I’m glad I caught this video. I recently moved from Ireland to France and whilst most French people are really lovely..oh my good god, when they’re bad..they’re really bad. A French girl that I met in Ireland before I left, told me “good luck, French people aren’t very nice” and I thought it was a bizarre thing to say about your own nationality but I get it now. The social norms are so far removed from Irish culture. Being friendly and helpful is expected in Ireland, you will be rejected by society if you aren’t and that’s not exaggerating. I’m really struggling with adjusting. That said, I have met some wonderful French people. But wow, I’ve also had the most obnoxious things said to me that have left my jaw hanging on it’s hinges. Sorry..I just needed a rant 😅
After I spent five weeks in France, just after getting my degree in French, I changed the rest of my schooling. I spoke enough French, since I wouldn't be going back! When I explained to my French tutor, who was French, she said, "Yes, of course, we're a miserable people." Of course that is a generality, and I did meet some fun French people .... well a few...mostly I met Canadians and other Americans lol. But I'm sure you will find "your people," which will be a mixture of nationalities, and you will start to feel at home. Get your routine going, whatever it is: coffee at "your" coffee place, then class, then the park with your sandwich, whatever your routine is. Set a routine. That seemed to help me to feel more at home (I went by myself for five weeks and lived in an apartment by myself, took the subway, went to the market, lived like a true Parisienne in the 5th). Good luck!
Reminds me of a woman I know who married a French businessman. When I asked if they were retiring to France Oh no!! Jacques hates the French she said hahaha
The scammer issue is not unique to France. It's a constant irritation here in the U.S. They come at you through cell phone calls and texts, land line calls and emails. It's awful.
It has gotten bad. I get about five calls a day from scammers and such. I was at a friend's house today for a couple of hours. Four times she got a phone call from "amazon" about an account she didn't have.
@@anthonyrobertson2011 same here (France) - I get calls on my cell phone, emails and texts every day... I don't even answer my phone unless I know the number, and I think that if a non-scammer wants to speak to me, they'll leave me a message :)
Il y a 2 choses à ne pas forcément mélanger. Il y a les arnaques au téléphone. Oui elles existent, comme en ce moment avec les comptes formations professionnelles. Mais la majorités des appels et SMS ne sont pas forcément des arnaques mais plutôt des offres commerciales plus ou moins intéressantes mais surtout très insistantes. Alors oui elles sont très pénibles (on veut vous vendre des fenêtres, du vin, des appartements etc.... Cela ne veut pas dire toujours arnaques mais c'est vrai qu'ils sont très pénibles avec leurs appels parfois jusqu'à 21H. Il y a des systèmes plus ou moins efficaces de listes rouges, blocage d'appels (Bloctel) mais bon... 😉
I’m in the US and I get scammer emails, calls and texts all the time. It was daily at one point. Also, there’s a lot I don’t like about the US, but customer service is excellent compared to any European country I’ve visited. It’s as though after thousands of years of commerce, European businesses don’t understand that they are losing money in droves by being so inefficient and unhelpful.
I'm french and keep every packaging ever. For me this is perfectly normal but now I understand why sometimes strangers look at me like "do you really need that pile of empty packaging?"
I’m in Australia and probably get 3 scam mobile calls a day; I have a personal policy of never answering unknown numbers; if it’s important they always leave a message. I don’t trust any banking messages now except by mail.
As a French living now in NY, everything is so true! Little things are complicated, having flexibility is hard unless you are being super nice and doing “copinage”. French are not client/ service first compared to anglo-saxons countries.
I have lived in hong kong for some years. Coming from France, all admin wirk was so easy that at first I was very anxious. When opening an electricity line, a mobile line,etc… I kept asking many times to the officer « are you sure it’s done? Have you well understood my question?… » It’s quite a shock to deal with a functional administration 😂
These videos really help me when I start lamenting about not living in France anymore. I think there are reasons it didn't work for me despite my love for France.
PROTIP: if you're struggling with the proof of address thing (I know I did too when I came back from living abroad and were in airbnb's before finding a long term job and a long term flat): get your in laws to sign an "attestation d'hébergement", it's a simple letter where they say you are living at their place for free, signed + one of their bill + the copy of their ID. It opens all the doors a bill in your name would, and it was a huge live saver for me ! The paperwork omg I can't ! As A CITIZEN it took me 9 months to get hold on a new carte vitale after I came back. As a foreign resident, it took the Japanese administration 15 min to issue one when I moved there.....
French here, you are so correct about the smoking thing. On top of that smokers are SO entitled. They leave their cig butts everywhere but a bin, and seem to think it's perfectly normal. I currently have a neighbour above my floor who smokes every hour and it smell so bad I have to close my windows. It's summer and I can't even open my own goddamn windows because someone thought they looked cool and rebelious when they were 15... And if you thought this is annoying enough, let me tell you they just drop they cig butts on my balcony. So I left a nice and polite note in the elevator asking them to kindly stop using my balcony as they private trash bin. And shockingly (no) it didn't work.
how frustrating, @Ale. Before the USA started being more conscious of smoking (still a lot of it in some places, but much more awareness of how bad it is) my father HATED smoking and would get in arguments. When a smoker would say, "I have a RIGHT to smoke!" My father would say, "Your right to smoke ends at the tip of my nose," of course meaning that the minute I can smell your smoke, you're infringing on MY rights to clean air! I can be confrontational, and it's probably not a good idea, but I would figure out a way to pick up all of their cigarette butts and somehow put them back on their balcony. 😈 Maybe put them in a baggie, loosely tied, with a rock in it for weight, and throw it up? You'll probably miss a few times....this is a VERY BAD IDEA do not do what I am suggesting. Unless the person above THEM doesn't smoke and hates it too, and you could make friends with them and conspire to drop the collected cigarette butts down onto their balcony from the upstairs....again I'M TERRIBLE DO NOT DO THIS.
No one respect weak and cowards. Go in front of his appartment. Ring the Bell and tell him. Then drop the cigarette in front of him on the ground. Then say that you Will put it into his girlfriend next time. French way or no way :)
Im a kiwi in France and your videos are so good to watch since you are also comparing France to cultural norms in NZ. Kiwis are so chill and informal and I love that. I do struggle with the culture differences sometimes and how complicated, rigid and formal things can be in France... 🤦🏼♀️
@@sweetcutecoolgirl You're not alone. French women are nuttier than squirrel 💩 too. Moving to Spain in 3 months after 4 years here. You couldn't pay me to stay.
I can relate to this so much! We lived in Paris for two years (originally from Canada) and we couldnt open a bank account, we couldn’t rent unless we paid for a full year, we couldn’t register the car we bought, we couldnt find a place in daycare for our son, etc without a mountain of struggles every step of the way!
I've heard a theory that the heavy/inefficient bureaucracy is by DESIGN. Basically, it's the way the state tells the individual "look how powerless you are" "we own you". The passive-agressive mindgames of bureaucracy is like a cat playing with a mouse to show the power of the state, basically. Even in "efficient" countries like Germany or Japan, the bureaucracy is slow and cumbersome.
None of those countries are as efficient as the Anglo-Saxon countries. Things generally work in these countries, and people listen to you. Much better than France.
It absolutely is. I lived in France for 6 years. Their whole system is designed to enslave people to depend on the government. They eventually just give in and conform to it because if you resist you go completely mad. I’m not even in France anymore and they are STILL trying to screw me in any way they can.
@@shaunmckenzie5509 Actually, not necessarily. US federal administrations can very easily play ping-pong games with foreigners. Why should they care? Foreigners are suspected of wanting to immigrate illegally and can't complain to their congressperson.
I'm a Frenchman who's been living in Belgium for 21 years. Though the Belgian and Walloon administration is definitely not a standard of simplicity it's still more efficient than the French one. It took me less than a week to open a bank account and receive my debit card here - just had to show I had a Belgian work contract. I changed bank since then, that was fast and easy. Closing my French bank accounts took time and lots of paperwork. Obtaining a new cell, Belgian phone subscription took me less than a day. Closing my French one was a real test of patience.
I was in the south of France and I really had to watch out for dog poop everywhere, especially in the less touristy areas. I don’t see that at home at all and after a while it started to make me feel like France was a filthy place. Feces on the sidewalk is not the mark of a civilized place…
Et bien comme tu l'as dit, les crottes de chiens étaient dans les endroits non touristiques, donc des lieux où les gens vivent leur vie... et où il n'y a pas de nettoyage de fait pour les touristes. La pluie retire les crottes en quelques jours... si vous ne souhaitez pas voir la France comme elle est, ne vous éloignez pas des endroits touristiques ou ne venez pas 🙃😉
@@harleyquinn727 Love this comment. Already by replying in French you demonstrate your ignorance. The very ignorance people have when they don't pick up the poop from their dog and think the rain will wash it away. Quelle ânerie!
Exactly French are barbaric I almost died flying to the south of France why do rich people come here it’s maybe just for rich criminals. I seen old ladies letting their dogs piss everywhere it’s not civilised and disgusting people also sneeze and cough everywhere like the uk I hate Europe.
I'm French. Nowadays, when I'm back home after a trip abroad, I have a feeling to land in a third world country. There is always something broken, something that doesn't work. It wasn't like that 20 years ago and more. I remember a time when I had the pleasant feeling to live in a modern country where everything was smooth and clean.
you don't know what a third world country is. France is heaven compared to my country and my country is a "rich" 3rd-world country. Please stop spreading misinformation.
@@user-um7tw6kx4r6 I'm old enough to know what France was like 30 years ago (and more) and I see what it has become today. And I'm not satisfied that we're still ahead of countries like Zimbabwe. I have more ambition for my country.
@@user-um7tw6kx4r6 You obviously have to be french to understand what this person means. I totally get what he is saying because I think the same, it’s just getting worse and that’s a reality there’s no misinformation here.I’m from Paris and in some places you just wonder where you are.. there’s always something broken as that doesn’t work… even my friends and family say this to me all the time, this guy is so right! Of course I love going there but again as he said this wasn’t like that 20 years ago or more and it’s a fact!
I just showed this to my husband to show to his co-worker. The guy was in France last month and recieved a ticket in the mail from a toll that he thought the rental car company was going to pay when paid an extra fee for that sort of thing. He contacted them and now it's not their problem. They refuse to help him. He doesn't speak much French. He's in Seattle. He's unsure if this is even real and not a scam. He's been so disgusted by the lack of help from the rental car company.
Paris is an open air museum: like a fairytale you step into but, no, I would never want to live in it. The total neglect of customer service and the money someone had earned and spent for the experience. I live in the US: went to a language school for 2 weeks in Paris last year. I am 43 years old. The treatment and the reception I got for my money--there was a huge part of me that wanted to say, "F you, mofos, I am out. In Anglo-Saxon culture one does not treat 5 year-olds like that". But I had paid for these classes and didn't want to be a tourist all day long, since this was not my first trip to Paris. If I treated my customers like that in the US, I would have been out of job. It is definitely the architecture, the history, the cuisine but not the ppl that keep us coming back. And, yes, sometimes, it is thinking, "Thank God, I do not live in this," that makes you appreciate your home even more.
Have you ever read the book The Bonjour Effect? The authors included a whole chapter on pas possible 😂Their take on it is that the cultural norm is to say no rather than to admit that you’re not sure what to do or that it might be more difficult. I wonder how true this might’ve been in the situations you mentioned!
One doesn't need to read a book to know that the common french attitude towards a client is not to find a solution to a problem (that very possibly they've caused in the first place), but to find an excuse why they can't help you. In any way. Or just to place a blame (and a shame) on you. "Madame, ça se fait pas comme ça" (la bouche en cul de poule)...
Saying NO to any question of a client is a habit rather in South of France ! I am french but moved to Pau in the South of France and was stunned myself with all the boutiques having someone standing at the doorstep (taking some fresh air ?) and saying NO we havn"t before YOU ask any question or say what you are looking for ! i ended up by re-moving to more north of France (above the Loire) after 17 years of that treatment !
@@Maimitti Yes when I lived in Paris for five weeks I walked into a store (I spoke fluent French) and had barely gotten the question out of my mouth of what I was looking for and the woman said, "No we don't have it," without looking up from her newspaper. okaaaaaay then. I think I just turned around and walked out. It was near the end of my stay and I'd HAD IT with rude people.
@@elizabeth5985 I hope you did not forget to say "Bonjour!" before getting the question out of your mouth because if you did, chances are the paper-reading woman was snubbing you back being uninterested in selling anything to you because of your degrading attitude. In this case not looking up from the paper would just mean to say "Go away, brute.".
I’ve moved to Bordeaux in June for the year with my 4 kids and husband to study the language and learn about France. It was supposed to be fun. I’ve literally broken down as a person because of the apartment we rented. For the first two weeks, no hot water and the apartment was left incredibly dirty. Like construction dirt, old rusty nails, copper wires, floor that have holes in them and then stuffed with old newspapers. No Air conditioning… okay… but the woman downstairs cooks All day long, even when the temperature was 108F. The neighbors across the street just stare into the apartment if you leave the curtains open. Now we have no water because the entire building needs serious work, but the plumber took over a week to determine the issues. All the while the rental agency and the building manager are on Vacation- because it is August in France. Plus we chose to live downtown so we have the noise of the party goers till 4 AM and the motorcycles that race around. My phone sim too didn’t work and on any given day it will just not work. The phone company favorite response is “have you paid your bill?” Old women and young women talk about me constantly (my husband speaks French) because of my children, because of how I’m dressed, what I’m doing wrong as a mother. Young people make fun of my husband (has a limp when he walks). He understands- he brushes it off. But the mocking and pointing is way over the top for me. People are so very Rude and then if it comes out we are American all they want to do is tell me that we are crazy for having guns and that Trump should be in Jail. Like they literally know nothing about Americans. Yet We are spending our money in their country to learn about their history and language. Honestly, France has totally soured my heart and my complaining could go on and on but mostly it’s the mean/ rudeness that is just accepted. I had been to France many times as a tourist but living here for just these few months has been so different. But shout out to the actual really nice French people that ARE real- they do exist and that is why I’m keeping on keeping on. We meticulously planned this year for an entire year! Schools, bank account, visas… like we dedicated our entire family to this… so, maybe my heart will feel better by next summer. Oh, and my kids are 11, 4, 2 and 1 years old, so I’ve gotten to compare playgrounds and behavior within the playground and it is different! Mostly French parents are so involved with the act of play, like playing manners. Where as in my home state of Colorado parents rarely get involved. Like if a kid is climbing the slide… they learn… but in France it’s “attention attention! That is not how you use a slide!” Thank you Rosie- I needed to just vent.
Oh I’m so sorry for you. I live in Bordeaux and I can assure you not all the French people are like that. I hope you will like your French life in the future. 💚💚💚
I have been living in France (Brittany) for 3 months now and omg so much of what you said made me realise how lucky (or sheltered) we are in NZ :’) especially with customer service!!
you know Nadia Irawan, OK it happens that customer service, in some companies leaves something to be desired; you have to know when in France the people who work in the human relations salesmen, saleswomen etc. are not obligated to you, they are equal to the "buying" customers, they do not bow and if you have an odious behavior towards them, they will ask you to leave. on the other hand, the difference between France, the Commonwealth countries, Great Britain, the United States, we have enormous social advantages: social security, health insurance, unemployment insurance, job security, housing security for the most disadvantaged, CAF family aid, of course we pay taxes but at least no one is left on the side of the road, free universities: Law, Medicine student aid (scholarships) free grandes écoles Polytechnique, HEC, Sup Elec , sciences Po of course the selections are on competition but at least the students are not in debt for a large part of their professional careers
Je suis Française (sud est) et je pensais que c'était partout pareil avant de découvrir des youtubeurs parlant des différentes culturelles . Je suis d'accord pr la cigarette et encore ça c'est beaucoup amélioré, avant c'était pire, on pouvait fumer ds les restaurants, boîtes, bar, pas de zone fumeur. Et les critiques désagréables sur le physique en général et le poids aussi ,j'en ai entendu depuis mon adolescence ( j'étais mince en haut et plus grosse en bas ) on peut rien y faire ,qd il y a une disproportion .J'en ai tellement marre t'entendre les commentaires déplacés des gens que je ne me met plus en maillot ,sauf qd je suis seule ou je quitte ou remet le paréo de suite avant et après le bain . Heureusement il y a des gens délicats mais trop de critiques sur le physique, c'est vrai je reconnais
Je suis Français aussi, et je pense que les remarques sur le physique sont beaucoup plus violentes et régulières pour les femmes que pour les hommes, ce qui est encore pire. Personnellement je ne me souviens pas d'avoir jamais reçu des remarques (à part de la part de mes frères mais c'est complètement infondé donc ça ne me dérange pas) sur mon physique, alors qu'apparemment pour les femmes c'est vraiment plus récurrent, même si je ne m'en étais jamais vraiment rendu compte
Same thing in Italy (where my husband is from, and all family lives there). Simple tasks that we take for granted in America, (license, registration, phones, etc) even getting YOUR money from your bank, is a NIGHTMARE. First you have to give the bank advanced notice, why do you need so much money, affidavit, wait 10 days, etc etc. One of the main reasons we do not live in Italy.
Before I was 19, I would be afraid to go in french stores and restaurants because they used to make me feel so unwelcome...then I I went to SoCal for the first time, and I was SHOCKED literally! I came into a foot locker store, and one of the sales person greeted me with a "How you doin today sir?", with the biggest smile on his face, and I genuinely thought that he wanted to be my friend. I had never experienced such a warm welcome anywhere in France in my whole life. This first impression stuck with me. And I'm still not used to the cold welcome here in France...but then there are also very nice people here, just be prepared to be more feisty and on guard here, and don't lose your temper and respect, because that's easy to do
This was so spot on! ♥️ I also returned to France after 2 years and share most experiences. French way of intimidating if you get something wrong is a mastery itself😂 And no comments about the moral approach to money - actually not too appreciated/trendy in this culture.
Interesting how they think a few extra pounds as being unhealthy but do not think that way about smoking which is way more deadly. Had no idea smoking was so prevalent there. Love your videos!
smoking suppresses the appetite. what I've noticed about the French is they don't care about health, but thinness. I know so many Parisians who hide their eating disorder and laziness for exercise with "intermittent fasting."
As a Frenchman, the problems you had with the bank, the telephone and the gym, I never had them in France but I had them when I moved to Germany. I think these are more problems that you can have when you are a foreigner somewhere. And, yes, the scams are unbearable and come mainly from French-speaking Africa.
@@NotEvenFrench Administration, yes, but not in these specific cases. I changed many times of phone provider, without problem. (but generally avoiding SFR and Free because network and service not great, indeed). The last bank account I opened, it was done immediately. (but it's true, it's better to choose well which one). Sports lessons or other, there has most of the time been a way to arrange. On the other hand, subscriptions are difficult to cancel (but it was the same abroad). My biggest administrative problems were rather with the prefecture/city hall/gouvernement... My girlfriend works in there and it's true that's a big mess. But for having also lived in Belgium, it was much worse. And with bank, it's more problems with "interconnectivity" between regions (because some are regional, not all) or the departure of a customer they don't want to loose.
4:01 she clearly insisted that the scammers are not necessarily the Africans selling stuff on the streets ( that she acknowledged) but mostly the constant : texting, emailing, phone calls from french scamming companies… yet you are still pointing out the Africans… This tells a lot about you. Typical french. Also pointing out the Germans while the french administration is way worse…. Lol ! Such a bad complex of superiority which makes every body in the world, especially the Anglo world agree that the french are way too arrogant and unfriendly and you proved it.
oui , généralement d'Abidjan , là bas dans les cybers il ne font que ça ils se nomment : les brouteurs ; pour les pays anglophones , c'est le Nigéria à Lagos ou au Ghana à Accra , il y a aussi des Israéliens , mais là , ce sont des escrocs de hauts vols .
@@Le.dictateur.africain Monsieur il faut arrêté de voir le racisme partout , les escrocs des cybers : les brouteurs ; en Côte d'ivoire est une réalité que vous le vouliez ou non . là personne qui s'adresse a vous était déjà en Afrique en 1976
Interesting video. Every country has its quirks. Back when I lived in Denmark, so much stuff drove me mad but there is a ton of stuff I miss too. It’s part of the foreigner experience.
As a Dane counting the days till I leave forever, only ever returning for my parents' funeral and such (social visits no matter since their favorite holiday place ever is Ajaccio, Corsica, where I'll be emigrating to, home away from home but better then home kind of thing due to us going on holiday there like 10 times in my life), they can visit me instead, but I digress. Which country (and state, if USA) are you from, what about Denmark drove you nuts (I could write a whole on exactly that) and what do you miss?
Exactly 💯..hate those fusy people who expect everthing to be like home...well it is not...that's why you go to another place..because it's different and unique...small minded people...don't like change !!
@@slappy8941 Well, besides the name Sam, the sentence is flawless otherwise except for a missing ending period. By RUclips comments standards thus way above board. Both to me suggests a native speaker or equivalent. Typos are a thing, but I know of no term (yet, if you know of such, please do tell) to describe thinking of two or more sayings at the same time and then writing/saying a mix of them leading to what you took issue with here.
In Hispanic culture, it's also normal to say things to a family like oldie or fatty or skinny. As nicknames, but it usually comes from a place of love. Is more common to come across someone nicknamed skinny than chubby though because it can get a bit offensive.
People died because obesity as the number one risk factor for Covid problems dare not be mentioned. I like things conveyed 'franchement." I don't want euphemism or other forms of BS. I don't think there is "Hispanic culture" though, just as there is no singular "European culture." I lived in Mexico for eight years, and Mexicans are the most polite people in all of Latin America. Some groups are the opposite of this. (I'm actully only talking about one group that is really rude and bad). Many gringos in NYC are so clueless they think all Latin American food is hot-spicy, when it is generally very bland. They think Mexico is typical, lol.
Yeah, I was born in France, and yeah, I think in this case, it's more a cultural shock for someone coming from a country where it's not acceptable rather than an issue with the French. Personally, I'm much more comfortable with people saying what they think of how you look in general, rather than saying nothing (except in your back when you're gone). I don't know anyone here who finds it offensive when a friend tell him he looks like **** after having partied all night (and the same person will tell you you look great 2 days later anyways). As for people calling other "fatsos" or whatever... They're called jerks, and I'm sure you have some in NZ as well. ;) Jerks aside, no one would comment on someone's weight here if you know the person is obese and has a complex about it. There's a huge difference between noticing (and telling) someone has gained a few kg, and mocking someone because he's fat. So the biggest issue in this case is the fact is, coming from NZ, you tend to mistake neutral / friendly observations about your body for personal attacks.
We get those scammers all of the time, here in the US .They do it in the email, text messages, phone calls, both on people's landlines AND cellphones as well.....
Quick tip for the phone line / SIM : Go to a Free shop! You can buy a prepaid SIM from a sort of vending machine and voilà. We did it when my mom came to visit and it was very simple + very affordable unlimited data.
If only Australia and NZ had the same drive to run anti-obesity campaigns as they do for anti-smoking campaigns. Obesity is becoming a real problem here and nothing is done to curb it.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - if France is okay with smoking but not okay with people being 'overweight', it's not a health thing. It's never been a health thing, and even if it was a health thing, shaming people doesn't make them get healthier.
That's your take on that... If you talk to a French smoking person about the fact that it's not healthy and everything: it's kinda accepted. It's seen as more a "casual" thing than overweight I agree but it's about health most of the time (and I say most and not all the time just to not put every French person as the same). I agree on the fact that in France smoking is more causal regarding the "shame" thing. But it is link to a health problem. Why I say it is more casual? Because you can say to someone you know a bit " You smoke? You should stop that you know" with a comic twist in it whereas for overweight you have to be very very close to the person (almost a family member) to say such a thing and in a private environment. Again I saw and expereince only this so may be other French person do it differently and I don't want to put a rule on that but that how I feel about those 2 things. Feel free (OF COURSE) to feel differently.
It's definitely about aesthetics, too. I've learned from Rosie's videos and many others that, eg, wearing activewear outside the home or gym, or looking slovenly to meet up with amis, is considered rude and disrespectful to the shopkeepers and friends because we would be inflicting unattractive things upon them. If anything is "tres francais" this is it. Right now, both activewear and generally slovenly dress is the only kind of dressing I do. Their country and culture didn't become what it is by not giving af about how things look. I have to admit, even though I'm a poor example, I too enjoy seeing people and everything else looking pretty. Thanks to Rosie and others, I'm buying my black blazer, purse, jeans ,shoes etc to form a coherent uniform a la francaise. I have Crocs that I will wear only indoors, as they save my back while cooking. Anyhow, I don't think folks should be shamed for obesity, but I don't think it should be viewed as perfectly fine either. It's not like there is nothing that can be done about it. If it is treated as perfectly fine, people will be deterred from doing anything about it. We are at the point here in the US that in one group the average woman weighs more than the average man. That's insane, and claiming that all is well helps nobody. (I have my own problem of diarrhea of the mouth and keyboard that I strive to overcome each and every day!).
@@NotEvenFrench Again that's your take and that's not my view at all. When you link everything there is to french culture (cuisine, the way we eat ect) a lot is with the "health" in mind. We are educated at an early age with that in mind. IMO you see it as an excuse because the way you think is different so you don't think that our real concern is health. That doesn't excuse at all this behaviour! All that I am saying is that the origin is the "health" but it's an excuse for other (consciously or not) to be mean or not be careful with what they are saying. They are obviously really mean people in every country and every country has their own quirks and it shouldn't be an excuse to be mean to other. All I am disputing is the origin. The origin is the "health" but it becomes a really weird/rude thing with some people and of course if it's a negative comment it's stands out even more.
People who smoke can be elegant, being fat is a crime towards elegance. That's it, as simple as that. Elegance was for centuries the engine of French culture. Good for them.
@@TonyAlmeida610 Again as a foreigner you see it that way. As a french (and I questionned other French about this!) the origin of this is the "health"... that's it... And for the record: at some point in time it was a standard of beauty to be chubby...
I'm a senior citizen who began my French visits in 1982 What I have gleaned is we are a spiritual being in a physical body having a human experience. We ask for what happens to us (to gain from the experience). What matters is how we respond [which I'm sure you did humanely] and to reflect on why we invited this situation into our life. Entertaining video; thanx!
Allow me to respectfully say what I believe about this. There are babies born in war-torn countries and both their parents are killed. They barely survive as orphans and are starving. I don't think they invited that into their lives, they are innocent children. Law of attraction is a dangerous way to judge people based on what happens to them.
You can control your own body, but you cannot control other peoples perception of your body. I find it refreshing that the French speak frankly about such things. The Anglosphere is a train wreck of obesity and poor health, yet instead of improving themselves they try to make it socially unacceptable to mention it, even going so far to coin such absurdities as “fat shaming.” That is attempting to shame people for saying the truth, because it may hurt someones feelings, rather than the French social pressure to remain fit and healthy. I am with the French on this one.
The secret in France is to do everything via internet, SIM card from B&you you just need an email address and they send it, to any adress you put not checking anything. Bank: Boursorama, online bank, so easy to use and no bothering, no fees at all, ...etc Don't do any administrative 😅
The mother commenting on her adult son's weight is kind of creep. I am from Cadana (Quebec) and commenting on people's weight is viewed as an inappropriate/uneducated thing to do. Glad that the English pple take us over! The bad costumer service you described remind me some south american countries when they will do anything not to help you XD and plus giving you attitute.😅
Wow Rosie, you seem mega uptight. Maybe you should chill out a bit. I am a kiwi living in France. Maybe your problems are a Paris thing. Living here in the South of France I can’t really identify with most of your issues. Maybe we have been lucky but we have bought and sold houses, changed Banks, phones, internet servers etc with relatively few problems and met lots of nice friendly people. Big cities are the same all over the world. You should try living in New York if you want angst. Pour yourself a big glass of rose and enjoy France. It is what it is.
Hello Rosie! You are completely right about the bureaucracy in France. For a foreigner, it can be a real nightmare. I always keep the packaging of the products I buy until the warranty expires. When I send a product return mail, I take photos of each document and the packaging and I carefully keep the proof of shipment. Always anticipate customer service mistakes and assume things are going to go wrong. I have never experienced customer service in foreign countries but I do not see how it could be worse elsewhere than in France. For the traffic, in this period, it is normal. It is much more fluid outside school holidays. All Europeans are on vacation and many take the motorway to go south (Belgians, Dutch, Germans, Danes...). You can take the national roads which are free, but it will probably take longer. Smoking and bad comments about weight => true 😞 I still love my country even if sometimes it drives me crazy
@@NotEvenFrench That's so funny, I thought it was just my partner because he's obsessive about stuff like that. I didn't know it was also just French! Ah well, it came in handy when we were moving!
Being in France it is a challenge to a foreigners but if you can handle it, it is a fantastastic country. The variety you have in a short distance is wonderfull. I talk about, public or private transport, culture buildings, food, climate, history, landscapes and mentallities make France culture unique. Not a mix of a bit of this or a bit of that. How ever the syndicate mentality (syndicalisme) is imo a very damaging factor in French society. It is doing France a lot of harm and the French do not realise that enough. It makes people enert to quality of public services. They feel not enough responsible for public space. Specialy in cities. They see it as a gouvermental task. The central gouverments have to much centralised power for such a big country. This "etatisme" makes politicians feel too distand from problems in a fast changing society. France changes very fast and politicians don't. They have no modern answer to modern questions. Only old school answers. I come from a ver well organised and overall clean Europeen country but France steals my hart. It is all wirthwile to be there. People are very genuiely nice. Comming from relatieve big isolated standard facilitated countries like US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand (Btw I'am from Zeeland) France can be a confrontational.
Had a really bad experience with sfr when i moved here as well The best phone/internet service provider is orange or sosh, it’s a little bit more expensive but it s worth it if you want to avoid the hassle that comes with other providers
Everything you say is true. We have lived in France on and off for 11 years. When you get a culture that controls its people, how and what they eat, how the learn, every aspect of their life from childhood, you become a race that cannot think for itself, there is no entrepreneurship, they cannot and do not want to change how they do things, life has become too sheltered, so they are afraid. As a result the way they live life, how they do business, how they eat ,sleep, all of it becomes rigid and inflexible and stuck in the past. They do not want to accept that their is a better way to do things. The world thinks France, French food, french way of life, etc is wonderful, but the reality is that have created an illusion about themselves and they believe their own hype. As visitors we beleive the hype until you have to live there.
I’m French but I’ve been living in London for the past 14 years (married to a Brit) It’s been very eye opening to learn more about how France and the French are perceived abroad (rightly or wrongly). It’s either love or hate, nothing in between and we often get heavily criticised. No room for nuance and everyone has an opinion about the French (usually based on one bad interaction that has confirmed their previous belief of the French being rude - ‘ Ah see!’) I don’t see this as much for other European countries (but I may be biased). I completely agree that we’re far from perfect but no country or people is, yet everyone loves to hate the French. I’m very conscious of this in my interactions with people abroad and go out of my way to be extra nice with everyone so I’m not perceived as the ‘rude’ French person, but it’s not always easy to have to deal with people’s preconceptions on my country and culture. Sometimes I just want to say, leave us be 😉 oh and by the way I’ve experienced most of what was talked about in this video in England as well.
I love both France and Switzerland. Geneva is so close to France but it is like night and day about your point about things not working. The Swiss have a great work ethic, what can I say?Trains run on time.They are so organized and as far as the food, the views and the culture, Geneva is a match for Paris and smaller French towns, in my opinion.
Since everything costs 4 times what it costs in France, mainly because what makes this city (and country) rich is stealing fiscal incomes from its neighbours, the least you can expect is that it can compare favorably to those neighbours on these matters
Your best bet for banks and/or phone is to go to another company and explain your situation and what you need. Most likely they'll take care of everything if you agree to go to them (can't say it works 100% of the time, but it can save a lot of hassle).
I get 5-8 scam calls a day in the US. It's ridiculous. And, judging by the RUclips scambaiter videos I watch, the UK and Australia get nearly as much scammer activity.
You are very correct. I came here from the United States and thought of making France my home, I was wrong. I can't wait to leave, I tell you solemnly.
Please elaborate if you wish, Bro. I'm from the West of the US originally; but I've been in NYC now for 7 years, after living in MX for eight years before that. I've been to France four times and can't wait to get out of the shithole this city and country have become. I'd love to hear a different point of view, to see if it might apply to me and my pet issues, too. Merci!
That's fair. I personally loved my years in France (the best) but we should definitely stop romanticizing countries. It's the same thing with the USA, by the way
It's not only in France. It's all over Europe. In the USA you open a bank account in 30 minutes if you have your paperwork in order and most banks give you $300 to $500 if you spend $3000 or so to entice you to open an account with them. Everything in Europe is ca ne marche pas. 😴 They are a pessimistic, complaining and bureaucratic bunch. Come to the USA, the land of can do attitude and superb customer service. Even though we do some seriously very weird shit, it's still very good.
Yes it's so true with the phone scammers, I literally get around 10 a week, as for the banks I just got my second home in France, they were both times a nightmare, also very sexiest, as for refunds in France never happens, the product or service can be broken or doesn't work, they don't refund anything, in New Zealand you get a refund pronto, I'm glad you took the high path and didn't leave a one star
Pour la complexité des formalités administratives, prenez en compte que la France vit en permanence et depuis des années sous la menace terroriste et que toutes ces précautions, qui vous pèsent et qui nous pèsent, sont avant tout dans un but de protection. Je pense que s'il s'était produit en Nouvelle Zélande, des attentats du type de ceux de New York ou Nice, vos autorités seraient moins cool pour laisser ouvrir des comptes bancaires et des accès à des téléphones mobiles à n'importe qui. Par contre, le mauvais accueil, je comprends votre courroux. Pour votre souci d'abonnement, vérifiez les conditions de remboursement et si le commerçant est en trot adressez vous à la DCCRF, la répression des fraudes. Ou changez d'opérateur. Pour la circulation, la période d'été avec les vacances l'explique. Les autoroutes concédées au privé c'est un choix. Le choix de faire payer uniquement celui qui utilise le service et non pas tout le monde. Il reste les autres routes, gratuites et généralement bien entretenues. Plus globalement, depuis toujours, l'automobile a été une occasion de ressources fiscales au point que petit à petit, l’automobiliste est devenu "une vache à lait". Concernant votre demande de naturalisation ça devrait bien se passer, vous êtes intégrée, parlez parfaitement le Français, connaissez la culture locale, aimez notre pays malgré ses défauts. Pour une fois, on donnera la nationalité à quelqu'un qui ne la demande pas pour profiter de la générosité de notre système social. Ce n'est pas une consolation mais sachez que le tabagisme dont vous souffrez a énormément régressé en France depuis la loi EVIN il y a une quarantaine d'année.
Je plussoie sur le tabagisme. Il y a encore vingt ans, il y avait des zones fumeurs dans les trains / restaurants / bars / lieux de travail.... le tabagisme passif était une réalité qui nous paraissait alors ordinaire. Les mœurs ont considérablement évoluer depuis.
I always laugh when I see people metion the patronising thing and the way frenchies talk down on you because it's the reason that pretty much every european country I know classifies them as unbearably arrogant ahaha Some stereotypes definitely have some truth to them xD Half a year ago I moved permanently to France (Paris, specifyng cause we all know it's a breed of its own...) and I was already familiar and used to most of the the things you mention in this video from previous visits to the country (which are all very true). But the thing that actually shocked me it's the smoking it. I have never seen so many people smoking as in Paris in my entire life and in all the other places I've lived in combined. You mention in the video that they smoke a lot in Avignon too and I'm not sure why or how I haven't noticed before, but I never noticed it being as bad in the weeks or months I had spent in the past in east or west France. But Paris is absolutely insane. And so many young people smoking too, it's just... sad. And man but do I miss the customer service experience of anglosaxon countries and how easy it is to do your admin/bureaucracy there. Encountering the UK system after growing up in Spain (that is just as bad as France in that regard) was such a heavinly experience. I couldn't believe how easy things could be if people wanted them to be easy haha Now I'm sadly back to square -1 in Paris with that. And I was fully aware of it, but I was still not prepared to suffer through it again. Regarding the grossophobie and all those issues, I'm not gonna comment much. It's all true and they definitely have an issue with that. And to be fair to them, that's also a big problem in eastern Europe, not only in France. Spain, however, I find it to be more bodypositive than the French. But there's one thing that I find funny and ask myself about the frenchies: how can they be so obssessed with eating "clean" non fatty foods when so much of their gastronomy is based on butter? x) Also love that you're practicing the national sport (complaining) for your nationality exam haha
It's funny you mention Spain because I am French and I live in Barcelona. I'm actually very happy with the administration as a whole. The civil servants here are quite efficient (public service wise), nice and will try to help you. For instance, if you don't have your actual NIE (the sheet of paper), they will try to help asking if you have a picture. Not happening in France. I've encountered very few unpleasant civil servants in Spain. The bad thing now is that with the pandemic it's a nightmare to get an appointment at some places like the social security. When you get one and go there your expect the place to be packed. Nope. There's no one besides you and maybe another person... the civil servants have been doing less with the pandemic and things still haven't gotten back to normal productivity wise. The CAP for instance has become worse.
Revolut has a debit card that automatically exchanges your money into whatever foreign currency your paying with! It’s super easy and they even have a free version! All my study abroad friends have those!
What the heck is going on with the right side of the screen?! It's one picture behind you but if you lean over too far or reach with your arm, it disappears. Are you trying to cover something or using a filter? And why is there a jigsaw piece cutout at the bed pillows? 🤔
When I moved to France I just brought my Irish phone and kept topping up online...cheaper and generous 4g allowance per month. Thank God! It was also easier to continue using my Irish bank account and cheaper than opening a French one although for some jobs you need a French bank account.
What you are doing with your Irish phone is due to free roaming inside UE. So, that has nothing to do with Irish phone providers vs French phone providers. And FYI, young French people who come in Ireland to practise their English do the same. I mean they keep their French number
When I arrived in Ireland 10 years ago, I also kept my French bank account for a 6 months as I was not allowed to have a credit card before this probation period... Speaking of Irish banks, I am still annoyed with AIB that only has an online service with incompetent people (unless you subscribe for a premium service). In most French banks as mainstream as AIB (I mean BNP, SG, Credit Agricole, LCL, etc), you have a personal adviser who you can contact by email and phone.
Hi Rosie! I’m a new subscriber from Melbourne, Australia. I love your channel. I’m married to a French-born (Paris) man who left France in his teens. I would love to learn the language! I love the country!💝
Heck, I live in France and throw all my packaging away. Asking for old packaging is crazy, who’s got space for all that! The proof you need to get or do anything is soooo frustrating. For my Carte de Sejour they took over a year and they never liked the birth certificate I kept sending, too long, can’t read it ( no idea why it wasn’t clear, they said it wasn’t legible) I had to order certificate copies for everything.
The smoking is the worst! We have it here as well in (French part of) Belgium. It's like nobody cares about their surroundings. I go to Quebec a lot, and it's like going to another world as so little people smoke plus if you do smoke you gotta do it at least 9 meters away from any building.
Exactly. People pull those stunts because they think they can get away with it without repercussions. Making what went down public helps deter them and others from pulling those stunts. It's no meaner than arresting criminals.
France has a thing about reviews- even when they are true they can go after you for defamation. There are several articles documenting this. So now, people are afraid to review and will instead just leave 1 star reviews with no comments.
When I moved to England, I couldn’t open an account for 3 months, although I had an address, I worked for the French government with the British council, I had paychecks. Only HSBC accepted to open an account only because my landlord who had accounts there and a mortgage came with me and threatened to withdraw all his money from the bank! And I could only get a withdrawal card! I can’t even tell the mess with taxes, refunds and stuff AND all the work done there was not taken into account for my pensions, because a box hadn’t been ticked on my contract. Yup it’s complicated everywhere.
Returning a pair of Prada shoes to Printemps: had to kneel to Sales Lady and to Le gérant for the return (trop serré). I reside in the U.S. and it is a non-issue to do a return here; however, I grew up in Mexico and there was no culture of return that I can recall.
Rosie, Could you do a video on the top 5 things you adore about being in France? Maybe some things haven’t changed from 3 years ago…maybe there’s something new you really appreciate.
My neice studied in France, snd YES, that sim card/ bank account / address loop is do true. She differed s lot with that. Even when she came back, just to transfer her money home and close the sccount, it took her over a month of endless phone calls and emails.
French administration is the worst!!! Iv been trying to get my Carte Vitale for a year and a half. My application has been lost 4 times. I’m not in the process of trying to exchange my driving licence and I can’t even tell you how much trouble it is 😩
Smoking -- how about this -- you are invited to dinner in a friend's cozy apartment. Nine people are sitting at the kitchen table (it's a studio apartment). Seven of them light up while waiting for dinner! I don't even remember if they stopped during dinner!
Ugh. I hate cigarette smoke. I love France and it’s been ages since I was there, so I had forgotten and assumed that would have changed by now. I imagine that thinness is more important to them than preventing lung cancer and lung ailments. Sigh. Can I tolerate the smoke? Frankly, I may not given I’m allergic and to inhale it makes me ill. In my state in the US it’s been illegal to smoke in public places or virtually anywhere for decades. I rarely see people smoke.
On the SIM card, if you’re only visiting, you could consider getting a card from a different EU country and then use roaming in France. Ok, you’ll have to check lots of rules (T’s and C’s) but it could be cheaper.
And the point of this comment: less hassle. Order online, deliver where you want. Obviously you’d not have a +33 number, but for WhatsApp etc, you don’t need it.
@@davidsmith3263 I think it's hard to get a cheaper mobile plan than a French one actually (I may be wrong) Since Free arrived, everything is really "cheap" compared to a lot of countries (I pay 20€ monthly for unlimited data in France + 25Go monthly in Europe + US / Canada / Australia / ...)
I'm not French, but I have family that lives near France (so still not French, but I recognize some behaviour still) and I too noticed the comments about our bodies. It really did a number on me when I was young. And I'm a dude so I can't imagine how it must be when you're a women. Must be tough. Thing is, I do it myself too. And I mean no harm at all. But when it's directed at ME, it does hurt a bit. I realize this is hypocritical. It's so weird, myself whenever I make those comments I regard it as just a sort of playful banter or a harmless observation but when the same thing is directed at me it's quite hurtful. I've kind of had this epiphany recently that when it's directed at me it too is just banter - one big joke. Nothing to be taken seriously. I know, I know, that's easier said than done. But it helps, a little. Fortunately the smoking part is not a thing at all near the border. Or at least, for my family. I consider myself a Francophile but the smoking thing is absolutely vile and inexcusable. The French are stubborn and it's gonna take a while to change their behaviour - rightfully so - but the outside world does have a point on this one for once!
Re: Traffic...In southern Ontario Canada here, the traffic especially in summer is like a parking lot...all going south to the US border or thereabouts...So annoying!! UGH
@@Samchocolate11 Ikr?! What's absurd is that they love making fun of Americans and how uncultured they are, etc. I am always trying to challenge their limited thinking and assumptions but it just gets old.
@@ceciliamac4283 - Yeah they do that all the time it’s so hypocritical of them, the things they criticise US-Americans about are the exact traits that many of their people have
@@ceciliamac4283 - Yeah it is exhausting challenging their limited minds and general arrogant ignorance because so many of them are so unwilling to change or self reflect
Been to France 6, 7, time's and some times to get to Spain. But the times I've visited it's been dirty and messy. If you stay on the touristy parts you're okay. But don't go off area if you're going to Paris. And to me most of France needs rebuilding because looks very run down and in touch of renewal or demolishing. There's lots of interesting buildings and history. But there's also much needed restoration to be done. Sorry London is the clear winner.
*You're completely wrong about the first point. There are scammers EVERYWHERE. And scammers in USA (and other English speaking countires) are way WORSE !*
@@lioneldemun6033 OK good for you. In France, when you receive a package, the postman can't let it in front of your door... one of the worst scam that we don't have. Another scam: the cost of education and health in anglo-saxon countries... Finally: I just watched a video about a scam in Switzerland. People get your name on a mailbox, order something on a website and wait at your address to get the package. Then you receive the bill and have to pay. In Switzerland, they don't have to pay when they order on the website to receive the package...
Well I don't know what kind of people you hang around with but I leave in France for so long now and to the people I know casually calling someone le gros or la grosse would be so shocking and unacceptable ! One time we were on the beach, a fellow british friend made a joke like this and believe me no one laught...
Boy have I missed your videos. So glad that RUclips just started recommending to me again. Can’t wait to see all of your content in the coming weeks. Stay strong! You’re amazing for not wanting to “become that person”. I wouldn’t either.
Rosie, Thank you so very much for sharing these truly upsetting qualities about French life!!! The cigarette smoking as well as the unethical practice of keeping your money for services not rendered are causing me to rethink my moving to France! I have wanted to live there all of my life but these experiences are a real turn- off. I wonder what other member countries of the EU have a better ethical and environmentally healthier environment for me to consider? That and your experiences with corrupt postal practices are causing me to rethink my move to France. Here in the US, while not perfect, mail theft and fraud are considered federal (national) crimes and are punishable with imprisonment and hefty fines.
I was in Paris last week. I loved it. Someone pickpocket my mobile phone on the metra. The pickpockets aren't problem in Chicago Like Paris. Paris was amazing so beautiful. Parisians where helpful when asking for directions. This summer I went to NY and Paris. NY is more fun has more energy, But Paris has more Charm then NY. Paris is definitely more Beautiful then NY. The Champs Elysee was neat. It blows 5th ave away. Paris is a lovely City.
Great video, some of these things low key triggered me after living in France for 2 years. For the SIM card I recommend Free. They have "bournes" all over the city in like Fnac and you just pay 10€ and it spits out a sim card immediately. It's "sans engagement" but you pay 10€ a month (from any card) for 80GB a month. When you want to cancel it you just send a lettre de résiliation on la poste's website and they cancel it within a few days
Wow that telephone thingy is upsetting 🤯 Edit : your experience with the cancelled lesson is ever more infuriating. I don't understand people who function on such level of dishonesty or selfishness...
Thank you for such an honest and funny video :) I can totally relate to the 'things not working' part, especially when it comes to anything admin-related - closing my French bank account from abroad was a bit of an adventure and involved me having to send them a *hand-written* letter... Personally, I found moving to other countries more smooth, but I wouldn't miss my time in France for the world, and I'd be totally up for moving back there if an opportunity pops up :)
Lol I had to do that too!! They wouldn't let me completely close it even after the hand written letter because there was still like .35 cents in it but they said eventually it would just go away... ?!?!
There must be tons on the plus side to make you willing to endure such nastiness! So glad to hear they’re worried about the environment and health when they smoke and cause so much smog with heavy traffic. Sounds like they’ve picked their poison(s). Most disturbing of all was, as you noted, the immorality of keeping someone’s quite large sum of money when it clearly should have been refunded. Sounds like a brutally selfish society altogether.
Sounds similar to Italian culture. Especially, when it comes to customer service and comments people make. It’s just a different way of thinking, that you need to adapt to.
Admin and setting things up in France can be a pain ; but on topic of the simcard I think it's such a mess because of the Vigipirate plan. The government wants to know who uses the line, even with prepaid (or especially with prepaid) because of the terrorists threats. And France being France, they probably add a bit of unnecessary annoyance on top of it. This is surely frustrating.
Yeah, I assumed that was the root reason. They keep careful track of phone and SIM purchases in Mexiico, also, because of narcotraficantes conducting business with them.
SFR is the worst! I got a prepaid one like you when I was on vacation and it literally never worked. You’re right, sometimes I don’t have the energy anymore to argue yet alone in French so we just take the loss :/
I left France 8 years ago and although I love my country I'm quite glad I don't live there anymore, because of all these things you mentioned, everything is so true. France has a lot of positive aspect but also negative ones, like every country I think!
I love your honesty. I’d freak out over that SIM card fiasco . I’ve heard on Frenchified channel about the post office. You ladies are way better people than me. I’d die. Love all your videos! Thank you!
Your second thing is even worse than the first one as this kind of issues with banks, phone providers, internet providers, gaz providers, electricity providers, etc. Is totally universal. In any case I lived in 5 different countries (not in New Zealand to be honest) and this was the same mess everywhere
In general customer service has gone downhill globally in my view. Not everything, but it is becoming increasingly up to the consumer to pay time and money to fix anything or set up anything. Unhappy, poorly treated and minimally trained, low paid staff and unhappy customers at the end of the day don't always affect the profits at the tippy top.....especially if there are few alternatives.... we have little else to do but put up with the brokenness of it all. Speaking up constructively as you have is a first step.
Well, at least in France they tell you they can#t help. In the uk they talk to you nicely and still take forever to sort things out or never do.I was wondering if you could make a video about your favourite places to eat in Paris
I've been studying in Lyon for three weeks now in an intense foreign language immersion program including a home stay. There is simply no substitute for that. I had not studied French formally in twenty years and thanks to Duolingo I tested in at a B1 level. Duolingo is free and I highly recommend it but nothing can be used in isolation. The French have been very warm with me. I am a decent French cook at home thanks to Julia Child and I have found that the French appreciate someone who comes to visit their country to learn the language and learn more about the food. Strangers have had me join their table to talk about the food traditions of the past and how they are becoming Americanized....which is NOT a good thing. I even made two friends for life here...one is the house mother where I am staying and one used to be my French teacher when I arrived who loves the old methods of preparing foods. I have to leave at the end of the summer....and the question is now how soon can I come back vs if I will ever come back.
I’m glad I caught this video. I recently moved from Ireland to France and whilst most French people are really lovely..oh my good god, when they’re bad..they’re really bad. A French girl that I met in Ireland before I left, told me “good luck, French people aren’t very nice” and I thought it was a bizarre thing to say about your own nationality but I get it now. The social norms are so far removed from Irish culture. Being friendly and helpful is expected in Ireland, you will be rejected by society if you aren’t and that’s not exaggerating. I’m really struggling with adjusting. That said, I have met some wonderful French people. But wow, I’ve also had the most obnoxious things said to me that have left my jaw hanging on it’s hinges. Sorry..I just needed a rant 😅
Yes being kind to everyone is not a french thing unfortunately, but once you got friends everything is better, hope that you will enjoy the life here
@@sehouna3367 it will just take time to adjust 💕
After I spent five weeks in France, just after getting my degree in French, I changed the rest of my schooling. I spoke enough French, since I wouldn't be going back! When I explained to my French tutor, who was French, she said, "Yes, of course, we're a miserable people." Of course that is a generality, and I did meet some fun French people .... well a few...mostly I met Canadians and other Americans lol. But I'm sure you will find "your people," which will be a mixture of nationalities, and you will start to feel at home. Get your routine going, whatever it is: coffee at "your" coffee place, then class, then the park with your sandwich, whatever your routine is. Set a routine. That seemed to help me to feel more at home (I went by myself for five weeks and lived in an apartment by myself, took the subway, went to the market, lived like a true Parisienne in the 5th). Good luck!
@@elizabeth5985 thank you for the advice, it will just take time to settle 💕
Reminds me of a woman I know who married a French businessman. When I asked if they were retiring to France Oh no!! Jacques hates the French she said hahaha
The scammer issue is not unique to France. It's a constant irritation here in the U.S. They come at you through cell phone calls and texts, land line calls and emails. It's awful.
It has gotten bad. I get about five calls a day from scammers and such. I was at a friend's house today for a couple of hours. Four times she got a phone call from "amazon" about an account she didn't have.
@@anthonyrobertson2011 same here (France) - I get calls on my cell phone, emails and texts every day... I don't even answer my phone unless I know the number, and I think that if a non-scammer wants to speak to me, they'll leave me a message :)
Il y a 2 choses à ne pas forcément mélanger. Il y a les arnaques au téléphone. Oui elles existent, comme en ce moment avec les comptes formations professionnelles. Mais la majorités des appels et SMS ne sont pas forcément des arnaques mais plutôt des offres commerciales plus ou moins intéressantes mais surtout très insistantes. Alors oui elles sont très pénibles (on veut vous vendre des fenêtres, du vin, des appartements etc.... Cela ne veut pas dire toujours arnaques mais c'est vrai qu'ils sont très pénibles avec leurs appels parfois jusqu'à 21H. Il y a des systèmes plus ou moins efficaces de listes rouges, blocage d'appels (Bloctel) mais bon... 😉
Same in Australia.
And most of them come from the Ivory Coast or Eastern Europe.
I’m in the US and I get scammer emails, calls and texts all the time. It was daily at one point.
Also, there’s a lot I don’t like about the US, but customer service is excellent compared to any European country I’ve visited. It’s as though after thousands of years of commerce, European businesses don’t understand that they are losing money in droves by being so inefficient and unhelpful.
I'm french and keep every packaging ever. For me this is perfectly normal but now I understand why sometimes strangers look at me like "do you really need that pile of empty packaging?"
I’m in Australia and probably get 3 scam mobile calls a day; I have a personal policy of never answering unknown numbers; if it’s important they always leave a message. I don’t trust any banking messages now except by mail.
As a French living now in NY, everything is so true! Little things are complicated, having flexibility is hard unless you are being super nice and doing “copinage”. French are not client/ service first compared to anglo-saxons countries.
I have lived in hong kong for some years. Coming from France, all admin wirk was so easy that at first I was very anxious. When opening an electricity line, a mobile line,etc… I kept asking many times to the officer « are you sure it’s done? Have you well understood my question?… »
It’s quite a shock to deal with a functional administration 😂
Totally agree! Task that usually takes days to do in France just requires a few minutes to complete in HK!
NZ is more similar to HK (can thank the British). Things are generally quite efficient and work well.
France is in a league of its own
@@shaunmckenzie5509 having lived in Spain and my home country France I even find Spain at times more efficient!
These videos really help me when I start lamenting about not living in France anymore. I think there are reasons it didn't work for me despite my love for France.
PROTIP: if you're struggling with the proof of address thing (I know I did too when I came back from living abroad and were in airbnb's before finding a long term job and a long term flat): get your in laws to sign an "attestation d'hébergement", it's a simple letter where they say you are living at their place for free, signed + one of their bill + the copy of their ID. It opens all the doors a bill in your name would, and it was a huge live saver for me !
The paperwork omg I can't ! As A CITIZEN it took me 9 months to get hold on a new carte vitale after I came back. As a foreign resident, it took the Japanese administration 15 min to issue one when I moved there.....
I inherited a few Nestlé shares ( Zurich SE) from my father. It took 3 months for my French bank to sell them!
French here, you are so correct about the smoking thing. On top of that smokers are SO entitled. They leave their cig butts everywhere but a bin, and seem to think it's perfectly normal.
I currently have a neighbour above my floor who smokes every hour and it smell so bad I have to close my windows. It's summer and I can't even open my own goddamn windows because someone thought they looked cool and rebelious when they were 15...
And if you thought this is annoying enough, let me tell you they just drop they cig butts on my balcony. So I left a nice and polite note in the elevator asking them to kindly stop using my balcony as they private trash bin. And shockingly (no) it didn't work.
how frustrating, @Ale. Before the USA started being more conscious of smoking (still a lot of it in some places, but much more awareness of how bad it is) my father HATED smoking and would get in arguments. When a smoker would say, "I have a RIGHT to smoke!" My father would say, "Your right to smoke ends at the tip of my nose," of course meaning that the minute I can smell your smoke, you're infringing on MY rights to clean air!
I can be confrontational, and it's probably not a good idea, but I would figure out a way to pick up all of their cigarette butts and somehow put them back on their balcony. 😈 Maybe put them in a baggie, loosely tied, with a rock in it for weight, and throw it up? You'll probably miss a few times....this is a VERY BAD IDEA do not do what I am suggesting. Unless the person above THEM doesn't smoke and hates it too, and you could make friends with them and conspire to drop the collected cigarette butts down onto their balcony from the upstairs....again I'M TERRIBLE DO NOT DO THIS.
@@elizabeth5985 I've thought about collecting them and dropping them in front of their door but...I don't know which floor they come from 😅
No one respect weak and cowards. Go in front of his appartment. Ring the Bell and tell him. Then drop the cigarette in front of him on the ground. Then say that you Will put it into his girlfriend next time. French way or no way :)
So So So...terrible grammer.
Im a kiwi in France and your videos are so good to watch since you are also comparing France to cultural norms in NZ. Kiwis are so chill and informal and I love that. I do struggle with the culture differences sometimes and how complicated, rigid and formal things can be in France... 🤦🏼♀️
Oh me too I’m so depressed…
@@sweetcutecoolgirl You're not alone. French women are nuttier than squirrel 💩 too. Moving to Spain in 3 months after 4 years here. You couldn't pay me to stay.
I can relate to this so much! We lived in Paris for two years (originally from Canada) and we couldnt open a bank account, we couldn’t rent unless we paid for a full year, we couldn’t register the car we bought, we couldnt find a place in daycare for our son, etc without a mountain of struggles every step of the way!
I've heard a theory that the heavy/inefficient bureaucracy is by DESIGN. Basically, it's the way the state tells the individual "look how powerless you are" "we own you". The passive-agressive mindgames of bureaucracy is like a cat playing with a mouse to show the power of the state, basically.
Even in "efficient" countries like Germany or Japan, the bureaucracy is slow and cumbersome.
None of those countries are as efficient as the Anglo-Saxon countries. Things generally work in these countries, and people listen to you. Much better than France.
It absolutely is. I lived in France for 6 years. Their whole system is designed to enslave people to depend on the government. They eventually just give in and conform to it because if you resist you go completely mad. I’m not even in France anymore and they are STILL trying to screw me in any way they can.
@@shaunmckenzie5509 Actually, not necessarily. US federal administrations can very easily play ping-pong games with foreigners. Why should they care? Foreigners are suspected of wanting to immigrate illegally and can't complain to their congressperson.
I'm a Frenchman who's been living in Belgium for 21 years. Though the Belgian and Walloon administration is definitely not a standard of simplicity it's still more efficient than the French one.
It took me less than a week to open a bank account and receive my debit card here - just had to show I had a Belgian work contract. I changed bank since then, that was fast and easy. Closing my French bank accounts took time and lots of paperwork.
Obtaining a new cell, Belgian phone subscription took me less than a day. Closing my French one was a real test of patience.
I’m coming to France in 3 weeks to study french and your vids about France helps me out a lot on what I might possibly expect.
Enjoy your stay🙏🏻
How is that going ? :D
I was in the south of France and I really had to watch out for dog poop everywhere, especially in the less touristy areas. I don’t see that at home at all and after a while it started to make me feel like France was a filthy place. Feces on the sidewalk is not the mark of a civilized place…
Et bien comme tu l'as dit, les crottes de chiens étaient dans les endroits non touristiques, donc des lieux où les gens vivent leur vie... et où il n'y a pas de nettoyage de fait pour les touristes. La pluie retire les crottes en quelques jours... si vous ne souhaitez pas voir la France comme elle est, ne vous éloignez pas des endroits touristiques ou ne venez pas 🙃😉
@@harleyquinn727 Love this comment. Already by replying in French you demonstrate your ignorance. The very ignorance people have when they don't pick up the poop from their dog and think the rain will wash it away. Quelle ânerie!
@@harleyquinn727 Evidement vous plaisantez! Qui veut vivre dans des endroits infects dont vous décrivez !
@@simonledoux8519 infecte.... rester chez vous 😉
Exactly French are barbaric I almost died flying to the south of France why do rich people come here it’s maybe just for rich criminals. I seen old ladies letting their dogs piss everywhere it’s not civilised and disgusting people also sneeze and cough everywhere like the uk I hate Europe.
I'm French. Nowadays, when I'm back home after a trip abroad, I have a feeling to land in a third world country. There is always something broken, something that doesn't work. It wasn't like that 20 years ago and more.
I remember a time when I had the pleasant feeling to live in a modern country where everything was smooth and clean.
@@ody5199 il faut que tu ailles voir ceux qui les ont fait venir;) il faut prendre le problème à la racine et avoir un peu de courage!
voui, pareil pour moi
you don't know what a third world country is. France is heaven compared to my country and my country is a "rich" 3rd-world country. Please stop spreading misinformation.
@@user-um7tw6kx4r6 I'm old enough to know what France was like 30 years ago (and more) and I see what it has become today. And I'm not satisfied that we're still ahead of countries like Zimbabwe. I have more ambition for my country.
@@user-um7tw6kx4r6 You obviously have to be french to understand what this person means. I totally get what he is saying because I think the same, it’s just getting worse and that’s a reality there’s no misinformation here.I’m from Paris and in some places you just wonder where you are.. there’s always something broken as that doesn’t work… even my friends and family say this to me all the time, this guy is so right! Of course I love going there but again as he said this wasn’t like that 20 years ago or more and it’s a fact!
You are not being nasty when you just explain the situation of this unreasonable person.
I just showed this to my husband to show to his co-worker. The guy was in France last month and recieved a ticket in the mail from a toll that he thought the rental car company was going to pay when paid an extra fee for that sort of thing. He contacted them and now it's not their problem. They refuse to help him. He doesn't speak much French. He's in Seattle. He's unsure if this is even real and not a scam. He's been so disgusted by the lack of help from the rental car company.
I used to work for a rental company in france, you can safely discard this, since the guys is a us citizen, he doesn't have to pay a dime
Paris is an open air museum: like a fairytale you step into but, no, I would never want to live in it. The total neglect of customer service and the money someone had earned and spent for the experience. I live in the US: went to a language school for 2 weeks in Paris last year. I am 43 years old. The treatment and the reception I got for my money--there was a huge part of me that wanted to say, "F you, mofos, I am out. In Anglo-Saxon culture one does not treat 5 year-olds like that". But I had paid for these classes and didn't want to be a tourist all day long, since this was not my first trip to Paris. If I treated my customers like that in the US, I would have been out of job. It is definitely the architecture, the history, the cuisine but not the ppl that keep us coming back. And, yes, sometimes, it is thinking, "Thank God, I do not live in this," that makes you appreciate your home even more.
@Nani T What is the name of the school you studied? I am considering a couple and want to avoid your experience.
@@laperlenoir Accord is the name.
Have you ever read the book The Bonjour Effect? The authors included a whole chapter on pas possible 😂Their take on it is that the cultural norm is to say no rather than to admit that you’re not sure what to do or that it might be more difficult. I wonder how true this might’ve been in the situations you mentioned!
One doesn't need to read a book to know that the common french attitude towards a client is not to find a solution to a problem (that very possibly they've caused in the first place), but to find an excuse why they can't help you. In any way. Or just to place a blame (and a shame) on you. "Madame, ça se fait pas comme ça" (la bouche en cul de poule)...
Saying NO to any question of a client is a habit rather in South of France ! I am french but moved to Pau in the South of France and was stunned myself with all the boutiques having someone standing at the doorstep (taking some fresh air ?) and saying NO we havn"t before YOU ask any question or say what you are looking for !
i ended up by re-moving to more north of France (above the Loire) after 17 years of that treatment !
@@Maimitti Yes when I lived in Paris for five weeks I walked into a store (I spoke fluent French) and had barely gotten the question out of my mouth of what I was looking for and the woman said, "No we don't have it," without looking up from her newspaper. okaaaaaay then. I think I just turned around and walked out. It was near the end of my stay and I'd HAD IT with rude people.
@@elizabeth5985 I hope you did not forget to say "Bonjour!" before getting the question out of your mouth because if you did, chances are the paper-reading woman was snubbing you back being uninterested in selling anything to you because of your degrading attitude. In this case not looking up from the paper would just mean to say "Go away, brute.".
I’ve moved to Bordeaux in June for the year with my 4 kids and husband to study the language and learn about France. It was supposed to be fun. I’ve literally broken down as a person because of the apartment we rented. For the first two weeks, no hot water and the apartment was left incredibly dirty. Like construction dirt, old rusty nails, copper wires, floor that have holes in them and then stuffed with old newspapers. No Air conditioning… okay… but the woman downstairs cooks All day long, even when the temperature was 108F. The neighbors across the street just stare into the apartment if you leave the curtains open. Now we have no water because the entire building needs serious work, but the plumber took over a week to determine the issues. All the while the rental agency and the building manager are on Vacation- because it is August in France. Plus we chose to live downtown so we have the noise of the party goers till 4 AM and the motorcycles that race around. My phone sim too didn’t work and on any given day it will just not work. The phone company favorite response is “have you paid your bill?” Old women and young women talk about me constantly (my husband speaks French) because of my children, because of how I’m dressed, what I’m doing wrong as a mother. Young people make fun of my husband (has a limp when he walks). He understands- he brushes it off. But the mocking and pointing is way over the top for me. People are so very Rude and then if it comes out we are American all they want to do is tell me that we are crazy for having guns and that Trump should be in Jail. Like they literally know nothing about Americans. Yet We are spending our money in their country to learn about their history and language. Honestly, France has totally soured my heart and my complaining could go on and on but mostly it’s the mean/ rudeness that is just accepted. I had been to France many times as a tourist but living here for just these few months has been so different. But shout out to the actual really nice French people that ARE real- they do exist and that is why I’m keeping on keeping on. We meticulously planned this year for an entire year! Schools, bank account, visas… like we dedicated our entire family to this… so, maybe my heart will feel better by next summer. Oh, and my kids are 11, 4, 2 and 1 years old, so I’ve gotten to compare playgrounds and behavior within the playground and it is different! Mostly French parents are so involved with the act of play, like playing manners. Where as in my home state of Colorado parents rarely get involved. Like if a kid is climbing the slide… they learn… but in France it’s “attention attention! That is not how you use a slide!”
Thank you Rosie- I needed to just vent.
Oh I’m so sorry for you. I live in Bordeaux and I can assure you not all the French people are like that. I hope you will like your French life in the future. 💚💚💚
Bordeaux people have exact the same reputation in the rest of France as the Seattleites in the US so I m not surprised.
I have been living in France (Brittany) for 3 months now and omg so much of what you said made me realise how lucky (or sheltered) we are in NZ :’) especially with customer service!!
you know Nadia Irawan, OK it happens that customer service, in some companies leaves something to be desired; you have to know when in France the people who work in the human relations salesmen, saleswomen etc. are not obligated to you, they are equal to the "buying" customers, they do not bow and if you have an odious behavior towards them, they will ask you to leave. on the other hand, the difference between France, the Commonwealth countries, Great Britain, the United States, we have enormous social advantages: social security, health insurance, unemployment insurance, job security, housing security for the most disadvantaged, CAF family aid, of course we pay taxes but at least no one is left on the side of the road, free universities: Law, Medicine student aid (scholarships) free grandes écoles Polytechnique, HEC, Sup Elec , sciences Po of course the selections are on competition but at least the students are not in debt for a large part of their professional careers
Je suis Française (sud est) et je pensais que c'était partout pareil avant de découvrir des youtubeurs parlant des différentes culturelles . Je suis d'accord pr la cigarette et encore ça c'est beaucoup amélioré, avant c'était pire, on pouvait fumer ds les restaurants, boîtes, bar, pas de zone fumeur. Et les critiques désagréables sur le physique en général et le poids aussi ,j'en ai entendu depuis mon adolescence ( j'étais mince en haut et plus grosse en bas ) on peut rien y faire ,qd il y a une disproportion .J'en ai tellement marre t'entendre les commentaires déplacés des gens que je ne me met plus en maillot ,sauf qd je suis seule ou je quitte ou remet le paréo de suite avant et après le bain . Heureusement il y a des gens délicats mais trop de critiques sur le physique, c'est vrai je reconnais
Je suis Français aussi, et je pense que les remarques sur le physique sont beaucoup plus violentes et régulières pour les femmes que pour les hommes, ce qui est encore pire. Personnellement je ne me souviens pas d'avoir jamais reçu des remarques (à part de la part de mes frères mais c'est complètement infondé donc ça ne me dérange pas) sur mon physique, alors qu'apparemment pour les femmes c'est vraiment plus récurrent, même si je ne m'en étais jamais vraiment rendu compte
Same thing in Italy (where my husband is from, and all family lives there). Simple tasks that we take for granted in America, (license, registration, phones, etc) even getting YOUR money from your bank, is a NIGHTMARE. First you have to give the bank advanced notice, why do you need so much money, affidavit, wait 10 days, etc etc. One of the main reasons we do not live in Italy.
Before I was 19, I would be afraid to go in french stores and restaurants because they used to make me feel so unwelcome...then I I went to SoCal for the first time, and I was SHOCKED literally! I came into a foot locker store, and one of the sales person greeted me with a "How you doin today sir?", with the biggest smile on his face, and I genuinely thought that he wanted to be my friend. I had never experienced such a warm welcome anywhere in France in my whole life. This first impression stuck with me. And I'm still not used to the cold welcome here in France...but then there are also very nice people here, just be prepared to be more feisty and on guard here, and don't lose your temper and respect, because that's easy to do
These are just SO relatable!! My French husband always says you don’t get your way if you don’t fight in France! 😅
This was so spot on! ♥️ I also returned to France after 2 years and share most experiences. French way of intimidating if you get something wrong is a mastery itself😂 And no comments about the moral approach to money - actually not too appreciated/trendy in this culture.
Interesting how they think a few extra pounds as being unhealthy but do not think that way about smoking which is way more deadly.
Had no idea smoking was so prevalent there.
Love your videos!
smoking suppresses the appetite. what I've noticed about the French is they don't care about health, but thinness. I know so many Parisians who hide their eating disorder and laziness for exercise with "intermittent fasting."
And the constant drinking - they don't worry nearly as much about the health problems from alcohol.
As a Frenchman, the problems you had with the bank, the telephone and the gym, I never had them in France but I had them when I moved to Germany. I think these are more problems that you can have when you are a foreigner somewhere.
And, yes, the scams are unbearable and come mainly from French-speaking Africa.
@@NotEvenFrench Administration, yes, but not in these specific cases.
I changed many times of phone provider, without problem. (but generally avoiding SFR and Free because network and service not great, indeed).
The last bank account I opened, it was done immediately. (but it's true, it's better to choose well which one).
Sports lessons or other, there has most of the time been a way to arrange. On the other hand, subscriptions are difficult to cancel (but it was the same abroad).
My biggest administrative problems were rather with the prefecture/city hall/gouvernement... My girlfriend works in there and it's true that's a big mess. But for having also lived in Belgium, it was much worse.
And with bank, it's more problems with "interconnectivity" between regions (because some are regional, not all) or the departure of a customer they don't want to loose.
4:01 she clearly insisted that the scammers are not necessarily the Africans selling stuff on the streets ( that she acknowledged) but mostly the constant : texting, emailing, phone calls from french scamming companies… yet you are still pointing out the Africans… This tells a lot about you. Typical french. Also pointing out the Germans while the french administration is way worse…. Lol ! Such a bad complex of superiority which makes every body in the world, especially the Anglo world agree that the french are way too arrogant and unfriendly and you proved it.
oui , généralement d'Abidjan , là bas dans les cybers il ne font que ça ils se nomment : les brouteurs ; pour les pays anglophones , c'est le Nigéria à Lagos ou au Ghana à Accra , il y a aussi des Israéliens , mais là , ce sont des escrocs de hauts vols .
Alors, en effaçant mon commentaire, tu fais passer un mensonge pour une vérité.
@@Le.dictateur.africain Monsieur il faut arrêté de voir le racisme partout , les escrocs des cybers : les brouteurs ; en Côte d'ivoire est une réalité que vous le vouliez ou non . là personne qui s'adresse a vous était déjà en Afrique en 1976
Interesting video. Every country has its quirks. Back when I lived in Denmark, so much stuff drove me mad but there is a ton of stuff I miss too. It’s part of the foreigner experience.
Yeah have fun in afghanistan lol I heard the Customer Service is great there.
So many stuff? No. It's either so many things, or so much stuff. Are you a native English speaker?
As a Dane counting the days till I leave forever, only ever returning for my parents' funeral and such (social visits no matter since their favorite holiday place ever is Ajaccio, Corsica, where I'll be emigrating to, home away from home but better then home kind of thing due to us going on holiday there like 10 times in my life), they can visit me instead, but I digress. Which country (and state, if USA) are you from, what about Denmark drove you nuts (I could write a whole on exactly that) and what do you miss?
Exactly 💯..hate those fusy people who expect everthing to be like home...well it is not...that's why you go to another place..because it's different and unique...small minded people...don't like change !!
@@slappy8941 Well, besides the name Sam, the sentence is flawless otherwise except for a missing ending period. By RUclips comments standards thus way above board. Both to me suggests a native speaker or equivalent. Typos are a thing, but I know of no term (yet, if you know of such, please do tell) to describe thinking of two or more sayings at the same time and then writing/saying a mix of them leading to what you took issue with here.
In Hispanic culture, it's also normal to say things to a family like oldie or fatty or skinny. As nicknames, but it usually comes from a place of love. Is more common to come across someone nicknamed skinny than chubby though because it can get a bit offensive.
People died because obesity as the number one risk factor for Covid problems dare not be mentioned. I like things conveyed 'franchement." I don't want euphemism or other forms of BS. I don't think there is "Hispanic culture" though, just as there is no singular "European culture." I lived in Mexico for eight years, and Mexicans are the most polite people in all of Latin America. Some groups are the opposite of this. (I'm actully only talking about one group that is really rude and bad). Many gringos in NYC are so clueless they think all Latin American food is hot-spicy, when it is generally very bland. They think Mexico is typical, lol.
Yeah, I was born in France, and yeah, I think in this case, it's more a cultural shock for someone coming from a country where it's not acceptable rather than an issue with the French. Personally, I'm much more comfortable with people saying what they think of how you look in general, rather than saying nothing (except in your back when you're gone).
I don't know anyone here who finds it offensive when a friend tell him he looks like **** after having partied all night (and the same person will tell you you look great 2 days later anyways).
As for people calling other "fatsos" or whatever... They're called jerks, and I'm sure you have some in NZ as well. ;) Jerks aside, no one would comment on someone's weight here if you know the person is obese and has a complex about it. There's a huge difference between noticing (and telling) someone has gained a few kg, and mocking someone because he's fat.
So the biggest issue in this case is the fact is, coming from NZ, you tend to mistake neutral / friendly observations about your body for personal attacks.
We get those scammers all of the time, here in the US .They do it in the email, text messages, phone calls, both on people's landlines AND cellphones as well.....
Quick tip for the phone line / SIM : Go to a Free shop! You can buy a prepaid SIM from a sort of vending machine and voilà. We did it when my mom came to visit and it was very simple + very affordable unlimited data.
If only Australia and NZ had the same drive to run anti-obesity campaigns as they do for anti-smoking campaigns. Obesity is becoming a real problem here and nothing is done to curb it.
Obesity is a very difficult topic. People come in all shapes and sizes and unlike smoking it does not hurt other people.
The woke bodypositive movement ignores the healthissues of overweight.
A dangerous attitude.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - if France is okay with smoking but not okay with people being 'overweight', it's not a health thing. It's never been a health thing, and even if it was a health thing, shaming people doesn't make them get healthier.
That's your take on that... If you talk to a French smoking person about the fact that it's not healthy and everything: it's kinda accepted. It's seen as more a "casual" thing than overweight I agree but it's about health most of the time (and I say most and not all the time just to not put every French person as the same). I agree on the fact that in France smoking is more causal regarding the "shame" thing. But it is link to a health problem. Why I say it is more casual? Because you can say to someone you know a bit " You smoke? You should stop that you know" with a comic twist in it whereas for overweight you have to be very very close to the person (almost a family member) to say such a thing and in a private environment. Again I saw and expereince only this so may be other French person do it differently and I don't want to put a rule on that but that how I feel about those 2 things. Feel free (OF COURSE) to feel differently.
It's definitely about aesthetics, too. I've learned from Rosie's videos and many others that, eg, wearing activewear outside the home or gym, or looking slovenly to meet up with amis, is considered rude and disrespectful to the shopkeepers and friends because we would be inflicting unattractive things upon them. If anything is "tres francais" this is it. Right now, both activewear and generally slovenly dress is the only kind of dressing I do. Their country and culture didn't become what it is by not giving af about how things look. I have to admit, even though I'm a poor example, I too enjoy seeing people and everything else looking pretty.
Thanks to Rosie and others, I'm buying my black blazer, purse, jeans ,shoes etc to form a coherent uniform a la francaise. I have Crocs that I will wear only indoors, as they save my back while cooking. Anyhow, I don't think folks should be shamed for obesity, but I don't think it should be viewed as perfectly fine either.
It's not like there is nothing that can be done about it. If it is treated as perfectly fine, people will be deterred from doing anything about it. We are at the point here in the US that in one group the average woman weighs more than the average man. That's insane, and claiming that all is well helps nobody. (I have my own problem of diarrhea of the mouth and keyboard that I strive to overcome each and every day!).
@@NotEvenFrench Again that's your take and that's not my view at all. When you link everything there is to french culture (cuisine, the way we eat ect) a lot is with the "health" in mind. We are educated at an early age with that in mind. IMO you see it as an excuse because the way you think is different so you don't think that our real concern is health. That doesn't excuse at all this behaviour! All that I am saying is that the origin is the "health" but it's an excuse for other (consciously or not) to be mean or not be careful with what they are saying. They are obviously really mean people in every country and every country has their own quirks and it shouldn't be an excuse to be mean to other. All I am disputing is the origin. The origin is the "health" but it becomes a really weird/rude thing with some people and of course if it's a negative comment it's stands out even more.
People who smoke can be elegant, being fat is a crime towards elegance. That's it, as simple as that. Elegance was for centuries the engine of French culture. Good for them.
@@TonyAlmeida610 Again as a foreigner you see it that way. As a french (and I questionned other French about this!) the origin of this is the "health"... that's it... And for the record: at some point in time it was a standard of beauty to be chubby...
I'm a senior citizen who began my French visits in 1982 What I have gleaned is we are a spiritual being in a physical body having a human experience. We ask for what happens to us (to gain from the experience). What matters is how we respond [which I'm sure you did humanely] and to reflect on why we invited this situation into our life.
Entertaining video; thanx!
you think that people bring bad situations onto themselves?
Allow me to respectfully say what I believe about this. There are babies born in war-torn countries and both their parents are killed. They barely survive as orphans and are starving. I don't think they invited that into their lives, they are innocent children. Law of attraction is a dangerous way to judge people based on what happens to them.
You can control your own body, but you cannot control other peoples perception of your body. I find it refreshing that the French speak frankly about such things. The Anglosphere is a train wreck of obesity and poor health, yet instead of improving themselves they try to make it socially unacceptable to mention it, even going so far to coin such absurdities as “fat shaming.” That is attempting to shame people for saying the truth, because it may hurt someones feelings, rather than the French social pressure to remain fit and healthy. I am with the French on this one.
The secret in France is to do everything via internet, SIM card from B&you you just need an email address and they send it, to any adress you put not checking anything.
Bank: Boursorama, online bank, so easy to use and no bothering, no fees at all, ...etc
Don't do any administrative 😅
I switched to an online bank as well, it s really great!
@@hp8q yep!
The mother commenting on her adult son's weight is kind of creep. I am from Cadana (Quebec) and commenting on people's weight is viewed as an inappropriate/uneducated thing to do. Glad that the English pple take us over! The bad costumer service you described remind me some south american countries when they will do anything not to help you XD and plus giving you attitute.😅
How is it uneducated to comment on someone’s weight? It may be rude, but uneducated?
It demonstrate that you can't mind your own business
Wow Rosie, you seem mega uptight. Maybe you should chill out a bit. I am a kiwi living in France. Maybe your problems are a Paris thing. Living here in the South of France I can’t really identify with most of your issues. Maybe we have been lucky but we have bought and sold houses, changed Banks, phones, internet servers etc with relatively few problems and met lots of nice friendly people. Big cities are the same all over the world. You should try living in New York if you want angst. Pour yourself a big glass of rose and enjoy France. It is what it is.
Hello Rosie! You are completely right about the bureaucracy in France. For a foreigner, it can be a real nightmare. I always keep the packaging of the products I buy until the warranty expires. When I send a product return mail, I take photos of each document and the packaging and I carefully keep the proof of shipment. Always anticipate customer service mistakes and assume things are going to go wrong. I have never experienced customer service in foreign countries but I do not see how it could be worse elsewhere than in France. For the traffic, in this period, it is normal. It is much more fluid outside school holidays. All Europeans are on vacation and many take the motorway to go south (Belgians, Dutch, Germans, Danes...). You can take the national roads which are free, but it will probably take longer.
Smoking and bad comments about weight => true 😞
I still love my country even if sometimes it drives me crazy
@@NotEvenFrench That's so funny, I thought it was just my partner because he's obsessive about stuff like that. I didn't know it was also just French! Ah well, it came in handy when we were moving!
Being in France it is a challenge to a foreigners but if you can handle it, it is a fantastastic country. The variety you have in a short distance is wonderfull. I talk about, public or private transport, culture buildings, food, climate, history, landscapes and mentallities make France culture unique. Not a mix of a bit of this or a bit of that.
How ever the syndicate mentality (syndicalisme) is imo a very damaging factor in French society. It is doing France a lot of harm and the French do not realise that enough.
It makes people enert to quality of public services. They feel not enough responsible for public space. Specialy in cities. They see it as a gouvermental task.
The central gouverments have to much centralised power for such a big country. This "etatisme" makes politicians feel too distand from problems in a fast changing society. France changes very fast and politicians don't. They have no modern answer to modern questions. Only old school answers.
I come from a ver well organised and overall clean Europeen country but France steals my hart. It is all wirthwile to be there. People are very genuiely nice. Comming from relatieve big isolated standard facilitated countries like US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand (Btw I'am from Zeeland) France can be a confrontational.
Had a really bad experience with sfr when i moved here as well
The best phone/internet service provider is orange or sosh, it’s a little bit more expensive but it s worth it if you want to avoid the hassle that comes with other providers
Highways are privatized in many countries, not just France.
Even on the east coast of the US, with really run down third world-style roads.
I'm halfway through the French Lingoda Super Sprint... I haven't missed a day yet!
Me too
They sell Orange prepaid cards in every airport and store.. I used one for over 8 months it was super easy set up and zero issues with service.
Everything you say is true. We have lived in France on and off for 11 years. When you get a culture that controls its people, how and what they eat, how the learn, every aspect of their life from childhood, you become a race that cannot think for itself, there is no entrepreneurship, they cannot and do not want to change how they do things, life has become too sheltered, so they are afraid. As a result the way they live life, how they do business, how they eat ,sleep, all of it becomes rigid and inflexible and stuck in the past. They do not want to accept that their is a better way to do things. The world thinks France, French food, french way of life, etc is wonderful, but the reality is that have created an illusion about themselves and they believe their own hype. As visitors we beleive the hype until you have to live there.
I’m French but I’ve been living in London for the past 14 years (married to a Brit) It’s been very eye opening to learn more about how France and the French are perceived abroad (rightly or wrongly). It’s either love or hate, nothing in between and we often get heavily criticised. No room for nuance and everyone has an opinion about the French (usually based on one bad interaction that has confirmed their previous belief of the French being rude - ‘ Ah see!’) I don’t see this as much for other European countries (but I may be biased). I completely agree that we’re far from perfect but no country or people is, yet everyone loves to hate the French. I’m very conscious of this in my interactions with people abroad and go out of my way to be extra nice with everyone so I’m not perceived as the ‘rude’ French person, but it’s not always easy to have to deal with people’s preconceptions on my country and culture. Sometimes I just want to say, leave us be 😉 oh and by the way I’ve experienced most of what was talked about in this video in England as well.
I love both France and Switzerland. Geneva is so close to France but it is like night and day about your point about things not working. The Swiss have a great work ethic, what can I say?Trains run on time.They are so organized and as far as the food, the views and the culture, Geneva is a match for Paris and smaller French towns, in my opinion.
Since everything costs 4 times what it costs in France, mainly because what makes this city (and country) rich is stealing fiscal incomes from its neighbours, the least you can expect is that it can compare favorably to those neighbours on these matters
Your best bet for banks and/or phone is to go to another company and explain your situation and what you need. Most likely they'll take care of everything if you agree to go to them (can't say it works 100% of the time, but it can save a lot of hassle).
I get 5-8 scam calls a day in the US. It's ridiculous. And, judging by the RUclips scambaiter videos I watch, the UK and Australia get nearly as much scammer activity.
You are very correct. I came here from the United States and thought of making France my home, I was wrong. I can't wait to leave, I tell you solemnly.
Please elaborate if you wish, Bro. I'm from the West of the US originally; but I've been in NYC now for 7 years, after living in MX for eight years before that. I've been to France four times and can't wait to get out of the shithole this city and country have become. I'd love to hear a different point of view, to see if it might apply to me and my pet issues, too. Merci!
@@lauramartel5297 oh my? You have peaked my curiosity.
That's fair. I personally loved my years in France (the best) but we should definitely stop romanticizing countries. It's the same thing with the USA, by the way
@@TonyAlmeida610 why should we stop romanticizing countries ?
Why can’t we live in a reality we want and see what we choose to see ?
I love escapism
You're not alone. Moved to Paris after 6 years in New York. Been an absolutely terrible experience in Paris and so glad I'm going to move out soon.
It's not only in France. It's all over Europe. In the USA you open a bank account in 30 minutes if you have your paperwork in order and most banks give you $300 to $500 if you spend $3000 or so to entice you to open an account with them. Everything in Europe is ca ne marche pas. 😴 They are a pessimistic, complaining and bureaucratic bunch. Come to the USA, the land of can do attitude and superb customer service. Even though we do some seriously very weird shit, it's still very good.
Yes it's so true with the phone scammers, I literally get around 10 a week, as for the banks I just got my second home in France, they were both times a nightmare, also very sexiest, as for refunds in France never happens, the product or service can be broken or doesn't work, they don't refund anything, in New Zealand you get a refund pronto, I'm glad you took the high path and didn't leave a one star
Pour la complexité des formalités administratives, prenez en compte que la France vit en permanence et depuis des années sous la menace terroriste et que toutes ces précautions, qui vous pèsent et qui nous pèsent, sont avant tout dans un but de protection. Je pense que s'il s'était produit en Nouvelle Zélande, des attentats du type de ceux de New York ou Nice, vos autorités seraient moins cool pour laisser ouvrir des comptes bancaires et des accès à des téléphones mobiles à n'importe qui. Par contre, le mauvais accueil, je comprends votre courroux. Pour votre souci d'abonnement, vérifiez les conditions de remboursement et si le commerçant est en trot adressez vous à la DCCRF, la répression des fraudes. Ou changez d'opérateur.
Pour la circulation, la période d'été avec les vacances l'explique. Les autoroutes concédées au privé c'est un choix. Le choix de faire payer uniquement celui qui utilise le service et non pas tout le monde. Il reste les autres routes, gratuites et généralement bien entretenues.
Plus globalement, depuis toujours, l'automobile a été une occasion de ressources fiscales au point que petit à petit, l’automobiliste est devenu "une vache à lait".
Concernant votre demande de naturalisation ça devrait bien se passer, vous êtes intégrée, parlez parfaitement le Français, connaissez la culture locale, aimez notre pays malgré ses défauts. Pour une fois, on donnera la nationalité à quelqu'un qui ne la demande pas pour profiter de la générosité de notre système social.
Ce n'est pas une consolation mais sachez que le tabagisme dont vous souffrez a énormément régressé en France depuis la loi EVIN il y a une quarantaine d'année.
Je plussoie sur le tabagisme. Il y a encore vingt ans, il y avait des zones fumeurs dans les trains / restaurants / bars / lieux de travail.... le tabagisme passif était une réalité qui nous paraissait alors ordinaire. Les mœurs ont considérablement évoluer depuis.
I always laugh when I see people metion the patronising thing and the way frenchies talk down on you because it's the reason that pretty much every european country I know classifies them as unbearably arrogant ahaha Some stereotypes definitely have some truth to them xD
Half a year ago I moved permanently to France (Paris, specifyng cause we all know it's a breed of its own...) and I was already familiar and used to most of the the things you mention in this video from previous visits to the country (which are all very true). But the thing that actually shocked me it's the smoking it. I have never seen so many people smoking as in Paris in my entire life and in all the other places I've lived in combined. You mention in the video that they smoke a lot in Avignon too and I'm not sure why or how I haven't noticed before, but I never noticed it being as bad in the weeks or months I had spent in the past in east or west France. But Paris is absolutely insane. And so many young people smoking too, it's just... sad.
And man but do I miss the customer service experience of anglosaxon countries and how easy it is to do your admin/bureaucracy there. Encountering the UK system after growing up in Spain (that is just as bad as France in that regard) was such a heavinly experience. I couldn't believe how easy things could be if people wanted them to be easy haha Now I'm sadly back to square -1 in Paris with that. And I was fully aware of it, but I was still not prepared to suffer through it again.
Regarding the grossophobie and all those issues, I'm not gonna comment much. It's all true and they definitely have an issue with that. And to be fair to them, that's also a big problem in eastern Europe, not only in France. Spain, however, I find it to be more bodypositive than the French. But there's one thing that I find funny and ask myself about the frenchies: how can they be so obssessed with eating "clean" non fatty foods when so much of their gastronomy is based on butter? x)
Also love that you're practicing the national sport (complaining) for your nationality exam haha
It's funny you mention Spain because I am French and I live in Barcelona. I'm actually very happy with the administration as a whole. The civil servants here are quite efficient (public service wise), nice and will try to help you. For instance, if you don't have your actual NIE (the sheet of paper), they will try to help asking if you have a picture. Not happening in France. I've encountered very few unpleasant civil servants in Spain. The bad thing now is that with the pandemic it's a nightmare to get an appointment at some places like the social security. When you get one and go there your expect the place to be packed. Nope. There's no one besides you and maybe another person... the civil servants have been doing less with the pandemic and things still haven't gotten back to normal productivity wise. The CAP for instance has become worse.
Revolut has a debit card that automatically exchanges your money into whatever foreign currency your paying with! It’s super easy and they even have a free version! All my study abroad friends have those!
12:35 LOL. Saying "I was trying to be organized" in France. That's like saying "I was just trying to breathe without a suit" on Mars.
What the heck is going on with the right side of the screen?! It's one picture behind you but if you lean over too far or reach with your arm, it disappears. Are you trying to cover something or using a filter? And why is there a jigsaw piece cutout at the bed pillows? 🤔
When I moved to France I just brought my Irish phone and kept topping up online...cheaper and generous 4g allowance per month. Thank God! It was also easier to continue using my Irish bank account and cheaper than opening a French one although for some jobs you need a French bank account.
What you are doing with your Irish phone is due to free roaming inside UE. So, that has nothing to do with Irish phone providers vs French phone providers. And FYI, young French people who come in Ireland to practise their English do the same. I mean they keep their French number
When I arrived in Ireland 10 years ago, I also kept my French bank account for a 6 months as I was not allowed to have a credit card before this probation period... Speaking of Irish banks, I am still annoyed with AIB that only has an online service with incompetent people (unless you subscribe for a premium service). In most French banks as mainstream as AIB (I mean BNP, SG, Credit Agricole, LCL, etc), you have a personal adviser who you can contact by email and phone.
Hi Rosie! I’m a new subscriber from Melbourne, Australia. I love your channel. I’m married to a French-born (Paris) man who left France in his teens. I would love to learn the language! I love the country!💝
Heck, I live in France and throw all my packaging away. Asking for old packaging is crazy, who’s got space for all that! The proof you need to get or do anything is soooo frustrating. For my Carte de Sejour they took over a year and they never liked the birth certificate I kept sending, too long, can’t read it ( no idea why it wasn’t clear, they said it wasn’t legible) I had to order certificate copies for everything.
The smoking is the worst! We have it here as well in (French part of) Belgium. It's like nobody cares about their surroundings. I go to Quebec a lot, and it's like going to another world as so little people smoke plus if you do smoke you gotta do it at least 9 meters away from any building.
I don't think leaving a TRUE comment makes you mean. You can simply write up what happened. What makes that mean and it helps someone else?
Exactly. People pull those stunts because they think they can get away with it without repercussions. Making what went down public helps deter them and others from pulling those stunts. It's no meaner than arresting criminals.
France has a thing about reviews- even when they are true they can go after you for defamation. There are several articles documenting this. So now, people are afraid to review and will instead just leave 1 star reviews with no comments.
When I moved to England, I couldn’t open an account for 3 months, although I had an address, I worked for the French government with the British council, I had paychecks. Only HSBC accepted to open an account only because my landlord who had accounts there and a mortgage came with me and threatened to withdraw all his money from the bank! And I could only get a withdrawal card!
I can’t even tell the mess with taxes, refunds and stuff AND all the work done there was not taken into account for my pensions, because a box hadn’t been ticked on my contract.
Yup it’s complicated everywhere.
No it's not like that everywhere. In Australia and NZ, things generally work well and things happen more efficiently. France is a nightmare.
@@shaunmckenzie5509 if you say so.
Returning a pair of Prada shoes to Printemps: had to kneel to Sales Lady and to Le gérant for the return (trop serré). I reside in the U.S. and it is a non-issue to do a return here; however, I grew up in Mexico and there was no culture of return that I can recall.
Rosie, Could you do a video on the top 5 things you adore about being in France? Maybe some things haven’t changed from 3 years ago…maybe there’s something new you really appreciate.
My neice studied in France, snd YES, that sim card/ bank account / address loop is do true. She differed s lot with that. Even when she came back, just to transfer her money home and close the sccount, it took her over a month of endless phone calls and emails.
French administration is the worst!!!
Iv been trying to get my Carte Vitale for a year and a half. My application has been lost 4 times.
I’m not in the process of trying to exchange my driving licence and I can’t even tell you how much trouble it is 😩
Smoking -- how about this -- you are invited to dinner in a friend's cozy apartment. Nine people are sitting at the kitchen table (it's a studio apartment). Seven of them light up while waiting for dinner! I don't even remember if they stopped during dinner!
Ugh. I hate cigarette smoke. I love France and it’s been ages since I was there, so I had forgotten and assumed that would have changed by now. I imagine that thinness is more important to them than preventing lung cancer and lung ailments. Sigh. Can I tolerate the smoke? Frankly, I may not given I’m allergic and to inhale it makes me ill. In my state in the US it’s been illegal to smoke in public places or virtually anywhere for decades. I rarely see people smoke.
On the SIM card, if you’re only visiting, you could consider getting a card from a different EU country and then use roaming in France. Ok, you’ll have to check lots of rules (T’s and C’s) but it could be cheaper.
And the point of this comment: less hassle. Order online, deliver where you want. Obviously you’d not have a +33 number, but for WhatsApp etc, you don’t need it.
@@davidsmith3263 I think it's hard to get a cheaper mobile plan than a French one actually (I may be wrong)
Since Free arrived, everything is really "cheap" compared to a lot of countries (I pay 20€ monthly for unlimited data in France + 25Go monthly in Europe + US / Canada / Australia / ...)
Shouldn't have to do that
I'm not French, but I have family that lives near France (so still not French, but I recognize some behaviour still) and I too noticed the comments about our bodies. It really did a number on me when I was young. And I'm a dude so I can't imagine how it must be when you're a women. Must be tough.
Thing is, I do it myself too. And I mean no harm at all. But when it's directed at ME, it does hurt a bit. I realize this is hypocritical. It's so weird, myself whenever I make those comments I regard it as just a sort of playful banter or a harmless observation but when the same thing is directed at me it's quite hurtful. I've kind of had this epiphany recently that when it's directed at me it too is just banter - one big joke. Nothing to be taken seriously. I know, I know, that's easier said than done. But it helps, a little.
Fortunately the smoking part is not a thing at all near the border. Or at least, for my family. I consider myself a Francophile but the smoking thing is absolutely vile and inexcusable. The French are stubborn and it's gonna take a while to change their behaviour - rightfully so - but the outside world does have a point on this one for once!
Re: Traffic...In southern Ontario Canada here, the traffic especially in summer is like a parking lot...all going south to the US border or thereabouts...So annoying!! UGH
The patronizing part is SO SO SO on point. That's what I hated the most. They are the dumbest and act like they created the world we live in. Sigh
Omgggg I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this, I found many of them to be low iq, generally dim, and lacking curiosity about the world
@@Samchocolate11 Ikr?! What's absurd is that they love making fun of Americans and how uncultured they are, etc. I am always trying to challenge their limited thinking and assumptions but it just gets old.
@@ceciliamac4283 -
Yeah they do that all the time it’s so hypocritical of them, the things they criticise US-Americans about are the exact traits that many of their people have
@@ceciliamac4283 -
Yeah it is exhausting challenging their limited minds and general arrogant ignorance because so many of them are so unwilling to change or self reflect
Been to France 6, 7, time's and some times to get to Spain. But the times I've visited it's been dirty and messy. If you stay on the touristy parts you're okay. But don't go off area if you're going to Paris. And to me most of France needs rebuilding because looks very run down and in touch of renewal or demolishing. There's lots of interesting buildings and history. But there's also much needed restoration to be done. Sorry London is the clear winner.
*You're completely wrong about the first point. There are scammers EVERYWHERE. And scammers in USA (and other English speaking countires) are way WORSE !*
The worst scams I had to suffer were in France, dude.
@@lioneldemun6033 OK good for you. In France, when you receive a package, the postman can't let it in front of your door... one of the worst scam that we don't have.
Another scam: the cost of education and health in anglo-saxon countries...
Finally: I just watched a video about a scam in Switzerland. People get your name on a mailbox, order something on a website and wait at your address to get the package. Then you receive the bill and have to pay. In Switzerland, they don't have to pay when they order on the website to receive the package...
Well I don't know what kind of people you hang around with but I leave in France for so long now and to the people I know casually calling someone le gros or la grosse would be so shocking and unacceptable ! One time we were on the beach, a fellow british friend made a joke like this and believe me no one laught...
Boy have I missed your videos. So glad that RUclips just started recommending to me again. Can’t wait to see all of your content in the coming weeks. Stay strong! You’re amazing for not wanting to “become that person”. I wouldn’t either.
I can’t wait to go back to France after watching this video, so that I can enjoy the good stuff and fully appreciate Australia again.
C'est la meilleure critique de la société française que j'ai entendue depuis longtemps.
Rosie,
Thank you so very much for sharing these truly upsetting qualities about French life!!! The cigarette smoking as well as the unethical practice of keeping your money for services not rendered are causing me to rethink my moving to France! I have wanted to live there all of my life but these experiences are a real turn- off. I wonder what other member countries of the EU have a better ethical and environmentally healthier environment for me to consider? That and your experiences with corrupt postal practices are causing me to rethink my move to France. Here in the US, while not perfect, mail theft and fraud are considered federal (national) crimes and are punishable with imprisonment and hefty fines.
The Pilates teacher took my money when I dropped out due to migraines. I told her I had migraines before I started. I’m in the US.
I was in Paris last week. I loved it. Someone pickpocket my mobile phone on the metra. The pickpockets aren't problem in Chicago Like Paris. Paris was amazing so beautiful. Parisians where helpful when asking for directions. This summer I went to NY and Paris. NY is more fun has more energy, But Paris has more Charm then NY. Paris is definitely more Beautiful then NY.
The Champs Elysee was neat. It blows 5th ave away. Paris is a lovely City.
NY vs Paris, you are comparing apples to oranges.
Great video, some of these things low key triggered me after living in France for 2 years. For the SIM card I recommend Free. They have "bournes" all over the city in like Fnac and you just pay 10€ and it spits out a sim card immediately. It's "sans engagement" but you pay 10€ a month (from any card) for 80GB a month. When you want to cancel it you just send a lettre de résiliation on la poste's website and they cancel it within a few days
Thanks for this info. I have to get a SIM card next month and will do this.
Wow that telephone thingy is upsetting 🤯
Edit : your experience with the cancelled lesson is ever more infuriating. I don't understand people who function on such level of dishonesty or selfishness...
They always say no first, you need to insite everytime to know if their is an actual solution.
Paris full of tourists. Going down hill fast, not what it was.
Thank you for such an honest and funny video :) I can totally relate to the 'things not working' part, especially when it comes to anything admin-related - closing my French bank account from abroad was a bit of an adventure and involved me having to send them a *hand-written* letter... Personally, I found moving to other countries more smooth, but I wouldn't miss my time in France for the world, and I'd be totally up for moving back there if an opportunity pops up :)
Lol I had to do that too!! They wouldn't let me completely close it even after the hand written letter because there was still like .35 cents in it but they said eventually it would just go away... ?!?!
They closed it for me when I stopped using it and the fees made it go into negative balance 😂
There must be tons on the plus side to make you willing to endure such nastiness! So glad to hear they’re worried about the environment and health when they smoke and cause so much smog with heavy traffic. Sounds like they’ve picked their poison(s). Most disturbing of all was, as you noted, the immorality of keeping someone’s quite large sum of money when it clearly should have been refunded. Sounds like a brutally selfish society altogether.
Sounds similar to Italian culture. Especially, when it comes to customer service and comments people make. It’s just a different way of thinking, that you need to adapt to.
Admin and setting things up in France can be a pain ; but on topic of the simcard I think it's such a mess because of the Vigipirate plan. The government wants to know who uses the line, even with prepaid (or especially with prepaid) because of the terrorists threats. And France being France, they probably add a bit of unnecessary annoyance on top of it. This is surely frustrating.
Yeah, I assumed that was the root reason. They keep careful track of phone and SIM purchases in Mexiico, also, because of narcotraficantes conducting business with them.
SFR is the worst! I got a prepaid one like you when I was on vacation and it literally never worked. You’re right, sometimes I don’t have the energy anymore to argue yet alone in French so we just take the loss :/
I left France 8 years ago and although I love my country I'm quite glad I don't live there anymore, because of all these things you mentioned, everything is so true. France has a lot of positive aspect but also negative ones, like every country I think!
I love your honesty. I’d freak out over that SIM card fiasco . I’ve heard on Frenchified channel about the post office. You ladies are way better people than me. I’d die. Love all your videos! Thank you!
Your second thing is even worse than the first one as this kind of issues with banks, phone providers, internet providers, gaz providers, electricity providers, etc. Is totally universal. In any case I lived in 5 different countries (not in New Zealand to be honest) and this was the same mess everywhere
I the us things seem so much smoother
In general customer service has gone downhill globally in my view. Not everything, but it is becoming increasingly up to the consumer to pay time and money to fix anything or set up anything. Unhappy, poorly treated and minimally trained, low paid staff and unhappy customers at the end of the day don't always affect the profits at the tippy top.....especially if there are few alternatives.... we have little else to do but put up with the brokenness of it all. Speaking up constructively as you have is a first step.
Well, at least in France they tell you they can#t help. In the uk they talk to you nicely and still take forever to sort things out or never do.I was wondering if you could make a video about your favourite places to eat in Paris
Loved the video and your candor. Thanks for the insights.
I've been studying in Lyon for three weeks now in an intense foreign language immersion program including a home stay. There is simply no substitute for that. I had not studied French formally in twenty years and thanks to Duolingo I tested in at a B1 level. Duolingo is free and I highly recommend it but nothing can be used in isolation. The French have been very warm with me. I am a decent French cook at home thanks to Julia Child and I have found that the French appreciate someone who comes to visit their country to learn the language and learn more about the food. Strangers have had me join their table to talk about the food traditions of the past and how they are becoming Americanized....which is NOT a good thing. I even made two friends for life here...one is the house mother where I am staying and one used to be my French teacher when I arrived who loves the old methods of preparing foods. I have to leave at the end of the summer....and the question is now how soon can I come back vs if I will ever come back.
I love the architecture in Paris, been there 3x but the scammers ruined it for me lol