i encourage you to search it online). I did in ONE FULL SEMESTER at georgia tech what we did in... 3 weeks in France! And the course was much harder in France, with real exercices and tests ! I have 4/4 of GPA in the uni when i had only 14.5/20 of average grade in my french engineering school, and i kinda felt like the teacher was insulting my intelligence by being too nice and giving too easy tests, there was absolutely no challenge at all, exept being able to know by heart the course (which as an engineer, is useless, you're a better engineer if you can solve problems, not recite them). In term of diversity of courses, in a french semester, you would do 3 to 4 times more courses than in an american uni. Also, during group project, i was paired with americans. And i do not know how on earth it was possible, but the work i did in like 2 or three hours would take them 6 to 8 hours. And i'm clearly not a genius, or a workaholic (I spend most of my time taking aperos at night with the other french student, inviting americans to come, and having in response "i'm so sorry but i need to work i can't". I only worked during daytime, like 3-4 hours a day, and achieved so much more... And still had the time to take naps when they were so stressed by everything). I love America for the opportunity it offers me, but I can't even express how much I feel like i'm the efficient one here lmao
@@BaguetteBound Thank you so much ! I hope I wasn't too rude criticizing like this American Uni system, like a real french negative feedback giver. Welcome to France, we are happy to have you here !
I am french and work for an american company in France. As a global company, americans were surprised that they could learn great practices from the European branch. Also, in meetings for example, I found that americans are also less direct and to the point. It seems it takes longer to work out solutions because of this roundabout way of going to the issue. This echoes something said in another video about criticism in France.
I studied 6 months in the UK, I finished the test in 20 minutes, sure to have maximum grade, it was exactly the same than 2 years before. English students stayed for the full 2 hours and found it so challenging. I have to idea how they prepare their exams. They spent days and weeks at "the library", I never understood wtfthey were doing. I'm now 40 years old, and can tell that nearly everything I learnt in French school is useless in corporate world. In UK, I learnt nothing but working on projects as a team and speak in front or large audience. So now I realize the way they study is closer to real jobs requirements, mainly soft skills. France is simply preparing everyone to become PhD at CNRS.
French born and raised here, who's lived in the US for over 40 years now (but soon retiring in France, thank God!!) I believe that this american fixation on efficiency stems in part from the fact that they have to work so much more than the French, because they desperately NEED to! They need to because of the enslaving amount of debt the vast majority of them (77% in 2022) carry: The AVERAGE household debt in the US is $97,000 that includes students loans, credit cards loans, insane car loan payments, and mortgages they should have never been approved for! And to make matters worse, they have to pay through the nose for health insurance that barely cover the basics but still come with large deductibles! Even their subpar diet (due to the subpar nutritional value of all US processed food) is dominated by drive-through FAST (processed )FOOD! No time to eat properly! Thus without their proudly vaunted efficiency they would literally have ZERO time left to simply LIVE: spending time with their family, traveling their vast and beautiful country, and take time to truly enjoy and share proper food with friends and family! So while the US may claim efficiency of work and production, the French will work less, and less perhaps less efficiently, they will always dominate in the art of living. The saying: "Americans live to work.The French work to live" is indeed true and accurate. Vive la France!
We live slowly, we work few hours but still we have a productivity wich is similar to the US. This is mainly because when you work too much you get tired and then get inneficient. Rest is the key here. So yes, slow way of life is definitely the best, i guess that spanish and italian people will agree with me Slow work is also a key for quality
At work, French are very productive when it’s required but when it’s not, we don’t really care for efficiency. Most of us thing it’s a bit alienating to be always quick, efficient and that enjoying what we are doing is part of the journey in everything. For the administration, even we are frustrated because everything is slow and complicated, except for paying taxes. Our french internet website Trésor Public is very good, easy to use but of course, it’s for paying taxes, a French delight 😂
you both are adorable. As a french person I understand very well your daily experience of french life. I do think we, french, are used to taking our time but it reminds me a thought I had during a trip to New York 10 years ago. I was at a hotel in Manathan and watching a delivrer man who pick up little boxes, one by one, to deliver the hotel. I said to myself, "what a waste of time ! this would never happen in France"... Well, we are all different and that's great ! Thanks for your videos. I really appreciate them.
When it comes to fruit and vegetables at the market, it's not just the advice from the sellers that's appreciated. It's also the fact that you can buy produce that hasn't been touched or damaged by rude customers (as happens in places where everyone chooses their own produce).
Interesting video. After some time you will learn that every single French person is involved in some sort of battle with a public administration in order to get something done. Whether it is some sort of authorisation, some procedure or whatever. It is extremely frustrating and infuriating on a daily basis. Thank God we have wine and cheese to forget about these problems
Went to Mississippi the summer before last (from France). We landed first in Atlanta and found that everybody at the airport (customs officer, staff) was very laid back and in no rush at all. This impression was confirmed in Mississippi: people in the South take their time. They are also very friendly. We enjoyed that.
I discovered you yesterday and i think i watched all your videos. I am french and as a previous expact, i love to see my country in the eyes of others. I love that you talk about your experience and you share your views on it and how open minded you are. You are only missing one thing ; you need to go to a protest once (peaceful one). their you can see the french strenght and good vibe :). cant wait to watch your next adveture and we are so happy to count you as part of our people. thanks for choosing us.
As informative and open-minded as usual. One day I was waiting for my turn in a post-office with a lot of other people when someone started grumbling he was losing too much time waiting. Then an old woman said: "Why worry? You won't be so hurried when Death comes for you". That made everybody laugh and realise she was right. I've never forgotten what she said!
@Alex-mp1zb It’s a very French way of thinking. We have lots of little phrases like these to remind us every day to put things into perspective. “a shroud has no pockets”, there is no point in accumulating wealth without enjoying it since we do not take it with us to death, “Hell is paved with good intentions” reminds us that wanting to do “Good” is not enough, you have to do it the right way, “there is no death of a man” or “it’s not the death of the little horse” to say that it’s okay, it it's not so serious, in the register of it's not serious we also have "not enough to whip a cat" or "not enough to break three legs of a duck", and sometimes when people get angry and mix everything up it ends with "there's no reason to whip a three-legged cat", which makes the person at the source of the annoyance in general laugh a lot...
@@nathnn3419et en Suisse l expression (il n'y a pas le feu au lac ) ou (qu'on voit ce qu'on voit quand on entend ce qu'on entend on a bien raison de penser ce qu'on pense)😅
France is a catholic-based country, which means that we are not as based on earning money and be economically efficient than northern European countries, being based more on protestant values,
I agree 100% with the slow pace and inefficiency. However, I would postulate that the fruit vendor is not slow or inefficient, she is doing a specific job, one that takes time. People who go to her booth are paying for her expertise (in time and in money.) There are other aspects of French life that are specifically inefficient, like having to go to a separate cashier if you use cash in Gallerie Lafayette, for example , or topping off a tram card (in Nice) online with a credit card and the credit not being good for 72 hours. I just chalk it up to "It's the French way." There are so many wonderful things that outweigh any inconvenience, it's worth it. To be honest, you can find loads of inefficiency in the USA too. Try calling any company and getting to speak to a live person.
Absolutely, that was definitely what we wanted to share...that "fast" doesn't always equal efficiency depending on what you're trying to accomplish. It feels like the French really get that. It's takes as long as it takes to do the thing well.
Well, when someone says that to you, it really means "c'est difficile" or even "c'est impossible". But they are not courageous enough to say it as it is. I would say this trend of not calling a cat, a cat appeared and took the high road in the 80's, along the spread of a commercial/trade/services set of mind in the whole society, where the client is the the king, no one dares to upset him and above all no bad news is allowed : stay positive! is the forced mantra. Telling things as they are is frown upon, this era tends to be the era of hypocrisy and blindness, some people are so positive that they would be robbed/bullied/murdered without (ac)know(ledg)ing it 😢
notez bien que la France est classée habituellement parmi les pays les plus productifs au monde, d'ailleurs nous faisons en 39h ce que les autres font en général en 50 h. Ce temps gagné nous permet d'avoir plus de loisirs chaque jour, ce que les étrangers ne comprennent pas et ils pensent à tort que nous sommes lymphatiques.
In french, the quality of life in the work is for make quality for your job for your compagny. It s note slowly Time, it s for efficacité and quality. Sorry, i have speak english .. 30 years .. i leave in the Landes.
Juste une remarque, ayant habité une année dans le Sud-Ouest (le Gers), c'est vrai que les gens prennent le temps de vivre 🙂 Si vous allez dans l'Est de la France, en Alsace par exemple, c'est une autre histoire, là l'heure c'est l'heure! Peut-être que le style de vie des US s'approche plus du style de vie germanique (allemand) ?
Hello! Public services have been neglected by the successive goverments (administrations in US speak); but I can tell you with confidence that emergency services personnel are trying to get things done, quickly and efficiently. Firemen, paramedics, gendarmes will respond and help you. Years ago people called the Pompiers (firemen/paramedics, local volunteers) for getting rid of wasps nests, rescuing cats stranded in high trees and so on. Yes, personnal contact and advice is valued, is still important in commerce, is severely degraded in publc services because there is just not enough people working there.
Not exactly true. There are too many people in public services. But very badly managed Useless ministries created by successive governments only to employ their acquaintances are still around. A way to reward "supporters". French administration is probably one of the worst in the world. A birth certificate for foreigners took 6 week to get from Nantes, accounting for mails exchange. With internet, it takes 5 weeks. They fire militaries and policemen which take long term formations to have efficient ones. Then one day they woke up and announce massive recruitment with 3-6 month formations. Then we end with policemen and soldiers who are basically novices, untrained for sensitive situation and end in dramatic mistakes or abuse. The same goes for education and healthcare. They conducted an experiment in Valenciennes and Maubeuge in the North. Setting a management system a bit closer to private clinics. Administrative personnel added for paperwork, medical secretaries to be the link with actual medical staff, administration and patients. With the same number of personnel, they heal more people. Why ? Because nurses are less strained and they no longer spend 40% of their time managing things outside of their field of expertise. Doctors and chief of services are granted small direct budget for emergency use and consumable instead of needing to go through commissions to even order a 0.20€ pencil. French administration need a profound reform. Getting more field personnel, delegating administrative tasks to people who have been taught for it. And most of all, dissolving and stop creating fake ministries and cabinets that weight quite heavily on the National budget. While, on the other hand, they make cuts on social services.
Ooooooh that's the reason why my wife is so obsessed by achieving millions of things, and crashing around 18.00, she's been raised in the states ! it all makes sense now, thanks for this video (French dude here, one thing done a day ;) )
I really appreciate the way you presented this topic. In the US, the notion of service is really something you can count on, while in Europe it's a joke (most of the time). Even as European, I complain about this. Also, Americans are practical people... they don't try to build very complex procedure based on theoretical ideas... they simply do it. But, we also have to admit that some people are naturally efficient, while others are not... or their perception of the word "efficiency" is different. If some people complain about inefficiency and bad service... try to come to Spain 🤦♂
Europeans actually do better with production and efficiency than North America. Lol. They may ( Americans) THINK they're busy but looks baffles reality. Don't you need health insurance in the US? A friend just had a stroke in the US and the bills are staggering. Feel free to speak up about how great life is here and if others don't get it, please let them go.
Yes, for a tourist it maybe is 'anoying' but as a way of life - it's good. I can somewhat compare it to camping trips with a caravan, usally I can drive 120km/h on a highway but with the caravan hooked on behind I'm restricted to 80km/h. But when on holiday with the caravan I get into the 'slow mode' - and it's fine.
This is one of the things that characterizes France and the French, we have a lifestyle oriented towards quality of life, sometimes, it's true, more than towards speed or apparent efficiency. To better understand the process, keep in mind that a French person will prefer to take more time to do something if it means they don't have to come back to it later.
I think what you are speaking about is.. a small town with a lot of old people with ni job to do and a lot of time to waste. Most people are going to "supermarché" after their working hours, and they are in a rush. Like everywhere else.
oooohhh ,(i am from NL ) the Perigord, i've been there about 20 years ago, that was about the book series from Jean M Auel. earthchildren, have you been to Lasceux deux ( i hope it i spelled it correctly) it is beautifull.
The more you go south on the northern hemisphere/ or the more you go north on the southern Hemisphere, you can observe a culture with lower productivity. Its what i found out while traveling the world
Thank you for your vidéos. I’m French and it is very interessing. May be there is a différence between wheee you live and paris. Some way of life you spire about was similar than parisien Life.
In New York, I just wanted to go to the top of the One World observatory, see the view, and leave. Instead, I was obliged to go through a ridiculous spectacle from the moment the elevator doors opened at the top, through some totally non sense fake-background picture taking (I had to insist that I was not interested in any picture, so that they finally let me through) and manage to avoid a bunch of crap-selling traps like people wearing Disney character costumes to sell souvenirs. I finally reached the windows, appreciated the view and left. Each place has its inconveniences, hope you still manage to enjoy the positives and just ignore the rest.
This story made me laugh inside a little because it's true...in the US at every stage of an experience we will find a way to try to sell you something else. 😂 It could be visiting a site or buying a cell phone.
Unnerving : I went through the same experience and grew irritated at exactly the same moments. The only positive surprise being the ride inside the elevators with the screens mimicking the ride.
It feels like the US are so much based on business and competitiveness, or more simply put, nobody can "out-Capitalism" this country, that it transpires in daily life outside of work. Which is understandable because 99% of US citizens spend most of their time working. You are working more hours per year than the Japanese btw. And the very low number of hours per week where you can relax generates various issues like lack of sleep, depression, binge drinking, no time to travel, or to learn anything that isn't related to making money... you name it. Now that you are in lazy frogs country, I hope you can learn to keep your American work ethic at work, because it is essentially a good thing, if it stays at work, and learn to enjoy the (normally) bigger amount of free time you can get here. I would also advise to try to learn French, not only because of the practical advantages, but because learning any new language creates new connections in your brain and with it new ways of thinking. Basically you can learn Spanish or Japanese, it would have the same effect, but since you're in France... :D
I could choose my Mutuelle (personal health insurance) directly online. But every time I came back to it, the price would change from sometimes the double. I had to try many times to get the right price close to the lowest I had. Isn’t that an American way to sell something?
Americans are productive, they're not better then the others. It's a false feeling. We kind optimise for pleasure, evaluating efficiency is not an easy task. I've landed twice in the USA (LA and San Franscisco) ... and .. i wasted hours in their lugages check, paper form to fill ... that was not efficient at all. Is efficiency building a million new houses or improve existent ones ... is it building a maximum of coca cola bottle .. or using reusable glass bottles ... Efficiency is maximizing pleasure in life and if you came to France its certainly cause this was something important for you, take your time... just enjoy what you do .. do not rush for the next thing you have to do.... just enjoy every second. It can be hard to follow this path but once you are into it ... nothing can touch you appart from disease and death.
I am Lebanese, French educated, know France and the French upside down and backwards. I have been living in the USA since 1985. The French are very inefficient. The Americans are killing themselves with speed/efficiency/multitasking. However, all of this has to do in my opinion and experience with culture. The French culture is a culture that thrives on mais c’est pas possible. On the other hand, the American culture, as opposed to the pessimistic, whining French/European culture (I speak German too), is an overly optimistic, overly can do culture to ridiculous extremes. A great culture would be somewhere in the middle, like the Lebanese culture. 🤣 😂
@@paulin1606 Just in case you didn’t know, and speaking of thinking, did you think and know that Lebanon was a French mandate that inherited the archaic French system that is still being used in France and Lebanon since the Neolithic age. 😮 Don’t be offended, the whole of Europe and the Middle East are still in the Neolithic age. Look East young man. Companies from Germany, the powerhouse of Europe are fleeing to the USA and China at alarming speed. I meet with them weekly. Think about it.
u are completly wrong!!! companies flee china, they dont go there anymore since covid! Lots of french companies ( not enough though) flee china and come back to France, something u seem to ignore! french is inefficient u say? so u dont know that a french worker is among the most productive, the best productivity per hour, in the world, in front of USA and China!! so stay with our "efficient " Lebanon, that' s rather falling apart , from what we see abroad....We are so "inefficient " that , as u can see for urself, beautiful American families move to our country, not lebanon, think about it!!
What a lot of Americans don't get is (I m a bartender in paris) employees in restaurants or shops are not your property or their bosses property just because you pay. So yes, say hello, say thanks , say bye, from a french perspective it shouldn't even have to be explain to grown adults, it's just some basic shit parents teach their kids when they're 4 years old. I m glad you still like it here, I wish y'all the best
We (French) are strange people. Having lived and worked in the USA I can feel the change. This is NOT about inefficiency in France but rather a TOTAL refusal of taylorization AND a way to understand better what you are trying to achieve. There is a definite approach to make things sophisticated. As a Frenchman I felt this frustration the otherway around observing how simple questions in the US were (they take us for deeply stupid dafts). Don't be fooled, French are very effective but they learn to behave as if it was not the end of the world in the next 5 minutes.
Obviously read that picturing you typing and commenting while smoking a cig. NGL.
@@afterburner94 What kind of ridiculous comment is that ? Oh, American cynicism? What a predictable bore.
The French’s habit of making things ‘sophisticated’ is called perfectionism. That’s both inefficient and toxic.
‘Keep It Simple’ is smart.
@@Florence3121 Simplicity is smart and simplism is stupid.
I like how you look beneath the surface to better understand French culture.
Isn't above the surface, rather ?
Would you beleive that several studies showed that French workers are among the most productive in Europe ? More than Germans for example.
Yep. GDP per hour worked is fairly similar between France, USA, Germany, Belgium etc. It's higher per year in the USA because they work more hours.
in fact it doesn't shock me, we have our schedules, we stick to them, we make sure to finish the day's work before it's time to go home, and since we don't feel obliged to be double shifts at office to appear efficient and invested, we ultimately probably spend less time on CandyCrush during work hours, than in countries where they are obliged to appear to live in the office to be taken seriously. If we have an hour of downtime during the day, we'll play for 5 minutes, and then we'll go around in circles, tidy up a little, take advantage of it to reclassify this damn file, go have a coffee with the colleagues, maybe give them a slip a helping hand if needed, but in any case, the job is done at departure time.
looking like you are doing stuff =/= doing stuff.
(also this prodictivity thing is linked to the fact we have generally better trained workers and pour main economic sectors have more value added)
Je tombe sur votre vidéo par hasard. C'est amusant parce que, vu de France, ce sont les États-Unis qui, malgré leurs indéniables réalisations, paraissent les rois de l'inefficacité hystérique qui laisse tant de gens au bord de la route. En France, et malgré le fait- ou à cause de lui- que les Français ne sont jamais contents de rien et râlent beaucoup, tout est fait rationnellement et ils savent profiter de la vie pour beaucoup moins cher que dans les pays anglo-saxons, qui plus est. Bien que cela soit en train de changer, hélas, à cause d'une volonté politique systématisée de casse du Service Public mis en place après-guerre.
Bon séjour et bonne journée.
Corrigé à des fins orthographiques le 22 mai 2024.
Je vous conseille de lire Jean de la Fontaine (a french writer born in 1621) Le lièvre et la tortue ... If you like books you're gonna love it , and have a better understand about french cukture is 😉😉
The french are amongst the most productive in the OECD. Americans are not fundamentally more productive, contrary to their assumption. I know what it is like to be under tremendous pressure at all times and do the job of 3 different persons at the same time, without even more than 2 seconds to let out a sigh. And i am certainly not american.
I agree ! Americans have this false sense of being super productive compared to others, and that can lead to being condescending, when in fact statistics prove otherwise.
There are just different ways.
I lived in the US for a while (Rochester, MN) and I can say that Americans are very productive at getting the things done that I don't care about much.
French administration is terribly slow. My French friends know this, and don't like it, but nothing changes, but it's just something you accept.
French lifestyle is why I now live in France. Yes, everyone stops for a 2 hour lunch. Many shops are closed for a 2 hour lunch. You can treat this as a bad thing or a good thing.
You can see it as inconvenient or you can see it as a way to spend a civilised lunch with your family, every day, rather than eating a Subway at your office desk, with a phone on your shoulder.
BTW. It's "Pay-Ree-Gur", not "Perry-Goo".
I am french and found adminstrative things SO slow in the USA (not to say it's great in France, but that neither is better in fact).
As you said, it all works out. We came by ship via the Queen Elizabeth , picked up in Ft Lauderdale, traveled thru Bahamas, Portugal and final port Barcelona. And then a train to Bordeaux to start our life in France. Yes, every single person and even some French surprisingly, " why not take an airplane?" Well, it will be in our family an experience we will forever hold dear. Our kids keep asking to do it again. And we might but maybe just around the Mediterranean! Of course, 15 years ago we took a train from Fl to NYC , so thats been always our mode. French life overall has been just what we hoped. We still have been frustrated but now 7 months later we are feeling at home here. Enjoy every step , every view , every person. And as many lives as you can do in this one lifetime, do it!
Hey ! French 23 years old in aerospace engineering here, doing a double degree with Georgia Tech in Atlanta. It's a great video for me to try to get a grasp a bit better of american culture, and how you think.
I just wanted to say that having done now a full semester in this american university, I just feeel like... Americans are super inefficient, at least academicaly speaking ! It's not a necessarily a bad thing, but i got really frustrated the first semester for several reason. First, the amount of things done in a semster. To be fair, it really depends on which courses your're taking, but for example, it was mandatory for me to re-take classes in the university that i've done before, during my scientific "prépa" (If you don't know the concept, i encourage you to search it online). I did in ONE FULL SEMESTER at georgia tech what we did in... 3 weeks in France! And the course was much harder in France, with real exercices and tests ! I have 4/4 of GPA in the uni when i had only 14.5/20 of average grade in my french engineering school, and i kinda felt like the teacher was insulting my intelligence by being too nice and giving too easy tests, there was absolutely no challenge at all, exept being able to know by heart the course (which as an engineer, is useless, you're a better engineer if you can solve problems, not recite them). In term of diversity of courses, in a french semester, you would do 3 to 4 times more courses than in an american uni.
Also, during group project, i was paired with americans. And i do not know how on earth it was possible, but the work i did in like 2 or three hours would take them 6 to 8 hours. And i'm clearly not a genius, or a workaholic (I spend most of my time taking aperos at night with the other french student, inviting americans to come, and having in response "i'm so sorry but i need to work i can't". I only worked during daytime, like 3-4 hours a day, and achieved so much more... And still had the time to take naps when they were so stressed by everything). I love America for the opportunity it offers me, but I can't even express how much I feel like i'm the efficient one here lmao
This is so interesting, thanks for sharing your experience! Good luck with the rest of your schooling and time in the US.
@@BaguetteBound Thank you so much ! I hope I wasn't too rude criticizing like this American Uni system, like a real french negative feedback giver.
Welcome to France, we are happy to have you here !
I am french and work for an american company in France. As a global company, americans were surprised that they could learn great practices from the European branch.
Also, in meetings for example, I found that americans are also less direct and to the point. It seems it takes longer to work out solutions because of this roundabout way of going to the issue.
This echoes something said in another video about criticism in France.
I studied 6 months in the UK, I finished the test in 20 minutes, sure to have maximum grade, it was exactly the same than 2 years before. English students stayed for the full 2 hours and found it so challenging. I have to idea how they prepare their exams. They spent days and weeks at "the library", I never understood wtfthey were doing. I'm now 40 years old, and can tell that nearly everything I learnt in French school is useless in corporate world. In UK, I learnt nothing but working on projects as a team and speak in front or large audience. So now I realize the way they study is closer to real jobs requirements, mainly soft skills. France is simply preparing everyone to become PhD at CNRS.
French born and raised here, who's lived in the US for over 40 years now (but soon retiring in France, thank God!!)
I believe that this american fixation on efficiency stems in part from the fact that they have to work so much more than the French, because they desperately NEED to! They need to because of the enslaving amount of debt the vast majority of them (77% in 2022) carry: The AVERAGE household debt in the US is $97,000 that includes students loans, credit cards loans, insane car loan payments, and mortgages they should have never been approved for! And to make matters worse, they have to pay through the nose for health insurance that barely cover the basics but still come with large deductibles!
Even their subpar diet (due to the subpar nutritional value of all US processed food) is dominated by drive-through FAST (processed )FOOD! No time to eat properly!
Thus without their proudly vaunted efficiency they would literally have ZERO time left to simply LIVE: spending time with their family, traveling their vast and beautiful country, and take time to truly enjoy and share proper food with friends and family!
So while the US may claim efficiency of work and production, the French will work less, and less perhaps less efficiently, they will always dominate in the art of living. The saying: "Americans live to work.The French work to live" is indeed true and accurate. Vive la France!
American way to add all optimum is in fact inefficient as any graduated in mathematics will tell you that sum of optimum is rarely global optimum .
We live slowly, we work few hours but still we have a productivity wich is similar to the US. This is mainly because when you work too much you get tired and then get inneficient. Rest is the key here.
So yes, slow way of life is definitely the best, i guess that spanish and italian people will agree with me Slow work is also a key for quality
A Corsican saying ( slowly in the morning and not to fast in the afternoon ,you will live longueur ) and do not forget the apero
At work, French are very productive when it’s required but when it’s not, we don’t really care for efficiency. Most of us thing it’s a bit alienating to be always quick, efficient and that enjoying what we are doing is part of the journey in everything. For the administration, even we are frustrated because everything is slow and complicated, except for paying taxes. Our french internet website Trésor Public is very good, easy to use but of course, it’s for paying taxes, a French delight 😂
you both are adorable. As a french person I understand very well your daily experience of french life. I do think we, french, are used to taking our time but it reminds me a thought I had during a trip to New York 10 years ago. I was at a hotel in Manathan and watching a delivrer man who pick up little boxes, one by one, to deliver the hotel. I said to myself, "what a waste of time ! this would never happen in France"... Well, we are all different and that's great ! Thanks for your videos. I really appreciate them.
When it comes to fruit and vegetables at the market, it's not just the advice from the sellers that's appreciated. It's also the fact that you can buy produce that hasn't been touched or damaged by rude customers (as happens in places where everyone chooses their own produce).
Interesting video. After some time you will learn that every single French person is involved in some sort of battle with a public administration in order to get something done. Whether it is some sort of authorisation, some procedure or whatever.
It is extremely frustrating and infuriating on a daily basis.
Thank God we have wine and cheese to forget about these problems
Went to Mississippi the summer before last (from France). We landed first in Atlanta and found that everybody at the airport (customs officer, staff) was very laid back and in no rush at all. This impression was confirmed in Mississippi: people in the South take their time. They are also very friendly. We enjoyed that.
I discovered you yesterday and i think i watched all your videos. I am french and as a previous expact, i love to see my country in the eyes of others. I love that you talk about your experience and you share your views on it and how open minded you are.
You are only missing one thing ; you need to go to a protest once (peaceful one). their you can see the french strenght and good vibe :). cant wait to watch your next adveture and we are so happy to count you as part of our people. thanks for choosing us.
As informative and open-minded as usual. One day I was waiting for my turn in a post-office with a lot of other people when someone started grumbling he was losing too much time waiting. Then an old woman said: "Why worry? You won't be so hurried when Death comes for you". That made everybody laugh and realise she was right. I've never forgotten what she said!
somehow, it reminds me a phrase in Shawshank Redemption : "get busy living, or get busy dying"
@@zorglub20770 this is exactly the quote I was thinking of omg 😭
@Alex-mp1zb It’s a very French way of thinking. We have lots of little phrases like these to remind us every day to put things into perspective. “a shroud has no pockets”, there is no point in accumulating wealth without enjoying it since we do not take it with us to death, “Hell is paved with good intentions” reminds us that wanting to do “Good” is not enough, you have to do it the right way, “there is no death of a man” or “it’s not the death of the little horse” to say that it’s okay, it it's not so serious, in the register of it's not serious we also have "not enough to whip a cat" or "not enough to break three legs of a duck", and sometimes when people get angry and mix everything up it ends with "there's no reason to whip a three-legged cat", which makes the person at the source of the annoyance in general laugh a lot...
@@nathnn3419et en Suisse l expression (il n'y a pas le feu au lac ) ou (qu'on voit ce qu'on voit quand on entend ce qu'on entend on a bien raison de penser ce qu'on pense)😅
"memento mori" disaient les chrétiens du moyen-âge :)
France is a catholic-based country, which means that we are not as based on earning money and be economically efficient than northern European countries, being based more on protestant values,
true
I agree 100% with the slow pace and inefficiency. However, I would postulate that the fruit vendor is not slow or inefficient, she is doing a specific job, one that takes time. People who go to her booth are paying for her expertise (in time and in money.) There are other aspects of French life that are specifically inefficient, like having to go to a separate cashier if you use cash in Gallerie Lafayette, for example , or topping off a tram card (in Nice) online with a credit card and the credit not being good for 72 hours. I just chalk it up to "It's the French way." There are so many wonderful things that outweigh any inconvenience, it's worth it. To be honest, you can find loads of inefficiency in the USA too. Try calling any company and getting to speak to a live person.
Absolutely, that was definitely what we wanted to share...that "fast" doesn't always equal efficiency depending on what you're trying to accomplish. It feels like the French really get that. It's takes as long as it takes to do the thing well.
@@BaguetteBound You guys are actually quite good, at noticing and understanding cultural differences. Kudos.
"C'est compliqué " I'm going to get a t-shirt made up....
🇫🇷❤️ ☘️💚🇮🇪
Well, when someone says that to you, it really means "c'est difficile" or even "c'est impossible". But they are not courageous enough to say it as it is.
I would say this trend of not calling a cat, a cat appeared and took the high road in the 80's, along the spread of a commercial/trade/services set of mind in the whole society, where the client is the the king, no one dares to upset him and above all no bad news is allowed : stay positive! is the forced mantra.
Telling things as they are is frown upon, this era tends to be the era of hypocrisy and blindness, some people are so positive that they would be robbed/bullied/murdered without (ac)know(ledg)ing it 😢
notez bien que la France est classée habituellement parmi les pays les plus productifs au monde, d'ailleurs nous faisons en 39h ce que les autres font en général en 50 h. Ce temps gagné nous permet d'avoir plus de loisirs chaque jour, ce que les étrangers ne comprennent pas et ils pensent à tort que nous sommes lymphatiques.
In french, the quality of life in the work is for make quality for your job for your compagny. It s note slowly Time, it s for efficacité and quality. Sorry, i have speak english .. 30 years .. i leave in the Landes.
Great channel and well worth my time. You're setting the bar kind of high for others 😉
Thanks!
Juste une remarque, ayant habité une année dans le Sud-Ouest (le Gers), c'est vrai que les gens prennent le temps de vivre 🙂
Si vous allez dans l'Est de la France, en Alsace par exemple, c'est une autre histoire, là l'heure c'est l'heure!
Peut-être que le style de vie des US s'approche plus du style de vie germanique (allemand) ?
Lovin your vlog, keep it going 🎉
Hello! Public services have been neglected by the successive goverments (administrations in US speak); but I can tell you with confidence that emergency services personnel are trying to get things done, quickly and efficiently. Firemen, paramedics, gendarmes will respond and help you. Years ago people called the Pompiers (firemen/paramedics, local volunteers) for getting rid of wasps nests, rescuing cats stranded in high trees and so on.
Yes, personnal contact and advice is valued, is still important in commerce, is severely degraded in publc services because there is just not enough people working there.
Not exactly true. There are too many people in public services. But very badly managed Useless ministries created by successive governments only to employ their acquaintances are still around. A way to reward "supporters". French administration is probably one of the worst in the world. A birth certificate for foreigners took 6 week to get from Nantes, accounting for mails exchange. With internet, it takes 5 weeks. They fire militaries and policemen which take long term formations to have efficient ones. Then one day they woke up and announce massive recruitment with 3-6 month formations. Then we end with policemen and soldiers who are basically novices, untrained for sensitive situation and end in dramatic mistakes or abuse.
The same goes for education and healthcare. They conducted an experiment in Valenciennes and Maubeuge in the North. Setting a management system a bit closer to private clinics. Administrative personnel added for paperwork, medical secretaries to be the link with actual medical staff, administration and patients. With the same number of personnel, they heal more people. Why ? Because nurses are less strained and they no longer spend 40% of their time managing things outside of their field of expertise. Doctors and chief of services are granted small direct budget for emergency use and consumable instead of needing to go through commissions to even order a 0.20€ pencil.
French administration need a profound reform. Getting more field personnel, delegating administrative tasks to people who have been taught for it. And most of all, dissolving and stop creating fake ministries and cabinets that weight quite heavily on the National budget. While, on the other hand, they make cuts on social services.
Love these tips! You two are so cute and I love every video. Thanks!
Ooooooh that's the reason why my wife is so obsessed by achieving millions of things, and crashing around 18.00, she's been raised in the states ! it all makes sense now, thanks for this video (French dude here, one thing done a day ;) )
Glad to be of service! 😅
I really appreciate the way you presented this topic. In the US, the notion of service is really something you can count on, while in Europe it's a joke (most of the time). Even as European, I complain about this. Also, Americans are practical people... they don't try to build very complex procedure based on theoretical ideas... they simply do it. But, we also have to admit that some people are naturally efficient, while others are not... or their perception of the word "efficiency" is different. If some people complain about inefficiency and bad service... try to come to Spain 🤦♂
Inefficiency in the USA... deserves a MUCH bigger video...
Europeans actually do better with production and efficiency than North America. Lol. They may ( Americans) THINK they're busy but looks baffles reality.
Don't you need health insurance in the US? A friend just had a stroke in the US and the bills are staggering.
Feel free to speak up about how great life is here and if others don't get it, please let them go.
Yes, for a tourist it maybe is 'anoying' but as a way of life - it's good.
I can somewhat compare it to camping trips with a caravan, usally I can drive 120km/h on a highway but with the caravan hooked on behind I'm restricted to 80km/h.
But when on holiday with the caravan I get into the 'slow mode' - and it's fine.
This is one of the things that characterizes France and the French, we have a lifestyle oriented towards quality of life, sometimes, it's true, more than towards speed or apparent efficiency.
To better understand the process, keep in mind that a French person will prefer to take more time to do something if it means they don't have to come back to it later.
I think what you are speaking about is.. a small town with a lot of old people with ni job to do and a lot of time to waste.
Most people are going to "supermarché" after their working hours, and they are in a rush. Like everywhere else.
Similar feeling moving to Spain :)
oooohhh ,(i am from NL ) the Perigord, i've been there about 20 years ago, that was about the book series from Jean M Auel. earthchildren, have you been to Lasceux deux ( i hope it i spelled it correctly) it is beautifull.
Lascaux 2 (yes, it is beautifull)
The more you go south on the northern hemisphere/ or the more you go north on the southern Hemisphere, you can observe a culture with lower productivity. Its what i found out while traveling the world
Have you noticed that French women don't speak with a "vocal fry" ? Apart from that, your videos are great !
Always think of what's importante to you ...
Thank you for your vidéos. I’m French and it is very interessing.
May be there is a différence between wheee you live and paris. Some way of life you spire about was similar than parisien Life.
*spoke about
In New York, I just wanted to go to the top of the One World observatory, see the view, and leave. Instead, I was obliged to go through a ridiculous spectacle from the moment the elevator doors opened at the top, through some totally non sense fake-background picture taking (I had to insist that I was not interested in any picture, so that they finally let me through) and manage to avoid a bunch of crap-selling traps like people wearing Disney character costumes to sell souvenirs. I finally reached the windows, appreciated the view and left.
Each place has its inconveniences, hope you still manage to enjoy the positives and just ignore the rest.
This story made me laugh inside a little because it's true...in the US at every stage of an experience we will find a way to try to sell you something else. 😂 It could be visiting a site or buying a cell phone.
Unnerving : I went through the same experience and grew irritated at exactly the same moments. The only positive surprise being the ride inside the elevators with the screens mimicking the ride.
Jason, you have a French face! Where are you ancestors from? You look identical to a French man I know from Normandie, where I’m from…
US citizens often behave horribly in France. It's embarrassing. I tell people I'm Canadian.
It feels like the US are so much based on business and competitiveness, or more simply put, nobody can "out-Capitalism" this country, that it transpires in daily life outside of work. Which is understandable because 99% of US citizens spend most of their time working. You are working more hours per year than the Japanese btw. And the very low number of hours per week where you can relax generates various issues like lack of sleep, depression, binge drinking, no time to travel, or to learn anything that isn't related to making money... you name it. Now that you are in lazy frogs country, I hope you can learn to keep your American work ethic at work, because it is essentially a good thing, if it stays at work, and learn to enjoy the (normally) bigger amount of free time you can get here. I would also advise to try to learn French, not only because of the practical advantages, but because learning any new language creates new connections in your brain and with it new ways of thinking. Basically you can learn Spanish or Japanese, it would have the same effect, but since you're in France... :D
I could choose my Mutuelle (personal health insurance) directly online. But every time I came back to it, the price would change from sometimes the double. I had to try many times to get the right price close to the lowest I had. Isn’t that an American way to sell something?
It's about savoir-vivre. Nuff said.
This is true.
Americans are productive, they're not better then the others. It's a false feeling. We kind optimise for pleasure, evaluating efficiency is not an easy task. I've landed twice in the USA (LA and San Franscisco) ... and .. i wasted hours in their lugages check, paper form to fill ... that was not efficient at all.
Is efficiency building a million new houses or improve existent ones ... is it building a maximum of coca cola bottle .. or using reusable glass bottles ...
Efficiency is maximizing pleasure in life and if you came to France its certainly cause this was something important for you, take your time... just enjoy what you do .. do not rush for the next thing you have to do.... just enjoy every second. It can be hard to follow this path but once you are into it ... nothing can touch you appart from disease and death.
I am Lebanese, French educated, know France and the French upside down and backwards. I have been living in the USA since 1985. The French are very inefficient. The Americans are killing themselves with speed/efficiency/multitasking. However, all of this has to do in my opinion and experience with culture. The French culture is a culture that thrives on mais c’est pas possible. On the other hand, the American culture, as opposed to the pessimistic, whining French/European culture (I speak German too), is an overly optimistic, overly can do culture to ridiculous extremes. A great culture would be somewhere in the middle, like the Lebanese culture. 🤣 😂
Indeed, when we see the situation in Lebanon we can only think that it is ideal. The proof is that the entire diaspora wants to return to Lebanon.
@@thomasharter8161 good that you have a sense of humor and got my joke.
we are "inefficient " but Lebanon is efficient is that right?? Is that what u meant? seriously? u wanna think twice maybe...
@@paulin1606 Just in case you didn’t know, and speaking of thinking, did you think and know that Lebanon was a French mandate that inherited the archaic French system that is still being used in France and Lebanon since the Neolithic age. 😮 Don’t be offended, the whole of Europe and the Middle East are still in the Neolithic age. Look East young man. Companies from Germany, the powerhouse of Europe are fleeing to the USA and China at alarming speed. I meet with them weekly. Think about it.
u are completly wrong!!! companies flee china, they dont go there anymore since covid! Lots of french companies ( not enough though) flee china and come back to France, something u seem to ignore! french is inefficient u say? so u dont know that a french worker is among the most productive, the best productivity per hour, in the world, in front of USA and China!! so stay with our "efficient " Lebanon, that' s rather falling apart , from what we see abroad....We are so "inefficient " that , as u can see for urself, beautiful American families move to our country, not lebanon, think about it!!