I am so happy to see that you touched on the unpleasant side of living in Paris, this really helps in having an objective view on everyday life and last but not least congratulations on having the courage to upload this and face the possible hate. It takes guts to be so honest about it
As a parisian, I can say that there is no lie in this video. Some of it makes me really sad, even if there's also a lot to love in the city and it's still my home.
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY! I'm happy to visit Paris but am always happier to return home à la campagne. Life is so much simpler and easy-going in the French countryside.
When I visited Paris I loved it but always felt I had to be vigilant not to get my stuff stolen. When I made it to La Rochelle I was so happy I could keep my wallet in my pocket again.
Never saw so much dried up dog shit in my life - these people do not clean up after their animals - about on a par with the chinese who spit everywhere
I've always wanted to go to the French countryside besides going to Lyon, Nantes and Nice. Where would you recommend me visit in the French countryside? I have an architect mind where I love a good balance of landscaping and quaint old buildings.
Very interesting. You're lovely! Your last point about the beggars...I was in Stockholm last year having a coffee with an old friend (I lived there during the 90s) and watched a woman sitting on the ice-cold ground begging. A man pulled up in a very nice brand-new Audi, picked her up, they ate in the car and she went "back to work." So you are right, it is organized. And it seems the men from this culture make all the money (he drove off in his shiny and warm car as she sat out begging in the cold). It is the women who suffer. I NEVER give them money because it goes only to the men to go enjoy themselves while they put their women and handicapped out in the cold to beg. And many times, I've seen these men yelling at their women in public... treating them atrociously. Disgusting.
Not necessarily. Rotterdam doesn't smell like piss, certainly not on the metro. Maybe some elevators, but not like Paris. And we don't have the guys trying to trick you into games on the street, no beggars, etc. No real problem with pickpockets or creeps at stations. Of course it happens, but Paris reminds me of Rotterdam twenty years ago. The fact that we don't have these issues anymore to me proves that they can be solved.
I'm not from Paris but Lyon. I visited New York for two weeks. What annoyed me the most (on top of the crazy heat late August/early September) is the piles of trash in the street and the smell in every place I went. In Brooklyn, where I was living in Bushwick, there was big piles of garbage that remained for days before being removed by garbage pickers. When in France garbage is collected every day in the cities, and it's in garbage cans to prevent the smell and sight of it. Then there was the misery. I'm not mad for this though. I'm glad that New York don't kick out the poors to hide them. But it seems like there is so much more misery than in France! That was really sad. But I never felt insecure in New York. Maybe I was naive. But even coming home late at night in Bushwick which is kinda poor, I never felt threatened in any way! Even though I was one of the few white guys in this mostly black neighborhood, I felt comfortable. Maybe that's also due to the fact that cops are everywhere! The police station near where I was living had more police cars in front of it than the number of police cars I crossed in my whole life in France! Ok maybe I'm exaggerating. But they had maybe 30 cars! And mostly brand new ones. From the tiny Smart to the huge american cars like Hummer. I never saw that in France. Once I went at a Caribbean festival in Brooklyn. Along the way I walked to go there, there were two cops at each crossroads! I never saw so much cops except in violent french demonstrations. Finally, I thought people were polite and more respectful than in France. And often willing to help the tourist that I was. I'd love to go back if I had the money, but at a cooler season.
@@0114855 Rotterdam might be a little bit smaller than new York, London or Paris (if you count urban areas because administrative borders mean nothing)
@Samuel Astic compared to other countries, you wouldn’t believe how the the united states is compared to other countries, thats coming from a french person, the only countries i can think of that are nicer are new zealand or canada
Yeah! I've dealt with all of those things in Paris. I think it's good to be honest about the city, I love Paris and I love being there, but many of those things are symptomatic of urban life and people often romanticize the city. When I lived in the 4th, I was lucky to be equidistant between about 5 stations, but the most convenient station we never took at night because the men at that station would harass us relentlessly.
You forgot to mention some relevant points. 1) Heavy paperwork, 2) Expensive rents and difficulties to find an apartment, 3) High local taxes and 4) the way le métro and suburban trains work (sometimes poorly by the way)
Everything is so true it hurts. French living in London here and i wouldn't go back to Paris for these reasons. On the bright side it's a beautiful city, charged with history and culturally amazing. Just as many big cities, it's more enjoyable for a holiday than everyday life!
Cannot thank you enough for this video! It offers such an honest depiction of this “romantic city” that a lot of people are often duped by! LoL. The city is like a real marriage; it’s starts with a romantic notion but often ends with an honest experience of living through the good, the bad, and the ugly! Well done.
@@paultaylorcomedy Unfortunatly (even french) I have to agree. I do not think we are welcoming, we always complain about everything, we tend to think we are superior, which is of course totally unfounded! I travel a lot in Europe § as a french I do not feel welcome which I can understand, § it's sad. Sometimes I wish I was born elsewhere but I guess I should feel lucky with my standard of living compared to lots of countries in the world. Anyway, Paris is well known in my country to be the worst version of french rudeness ;'( Take care guys. Sorry about all these bad experiences, I feel a bit ashamed now.
@@jackgoumard5293 honestly same. im french born in america, ive never been to france nor outside the usa in general. not only hearing all these things abt the french, but the french also confirming this, makes me feel hurt & kinda scared honestly. its making me not want to visit my own country... im kinda grateful to be in america now. here nobody gives a shit about u (the good way) & most ppl are pretty nice
I've lived my whole life in Paris, though I moved to different arrondissements and once to the banlieue, and I have to say that you're not wrong. However I think having adapted to circumstances or not having lived elsewhere, I don't really pay attention to any of this, I know to ignore some and adapt to others, as many others do : Not taking the metro after a certain hour (20h/23h depending on if it's winter or summer) without someone (a guy preferably) to take me where I go, Ignoring the beggars who have anything making them look pitiful (children, pets, act as if they limp, etc), Avoid the parts and times of the day of Paris where guys are weird (it's not everywhere at every time you'll realize), Not paying attention to costumer service unless they are nice, Ignore the noise and make sure I have good windows against noise, etc, Ignore men unless I know them (that's why Parisian women have a reputation for being stuck up, we simply adapted to being a target of sexual harassment, strangers flirting are NOT welcome), Also about harassment, a Parisian woman always covers up (nothing too revealing, not too much make up) because otherwise we're sure to be targeted, Always wear my bag close (preferably in front so I see it) and not putting anything too valuable in accessible places (such as pockets), Drink mineral water (many good brands come from France and are easily accessible) or filter my water, Etc.
Yeah but that's not normal, we should all be able to live our life as we want. And not have to take the subway and make any compromises because of assholes
@@sylvain_guitar9178 As an Australian man I say you're right. Australian women / feminists are constantly making an issue of this and demanding improvement. They're right to do so. You have to push push push to keep talking about these things and demand change. From the Australian experience I can say we're not perfect but women's voices ... they're getting heard there because they keep the issue in the public mind constantly. It's a good strategy. It's not up to women to accept it.
I think you need to move out of France and discover there are places in the world that don't tolerate that bullshit and live happy and stress free lives because of it.
Thanks so much for the video! It gives me more perspective. However I tend to talk back if someone even dares to say something rude to me anywhere. I find it weird when people are treated rudely and unfairly that they don’t speak up. My approached would will always be to tell people off if they’re being aggressive or rude to me than bashing them behind their backs. Although I fully understand why you made this video and again I appreciate it!
I'm French and I agree with everything you said :) Paris and Marseille are probably the most unsafe cities, people working in customer service are so done with their jobs and lowkey blames it on you, PICKPOCKETS OH MY GOD don't even get me started on that. Hard water, that's kind of recurrent in a lot of French cities. I traveled quite a bit, and I realized that French people are VERY judgemental of others ... Maybe not in Paris, but in most cities I find that there is very few originality in the way people dress, or act. In class, no one dares to speak up or answer the teacher's questions too much, by fear of being judged... And we also really like to complain ;)
I'm French and I have lived in Paris for 3 years, and I totally agree with you ! All you described is the reason why I sometimes hate Paris, and why I want now to discover something else. Micro aggressions are particularly exhausting on the long term, and can really affect how you feel. The only problem of this video is the sneak peek you give of Paris ! Any foreign person who will watch this video will be disgusted with the city ^^
Paris is still my favourite city, I know about all the things you talked about, but every city has issues. I found that not speaking French was not an issue, trying to speak it helped a bit. I did love Auckland though, very, very friendly people. New Zealand is a very beautiful country, spent three weeks there being with a friend who is from Whangarei.
i live in europe and have been to paris and new york (i even "lived" in ny for a couple of months) and paris almost has a threatening vibe. i don't know how to explain it but while i think the two cities are similar in a lot of ascpects, paris has a certain darkness that's almost scary. i still go there a lot lol it's super close to where i live.
I haven't been to Paris in a long time, but I agree that NYC has a non-menacing vibe. Like any big city you always have to be careful and aware but in NYC I never felt unsafe and I like how there are always regular people out amd about at all hours.
What kind of threatening vibe? Is it the crime? Is it the anti-European sentiment of Muslims? Or vice versa? Or is it Poltical? Could you pls tell me more?
Platypus Paws hey :) nothing in particular, to me it just doesn‘t feel as warm and welcoming as other big cities (ie nyc or rome). Can‘t really tell you why since i‘ve had a great time everytime i went, it‘s just the vibe i picked up :)
As for the creepy guys in the subway. My experience as a teenager in the eighties and nineties has been with immigrants usually away from their wives from Morocco, Algeria. They often thought I was from there too. I was sexually harassed on a daily basis in the metro. Everything described on this video.
Seuls les provinciaux fantasment sur Paris et ont un complexe d'infériorité , les vrai parisiens ne sont pas prétentieux ou hautains puisque pour eux vivre à Paris c'est juste normal , ils en ont rien à foutre , alors que les campagnards et les banlieusards s'enflamment quand ils "montent à la capitale".
Also a guy who lived in Paris for 3 years told me that it is very hard to live in Paris b/c of the high cost of living and housing in relation to avg wage/salary. He told me middle-class Parisians are not financially stable and basically live check to check. He was fine living in Paris b/c he is a physician, but told me that $500k will disappear in an instant.
You nailed it. Some of the problems, though, are to be found in any big city. Organized begging/selling, for example, can be found in any big city in the world. Lack of customer service, oh yeah, Paris is the hands down winner. You take that cookie, girlfriend, and enjoy it!!
I just left Paris after finishing my studies there and I gotta say I used to complain about all of those things but now I'm even missing the dark and dirty sides of it... Parisians have this kind of love hate relationship with their city, constantly dissing it but then again they wouldn't leave it for the world. One thing I didn't expect to miss this much is the eclectic mix of people you meet in the 5am metro, the crazies, the wasted teens, the morning faces, the Paris by nighters, the buskers, those in suits and heels, the occasional drag queen and that one dude hugging a traffic cone.
The aggressive men in Paris, especially on the Metro, are basically why I've developed the "Metro face." Serious, neutral expression that can turn into a scowl if need be. I live in Germany now and I love the fact that there is 99.9% less catcalling. I get to be basically invisible and it's lovely. Also, we have the Roma "mafia" here in Germany too and if a woman approaches you, you can even see her a few steps away, consulting her friend with how much she got, etc. I feel bad that they have been so mistreated and exploited over the years but...so many of them can also get aggressive, too, just like in Paris, which doesn't help their cause. It's very sad.
Yes, I am French and about customer service, so true! It's always that no one can help you or that the very person who could, is on break on on vacation. Especially in big institutions. It is never about solutions but about passing the responsibility to someone else. And no one has the same answer to what ever problem posed. French administration is as nebulous and ridiculously complicated and never customer friendly. To get a job, an apartment, a degree, a driver licence are like long and painful experiences. Piece of cake in the USA.
These things didn't bother me ( the thirsty men, beggars, and smoke) I had excellent customer service in Paris! I just greeted the business owners in the formal, and they were very pleased and helpful! I stayed in a non-tourist area and had a fantastic experience. I went in 2009.
I so relate!! I lived in Paris for 5years and still work there all the time and I agree with everything.. esp the micro aggressions... it used to get me really down as everyday is filled with low level aggression and negativity. I think it becomes the norm eventually and you feel so so grateful when a day goes without it. Or overly thankful for normal, good service 😆
It happens in all big cities. Sometimes in New York it's unlikely people being aggressive, little old ladies who will walk up to a long line for a bus & just cut in front of everyone with a sneer, as if everyone should bow to the queen. Most people are nice, but we remember the nasty ones.
so many positive responses towards this. So one things for sure, if some Parisians can really listen to this, then they can change some of their behaviour. Of course we all can learn something.
No fat shaming in Chicago! And it's pretty clean, the air as well as the lake, you can actually swim in it. And people are super nice, I experience very little aggression. But we do have panhandlers and it's fucking cold in winter.
IAmWhatICreate1999 hahahahaha yes!!! Although I love San Francisco. I have plans to move to Paris, just wondering how I would transition to life abroad.
True, about San Francisco. I was born in SF but grew up and continue to live in the suburbs. I did work in San Francisco, now retired, and go up there occasionally for Culture, not lately, because of being high risk for Covid. There are a lot of homeless in San Francisco and I saw one of them stand up, take his pants down and spray the wall with his diarrhea. Unfortunately, these kind of things are present in cities worldwide at this point. I still think Paris and San Francisco are both very beautiful cities.
I love living here, on my 3rd year already, BUT I'd like to add a few points to your list: Bureaucracy and any paper process for ANYTHING!!!!! SNCF La Poste Traffic Far from the sea! (Your point #5 as well) Smokers who just smoke whenever and wherever.
I grew up in a city of a million in the US and lived in a city of 10 million in Asia - only 1, 4, and 5 are true for both. So, no, not every large city has these issues.
This is so sad! I really want to visit France as a whole and especially Paris...I am disabled and have heard horror stories about cabs not stopping if you have a wheelchair or charging more just because you take a bit longer to get in and situated. Ugh! Very good info in your video...Thanks! BTW, if you can come to San Antonio, Texas, I will show you some southern hospitality! ❤️ from South Texas USA!
I feel u, especially on point 2, I am French and I really understrand your disappointement which seems higly justified . Most customer service are centered not on the client as they should but mostly on personnal pride and waste of time and self righteousness. I does not work, it is not my fault, I am not liable etc... Over time you'll eventually get used to it . Those failing ailing French clerks.... I am French and lived in the UK, the US and I can tell with hindsight that customer service is far better... Keep it Up and much love to Sonyy B Williams... God bless...
Hi! I am French, and had lived in Paris for 15 years before moving to another country last year... and I agree with you :) all the things you say! It’s nice to hear because being away, sometimes I miss Paris so much and I forget I don’t miss the daily agressions from the creepy guys for exemple... I still love Paris, for many many reasons too, like you. Despite all of that, there are many amazing people and things there. Thank you for your videos! Bravo! Continue :)
I can approve everything you said 👌🏻 as an international student who's gonna probably spend her entire college years here in Paris, I came two months ago and I can already feel all of these. Well thank you!! 😋 (Also personally, I HATE cigarette smoke it annoys me so much...)
Me and my family visited Paris sometime last year. We were only there for about 5 days but one of the things we noticed is definitely smoking. I feel like in NZ its very much a shame thing to be seen smoking out in public and even if you are you are very careful about where your smoking and where your smoke goes. So going to Europe and especially in Paris it was just such a culture shock.
@@angus7278 Well, I don't know how to call every little things that she mentionned, but "bad smell" being put into "micro-aggression" feels wrong :P Because at this point, everything that displease me in my daily life is a microaggression : "the wind blows quite hard... micro-aggression ! Damn I cut myself with some paper... must be a micro-aggression ! Wow I'm late for work and the bus is late... micro-aggression !!!". As for "people yelling at each other, that's called, well, a verbal assault.
The micro-aggressions are exactly the same as NYC! I hope Paris isn’t -that- bad still! 🙂 Me and my boyfriend are planning to live in Paris for a year starting Fall 2020 (with our baby, I’m currently 9 months pregnant). Thank you, your videos are very helpful!
Cats3to2 Loved your video. I’m glad you have enjoyed making a home there. I had considered moving there for a job. I visited Paris several times to try to get a feel for the city but obviously didn’t even scratch the surface the way a person does when living there. Every place isn’t right for every person and it just didn’t work for me. I wanted to love Paris but I couldn’t get over the dirtiness and my perception of the rudeness there. In some places it was absolutely one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. Looking forward to exploring other parts of France in the future.
Bonjour Rosie. Une vidéo sur ce que vous n'aimez pas à Paris, rien de choquant la dessus et honnêtement je m'attendais à beaucoup plus de choses que 9 points. Moi même, je suis resté 1 an sur Paris de 1997 à 1998 et en partir a été pour moi un véritable soulagement. Si il y a bien une chose qui me manque vraiment le moins sur Paris, c'est le métro car souvent obligé de le prendre vers 22h00 (seul), je dois avouer que j'ai souvent était amener à "pisser dans mon froc" tellement ce lieu bien utile en journée, se transformait la nuit en un endroit dangereux. Non vraiment Paris est peut être une belle ville mais ne me manque en rien.
Pretty realistic, I think. I've just returned from five weeks in New Zealand, so I imagine all these things were a real kick in the teeth when you arrived in Paris. It has much beauty, but serious problems too. Courage, mon amie!
Merci de partager tes sentiments sur Paris et la vie parisienne. Ca me semble plutôt juste et je trouve bien que les parisiens puissent voir ça pour les faire réfléchir. En tant qu'ex parisien qui est à Saigon, je me suis surpris à retrouver certains de tes commentaires sur Paris identiques à ceux que je peux faire sur Saigon. Ce qui m'a rappelé que je ne viens pas du paradis non plus et dois composer avec mon environnement...mais comme pour toi, c'est pas toujours facile. Je regrette énormément les mini-agressions et les mecs qui harcèlent. Il serait temps que les parisiens face la guerre aux incivilités en général. Pour le service client, la dernière fois que je suis venu dans un magasin, je me souviens que j'ai dû faire des efforts de diplomatie pour obtenir qu'une vendeuse me fasse un paquet cadeau... c'est assez rare, mais so Paris ! Thanks again for your videos, which are pretty accurate each time I watch one of these.
I get all these issues but when im older i still want to live in paris or anywhere in france for a year of less. I just want to learn more about the culture. I understand all the problems and i still love it and still dream of it . But i know what I'll be doing is I'll be living with a friend to have a better experience . I still have a ling way to go before i get there but wish me luck with life and i hope to find some one to live in paris with me for at least 6 months .( i wanna travel so i don't mind these issues because it's every where in the world)
In England you sometimes have to wait in a supermarket while the check-out person finishes a long conversation with the customer, who is also a friend.
On the microaggressions topic you mention noise like motorbikes on the street passing by, neighbours living their lives, people smoking on the street while you're passing by... but all those things come with living in a big city, you must come from a smaller city or a rural place because as a big city girl myself that's just part of it. I hear my neighbour's kids playing outside, and their baby crying at night, and cars/motorbikes pass by all the time, people smoke outside because nowadays that's the only place they can do it legally, construction noises, etc... that's just normal. I would advise that if you want a quieter, slower life you move to a smaller city or even go rural because there is a price to pay if you want to live in a big city, any big city.
When I was in Paris, I was walking around & runner wasn’t paying attention, turned without looking to run in a different direction & fully stomped on my foot really hard. Had I not been in a lot of pain, I would’ve screamed at her. She didn’t even acknowledge me.
On point 2, I think there is a very important cultural component, because as a French woman, I always find costumer service in other countries (like in the UK) overbearing. I just want to stroll around the shop, if I need help I’ll ask - to the point where, even though it’s their job and they’re just trying to be helpful, I’ll be annoyed at this (for me) over the top service (that can also feel very disingenuous). For point 3, apart from cigarette buts and dog poo, most of those disagreeable things come from homeless people (especially the pee) or people from the banlieues (not. on the spitting). Those are not considered civil or acceptable, normally. Point 4 : banlieue guys. Outright. Banlieue guys. As for the metro, that depends on the line (again, especially if it’s one used by banlieue guys), although I have personally never experienced that, so...I don’t know any women who’ve experienced that, so I do think it depends on the line you take. Point 8 : ...honestly, not to be mean, but I prefer a bit of that rather than the obesity epidemic in the US and in the UK (amongst other). Of course, measure is key (I don’t think it’s as systematic and frequent as you make it out to be), and there are also a lot of efforts to combat anorexia. Point 9 : a bit contentious, maybe, but I think a lot of that is due to (illegal) immigration - a lot of those beggars or trinket sellers are Roma, or come from various African countries. They were probably taken advantage of because of their status as illegal immigrants, and I do agree that it’s very sad. I was actually shocked when I came back to Paris after living in India for 3 years - and that tells you a lot about how much and how fast the situation has worsened in the last decade, to be shocked by homelessness in Paris after spending 3 years in New Delhi. As always, thanks for your videos, I really find it refreshing to have the perspective of someone who settled in France from another countries. I do hope that we can move forward enough as a society (and get the socialists out of the city council, Anne Hidalgo is a plague) to remedy at least some of those negative aspects. PS : I think we also need to take into account the fact that Paris is the most visited city in the world - which means that on top of the population living there, you can add abut 80 millions visitors annually. That takes its toll.
I can see why Parisians have a reputation for being rude. *They are.* That's not normal for a big city. You won't find that in Tokyo or Dallas or London or any of a dozen other large cities. Even New Yorkers aren't nearly that rude. San Francisco and Los Angeles have a poop problem, but it's not the native population that's doing it. What's normal for a big city is to have to put up with loud noises and lots of traffic and people getting in your way a lot. But creepy men and shocking customer service, no. Pickpockets and begging are pretty normal for touristy areas, but not elsewhere. Indian cities are noticeably dirtier than elsewhere, but that's no excuse for Paris. Look at Singapore: spick and span! Tokyo is very clean too.
WHEW, I feel like you're reading my mind (except for the fat shaming)...but I live in Brussels. The MICRO AGGRESSIONS!!!! Wow! Well said. I'm from Tennessee, USA, so I think some of the culture shock we experience is very similar.
I've never been to Paris, but a lot of these problems are very similar in New York. I think with any densely populated city area you will have these problems. The only main difference I can tell is that you seem to be more patient in France, while in NY people are rushing you like no tomorrow.
I Can relate to what you Saïd on so many levels ... I Also remember not liking thé ridiculous Price of thé rent and of course thé 3 hours a day Sat in a polution filled véhicule just to get Home 15 km from Work.... I have now opted for village life where life passes more slowly!... Keep up thé good work
It's crazy the amount of things that are very similar to the US, so for ex. A lot of people complain about #3 of New York, #4 is something that is experienced too over here in the US (though it seems to have calmed down a bit). I live in MA so #1 (especially the road rages) is something very prevalent here.
My dear... You are so right what a pity... Paris is spoiled with all those bad behaviours... I am very sad of that... I am French and I work in Paris... Thks for this video
You almost exactly described Budapest. I thought it was just here that these things happened, but I guess its just typical of any really large city, unfortunately.
I spent a month in Paris and I had personal experience with all but one of these instances! I loved the city, but there are some definite hurdles to overcome. Also, you did not mention it, probably because of the hostile climate, but the immigrant population are quite frightening to be around. I was not comfortable and felt unsafe in many situations, and in fact one area that I was in, the immigrants had a riot it the exact spot I was just the day before. Paris is no longer a city of born-and-bred French nationals, but hostile immigrants from other countries.
Hello I enjoyed this video, albeit a little old at this point. But as a native New Yorker, and living in the big city for 20 years now, i can say pretty much "same" for things here. However, as a male (relatively in-shape), I find that I am not harassed at all. I have been in Paris for a visit for only 4 days, and I know that soon I want to relocate there. I feel also that Paris is a good location, with fast trains to Milan, Venice, London, and pretty much all over Europe, right? This pandemic has affected the entire world, and I hope that Paris, like New York, will bounce back better than ever.
I totaly agree with you. That's why I avoid Paris whenever possible. Even though these issues also occur in the suburbs. Love what you do by the way. Continues comme ça.
Je viens de province et toutes les microagressions que tu as citées résonnent tellement avec mon vécu ! J'ai vécu dans trois capitales européennes (Madrid, Londres, Paris), j'ai horreur de Paris. Mais bon, les études et les opportunités professionnelles m'oblige à revenir dans cette ville que je n'apprécie pas vraiment...
This is so accurate. I almost went off on people for shoving me and pretending like I wasn’t even there. I always made sure to say “pardon” when I needed to get past someone or accidentally bumped into them. The pee and smoke was crazy. I was sad when we went to Sacre Coeur because the overwhelming smell of pee was the worst and I could barely stomach it walking up most of the stairs. Also the men who were there selling trinkets trying to grab me and I was not having it. I didn’t have too much of a hard time with bad customer service, people were so nice to me as an American tourist. I always made sure to ask people if they spoke French (in French) and if not I made do with the French I knew. However, on our last day, at the CDG airport I got the worst customer service of my life from two different women at the airport. The first time the airline (Norwegian) had made a big mistake and as a result we had to spend several hours trying to correct it and having to pay 160$ to fix even though we did nothing wrong. The employee (who was French) badmouthed us to her co worker next to us. I guess she thought because we were American we wouldn’t understand, but I did. She then told us we went with a budget airline and if we wanted better we should have paid more. That’s crazy. Saying sorry is free. Plus, after we had to pay through the nose for their errors, we paid a lot more than if we had gone with a non budget airline. We had flown on 3 other budget airlines that trip and had no problems whatsoever. We dealt with so many of their employees and not one person ever apologized. They did this to like 3 other people on the same flight and none of them got apologies or anything. Then upstairs a woman in a shop was awful to me and even the people around me were in shock, and after the experience with the airline I just left the shop and burst into tears. Anyway, I felt a lot safer in Paris because my husband and I were always together, otherwise I wouldn’t have. Also, I’m very vigilant and aware of people coming near me or my stuff and always make things that are valuable too hard to get to, but yes, it’s definitely a thing and I could never stop thinking about it. There was a woman (who we think was Romani) who was asking us to get her a sandwich at a train station and I initially kind of brushed her off but felt bad about it and we got back in line and got her a sandwich. When I brought it over to her she looked pissed, I’m sure she just wanted money but hey, at least I did a good deed. As far as fat shaming, I’m surprised I didn’t encounter any more of it because I’m in the process of losing weight and probably seem incredibly fat to most Parisians. But I can tell some people’s opinions were affected by their interactions with me and the fact that we walked everywhere carrying heavy backpacks and I eat small portions and don’t go overboard. Many seemed surprised I looked the way I did because of my lifestyle and dietary habits. Anyway, great video and totally spot on.
Micro-aggressions: I felt it from the first month. I hated it when I realised that I was starting to do the same in many situation. I also don't like the fact that nobody cares about you (unless they're close friends). I remember being so frustrated that no one would even bother to ask my name when meeting new people, and unless we had met at least two or three times they would hardly acknowledge my existence.
Worked 5 yrs in Paris. I agree with u. Grew up in Brittany & I enjoyed Paris more visiting for a long cultural weekend or in August when everyone is on vacation. I now live in Los Angeles (Westside). Suits me much better than Paris: less smelly, less noisy, more access to nature where u can be alone (really). And yeah, French r not great with service. 😉
as an American who's always romanticized and idolized Paris, this was very enlightening. I think a few of the things you mentioned just go along with living in any large city (smells, trash), but I had NO idea how horrible the harassment and assault was. When you began your sentence about the creepy guys with "at least once per" I expected you to say a week, not day. I'm so sorry for what you and your friends have experienced. It also made me very sad to hear about the fat shaming and makes me a little afraid to visit now as I'm not small. Anyways, I love you and your channel, thank you!
I was surprised at some of this list! And grateful, Feel better knowing about these things ahead of my first trip to Paris, whenever that me be. Thank you for sharing.
i live near Paris and i work here, and i agree with absolutly everything this girl said, stop believing what you see in movies and tv shows and trust the experience of people who have been here more then a day
Yes, the stench! They have an open sewer running through town and call it "the beautiful river Seine." Interesting about the minerals in the water. I went there looking forward to learning more about how to dress, given that the French women are famous for their fashion sense. They looked just like New Yorkers, but with dirty hair. Now I realize that maybe their hair wasn't really dirty, just coated with minerals from the water.
I hated supermarket road rage. I would find a kind of item stop and look at several. Types, price, flavor just to choose. People would huff and run over me with their cart. Like flying around snatching things off the shelf. Well sorry I need to look for a second. I tried to avoid certain times of the day but not always possible. I also got harrassed at an atm by a young girl maybe 10. She was sitting on a curb with her mom with a baby. When I got my money out she came and started shouting trying to grab things. I knew even a child she would steal my stuff. I yelled go away in french and english and was ready to defend myself however I needed. She backed off but I had to learn to avoid some atms and look around closely. I guess this is true in many places but when living in a different arr. It was not an issue.
So true, I agree with every word You’ve said! That’s sadly true. I’m Polish and Have been here for5years as well. Can’t stand this city for most of my days here, thinking about going home or moving to another city. What’s funny even French people don’t like Paris much, I mean architecture is great and food but after that like it’s not worth it with because everyone you’ve just said
I agree. I have just returned to Paris after a long stay abroad and I am more aware of the constant agressions and illogical comportements. But strangely I find a lot of nice people sandwitched in between. Is France a sandwich of good and bad?
Oh no!! We gave 20euro to a family on the street. I never knew about that about the beggars. Really eye-opening. I have visited Paris twice now and although I do love it...it is definitely different that I had expected it to be.
I went on holiday to France in 2015 and had high expectations for my first trip to Paris. I was so disappointed by how dirty and foul-smelling it was. It stunk of piss and was from the romantic “city of love” you hear about. A massively overrated city. I truly enjoyed my time in the south of France - Skip the city, head to Provence! I would def just head out of the city next time I visit.
Tout est vrai! Et il est important de savoir ces détails quand on décide de Paris en France, que ce soit pour y habiter ou passer quelques jours! Merci de l´expliquer très clairement!
SHOCKING CUSTOMER SERVICE- OMG yes. My number ONE culture shock, exactly the SAME issue with a Bank officer, but she was British and I chose the bank due to an English advisor, and I asked her 3 times for tariffs information and she ended up blaming me saying she didn't know I was going to use my card to buy something overseas... I mean, just send me the tariffs when I asked for it right? She said you could have found it in the website yourself. IT IS IN FRENCH!!!! I try to contact the bank to complain by email, phone, no responses at all... just crazy.
That happened to me in D. C. He announced he was going to get on my train. I turned around and started screaming at him in front of tons of people. Not for long though. He shrunk back like a turtle to its shell. They depend on your silence.
I’m a French Parisian and I approve this message.
hahaha
Same thing (former Parisian here)
😆🤣😂🤣😆
I am so happy to see that you touched on the unpleasant side of living in Paris, this really helps in having an objective view on everyday life and last but not least congratulations on having the courage to upload this and face the possible hate. It takes guts to be so honest about it
As a parisian, I can say that there is no lie in this video. Some of it makes me really sad, even if there's also a lot to love in the city and it's still my home.
Auch...
Go to India u will b shock more than ur city of light n love
the worst are the ignorants in paris
HOW ARE THERE SO MANY
What do you love about your city?
@@pepimar5236 um well nothing really...
i mean french pasteries and bread is good but apart from that its an awful place
When someone cuts you in line or yells at you that’s not a micro aggression that’s just regular aggression
Its called bad manners. I cant understand why this lady doesn’t say people are rude, its more precise.
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY! I'm happy to visit Paris but am always happier to return home à la campagne. Life is so much simpler and easy-going in the French countryside.
Le bruit et l'odeur !
Il me semble qu'un ancien maire de Paris devait y remédier...
When I visited Paris I loved it but always felt I had to be vigilant not to get my stuff stolen.
When I made it to La Rochelle I was so happy I could keep my wallet in my pocket again.
@@NotEvenFrench Indeed, this year I was sentenced to return to Paris. 😅
Never saw so much dried up dog shit in my life - these people do not clean up after their animals - about on a par with the chinese who spit everywhere
I've always wanted to go to the French countryside besides going to Lyon, Nantes and Nice. Where would you recommend me visit in the French countryside? I have an architect mind where I love a good balance of landscaping and quaint old buildings.
Very interesting. You're lovely! Your last point about the beggars...I was in Stockholm last year having a coffee with an old friend (I lived there during the 90s) and watched a woman sitting on the ice-cold ground begging. A man pulled up in a very nice brand-new Audi, picked her up, they ate in the car and she went "back to work." So you are right, it is organized. And it seems the men from this culture make all the money (he drove off in his shiny and warm car as she sat out begging in the cold). It is the women who suffer. I NEVER give them money because it goes only to the men to go enjoy themselves while they put their women and handicapped out in the cold to beg. And many times, I've seen these men yelling at their women in public... treating them atrociously. Disgusting.
I'm a former New Yorker now living in Paris. I agree with all you talk about, but really it's about life in a large city, any large city!
yeah, I was just going to say...wait, isn't this New York? LOL. But Paris does have a twist...quite sharp attitudes...New Yorkers are just brusque.
Not necessarily. Rotterdam doesn't smell like piss, certainly not on the metro. Maybe some elevators, but not like Paris. And we don't have the guys trying to trick you into games on the street, no beggars, etc. No real problem with pickpockets or creeps at stations. Of course it happens, but Paris reminds me of Rotterdam twenty years ago. The fact that we don't have these issues anymore to me proves that they can be solved.
I'm not from Paris but Lyon. I visited New York for two weeks.
What annoyed me the most (on top of the crazy heat late August/early September) is the piles of trash in the street and the smell in every place I went.
In Brooklyn, where I was living in Bushwick, there was big piles of garbage that remained for days before being removed by garbage pickers. When in France garbage is collected every day in the cities, and it's in garbage cans to prevent the smell and sight of it.
Then there was the misery. I'm not mad for this though. I'm glad that New York don't kick out the poors to hide them.
But it seems like there is so much more misery than in France! That was really sad.
But I never felt insecure in New York. Maybe I was naive. But even coming home late at night in Bushwick which is kinda poor, I never felt threatened in any way! Even though I was one of the few white guys in this mostly black neighborhood, I felt comfortable.
Maybe that's also due to the fact that cops are everywhere! The police station near where I was living had more police cars in front of it than the number of police cars I crossed in my whole life in France!
Ok maybe I'm exaggerating. But they had maybe 30 cars! And mostly brand new ones. From the tiny Smart to the huge american cars like Hummer. I never saw that in France.
Once I went at a Caribbean festival in Brooklyn. Along the way I walked to go there, there were two cops at each crossroads! I never saw so much cops except in violent french demonstrations.
Finally, I thought people were polite and more respectful than in France. And often willing to help the tourist that I was.
I'd love to go back if I had the money, but at a cooler season.
New York is much better as is London. NYC has some bad smells but the people aren’t anything like the people in Paris. And London is very neat.
@@0114855 Rotterdam might be a little bit smaller than new York, London or Paris (if you count urban areas because administrative borders mean nothing)
Wow.... now you’ve totally changed my mind about moving to Paris. I’ll stay in the USA. People are so nice here.
@Samuel Astic compared to other countries, you wouldn’t believe how the the united states is compared to other countries, thats coming from a french person, the only countries i can think of that are nicer are new zealand or canada
Great decision
@Samuel Astic no one said "all"
Yeah! I've dealt with all of those things in Paris. I think it's good to be honest about the city, I love Paris and I love being there, but many of those things are symptomatic of urban life and people often romanticize the city. When I lived in the 4th, I was lucky to be equidistant between about 5 stations, but the most convenient station we never took at night because the men at that station would harass us relentlessly.
You forgot to mention some relevant points. 1) Heavy paperwork, 2) Expensive rents and difficulties to find an apartment, 3) High local taxes and 4) the way le métro and suburban trains work (sometimes poorly by the way)
Everything is so true it hurts. French living in London here and i wouldn't go back to Paris for these reasons. On the bright side it's a beautiful city, charged with history and culturally amazing. Just as many big cities, it's more enjoyable for a holiday than everyday life!
That's exactly it!: more for visiting than living in.
Cannot thank you enough for this video! It offers such an honest depiction of this “romantic city” that a lot of people are often duped by! LoL. The city is like a real marriage; it’s starts with a romantic notion but often ends with an honest experience of living through the good, the bad, and the ugly! Well done.
YES!!! This is a less angry version of me 😂👍🏻
Nah, I reckon 3 more months and you'll be 'effin and jeffin.@@NotEvenFrench
@@paultaylorcomedy Unfortunatly (even french) I have to agree. I do not think we are welcoming, we always complain about everything, we tend to think we are superior, which is of course totally unfounded!
I travel a lot in Europe § as a french I do not feel welcome which I can understand, § it's sad. Sometimes I wish I was born elsewhere but I guess I should feel lucky with my standard of living compared to lots of countries in the world.
Anyway, Paris is well known in my country to be the worst version of french rudeness ;'(
Take care guys. Sorry about all these bad experiences, I feel a bit ashamed now.
Lol
Haha, @Paul Taylor!
@@jackgoumard5293 honestly same. im french born in america, ive never been to france nor outside the usa in general. not only hearing all these things abt the french, but the french also confirming this, makes me feel hurt & kinda scared honestly. its making me not want to visit my own country... im kinda grateful to be in america now. here nobody gives a shit about u (the good way) & most ppl are pretty nice
I've lived my whole life in Paris, though I moved to different arrondissements and once to the banlieue, and I have to say that you're not wrong. However I think having adapted to circumstances or not having lived elsewhere, I don't really pay attention to any of this, I know to ignore some and adapt to others, as many others do :
Not taking the metro after a certain hour (20h/23h depending on if it's winter or summer) without someone (a guy preferably) to take me where I go,
Ignoring the beggars who have anything making them look pitiful (children, pets, act as if they limp, etc),
Avoid the parts and times of the day of Paris where guys are weird (it's not everywhere at every time you'll realize),
Not paying attention to costumer service unless they are nice,
Ignore the noise and make sure I have good windows against noise, etc,
Ignore men unless I know them (that's why Parisian women have a reputation for being stuck up, we simply adapted to being a target of sexual harassment, strangers flirting are NOT welcome),
Also about harassment, a Parisian woman always covers up (nothing too revealing, not too much make up) because otherwise we're sure to be targeted,
Always wear my bag close (preferably in front so I see it) and not putting anything too valuable in accessible places (such as pockets),
Drink mineral water (many good brands come from France and are easily accessible) or filter my water,
Etc.
Yeah but that's not normal, we should all be able to live our life as we want. And not have to take the subway and make any compromises because of assholes
@@sylvain_guitar9178 As an Australian man I say you're right. Australian women / feminists are constantly making an issue of this and demanding improvement. They're right to do so. You have to push push push to keep talking about these things and demand change. From the Australian experience I can say we're not perfect but women's voices ... they're getting heard there because they keep the issue in the public mind constantly. It's a good strategy. It's not up to women to accept it.
That's sounds like a lot of work just to have some peace.
I think you need to move out of France and discover there are places in the world that don't tolerate that bullshit and live happy and stress free lives because of it.
Thanks so much for the video! It gives me more perspective. However I tend to talk back if someone even dares to say something rude to me anywhere. I find it weird when people are treated rudely and unfairly that they don’t speak up. My approached would will always be to tell people off if they’re being aggressive or rude to me than bashing them behind their backs. Although I fully understand why you made this video and again I appreciate it!
I'm French and I agree with everything you said :) Paris and Marseille are probably the most unsafe cities, people working in customer service are so done with their jobs and lowkey blames it on you, PICKPOCKETS OH MY GOD don't even get me started on that. Hard water, that's kind of recurrent in a lot of French cities. I traveled quite a bit, and I realized that French people are VERY judgemental of others ... Maybe not in Paris, but in most cities I find that there is very few originality in the way people dress, or act. In class, no one dares to speak up or answer the teacher's questions too much, by fear of being judged...
And we also really like to complain ;)
I'm French and I have lived in Paris for 3 years, and I totally agree with you ! All you described is the reason why I sometimes hate Paris, and why I want now to discover something else. Micro aggressions are particularly exhausting on the long term, and can really affect how you feel.
The only problem of this video is the sneak peek you give of Paris ! Any foreign person who will watch this video will be disgusted with the city ^^
Paris is still my favourite city, I know about all the things you talked about, but every city has issues. I found that not speaking French was not an issue, trying to speak it helped a bit. I did love Auckland though, very, very friendly people. New Zealand is a very beautiful country, spent three weeks there being with a friend who is from Whangarei.
i live in europe and have been to paris and new york (i even "lived" in ny for a couple of months) and paris almost has a threatening vibe. i don't know how to explain it but while i think the two cities are similar in a lot of ascpects, paris has a certain darkness that's almost scary. i still go there a lot lol it's super close to where i live.
sohogrunge, NYC is a dump.
Brennen Nelson maybe you're right but i love it so much. i wish i loved paris or milan as much because it would be way easier for me to move there lol
I haven't been to Paris in a long time, but I agree that NYC has a non-menacing vibe. Like any big city you always have to be careful and aware but in NYC I never felt unsafe and I like how there are always regular people out amd about at all hours.
What kind of threatening vibe?
Is it the crime? Is it the anti-European sentiment of Muslims? Or vice versa? Or is it Poltical?
Could you pls tell me more?
Platypus Paws hey :) nothing in particular, to me it just doesn‘t feel as warm and welcoming as other big cities (ie nyc or rome). Can‘t really tell you why since i‘ve had a great time everytime i went, it‘s just the vibe i picked up :)
This rhymes with my experience of Paris, particularly the rude service. Manners cost nothing.
As for the creepy guys in the subway. My experience as a teenager in the eighties and nineties has been with immigrants usually away from their wives from Morocco, Algeria. They often thought I was from there too. I was sexually harassed on a daily basis in the metro. Everything described on this video.
I've NEVER been catcalled by a white guy in Paris. Never.
When you re White you Will be cat called mostly by White. I live in a city where no to few migrants but only white men were cat calling me. So rude.
C'est aussi pour ça que les Français de la province détestent Paris aussi xD
Nan ca c'est parce que les parisiens les regardent de haut alors ils sont frustrés :)
T C en 18 ans a Paris j’ai remarqué que les seuls parisiens qui regardent les provinciaux de haut, c’est les provinciaux montés sur Paris 😂
Ouais enfait ce que je voulais dire c'est qu'ils *croient" qu'on les regarde de haut alors ils nous méprisent
oui, mais c'est devenu de pire en pire en 15 ans
Seuls les provinciaux fantasment sur Paris et ont un complexe d'infériorité , les vrai parisiens ne sont pas prétentieux ou hautains puisque pour eux vivre à Paris c'est juste normal , ils en ont rien à foutre , alors que les campagnards et les banlieusards s'enflamment quand ils "montent à la capitale".
To be honest, the best things I love about living in NZ is everything you mentioned in this video is completely opposite! LoveNZ
Also a guy who lived in Paris for 3 years told me that it is very hard to live in Paris b/c of the high cost of living and housing in relation to avg wage/salary. He told me middle-class Parisians are not financially stable and basically live check to check. He was fine living in Paris b/c he is a physician, but told me that $500k will disappear in an instant.
You nailed it. Some of the problems, though, are to be found in any big city. Organized begging/selling, for example, can be found in any big city in the world. Lack of customer service, oh yeah, Paris is the hands down winner. You take that cookie, girlfriend, and enjoy it!!
I just left Paris after finishing my studies there and I gotta say I used to complain about all of those things but now I'm even missing the dark and dirty sides of it... Parisians have this kind of love hate relationship with their city, constantly dissing it but then again they wouldn't leave it for the world. One thing I didn't expect to miss this much is the eclectic mix of people you meet in the 5am metro, the crazies, the wasted teens, the morning faces, the Paris by nighters, the buskers, those in suits and heels, the occasional drag queen and that one dude hugging a traffic cone.
The aggressive men in Paris, especially on the Metro, are basically why I've developed the "Metro face." Serious, neutral expression that can turn into a scowl if need be. I live in Germany now and I love the fact that there is 99.9% less catcalling. I get to be basically invisible and it's lovely. Also, we have the Roma "mafia" here in Germany too and if a woman approaches you, you can even see her a few steps away, consulting her friend with how much she got, etc. I feel bad that they have been so mistreated and exploited over the years but...so many of them can also get aggressive, too, just like in Paris, which doesn't help their cause. It's very sad.
Yes, I am French and about customer service, so true! It's always that no one can help you or that the very person who could, is on break on on vacation. Especially in big institutions. It is never about solutions but about passing the responsibility to someone else. And no one has the same answer to what ever problem posed. French administration is as nebulous and ridiculously complicated and never customer friendly. To get a job, an apartment, a degree, a driver licence are like long and painful experiences. Piece of cake in the USA.
These things didn't bother me ( the thirsty men, beggars, and smoke) I had excellent customer service in Paris! I just greeted the business owners in the formal, and they were very pleased and helpful! I stayed in a non-tourist area and had a fantastic experience. I went in 2009.
in 2009? it was long time ago. I was on my vaction to Paris in 2009 it was great, I moved to Paris in 2019 it was horrible....
I REALLY appreciate ur honesty. It’s nice to know the good, the bad and the ugly 🤪
I so relate!! I lived in Paris for 5years and still work there all the time and I agree with everything.. esp the micro aggressions... it used to get me really down as everyday is filled with low level aggression and negativity. I think it becomes the norm eventually and you feel so so grateful when a day goes without it. Or overly thankful for normal, good service 😆
I lived there 6 months and I noticed the micro aggressions after 2 weeks lol
It happens in all big cities. Sometimes in New York it's unlikely people being aggressive, little old ladies who will walk up to a long line for a bus & just cut in front of everyone with a sneer, as if everyone should bow to the queen. Most people are nice, but we remember the nasty ones.
so many positive responses towards this. So one things for sure, if some Parisians can really listen to this, then they can change some of their behaviour. Of course we all can learn something.
It sounds like most big cities in the world.
Tom Riviere Except cities in Japan are nowhere near like this. Singapore as well.
@@anja1627 well Japan is Japan lol
No fat shaming in Chicago!
And it's pretty clean, the air as well as the lake, you can actually swim in it.
And people are super nice, I experience very little aggression.
But we do have panhandlers and it's fucking cold in winter.
Not in the Sydney no.
@@duerandaggi n 20 people die a month there 😂🤦♂️
It sounds like a bigger version of San Francisco to be honest. 😂❤️
IAmWhatICreate1999 hahahahaha yes!!! Although I love San Francisco. I have plans to move to Paris, just wondering how I would transition to life abroad.
You can say THAT again!
Nothing to do with San Francisco, in my opinion
For real and the city is so damn nasty lmao
True, about San Francisco. I was born in SF but grew up and continue to live in the suburbs. I did work in San Francisco, now retired, and go up there occasionally for Culture, not lately, because of being high risk for Covid. There are a lot of homeless in San Francisco and I saw one of them stand up, take his pants down and spray the wall with his diarrhea. Unfortunately, these kind of things are present in cities worldwide at this point.
I still think Paris and San Francisco are both very beautiful cities.
Nope I could never handle all that 😳 so glad I live in Polynesia, lol!
Oh lucky you ! Polynesia is so so so beautiful 🥺
I love living here, on my 3rd year already, BUT I'd like to add a few points to your list:
Bureaucracy and any paper process for ANYTHING!!!!!
SNCF
La Poste
Traffic
Far from the sea! (Your point #5 as well)
Smokers who just smoke whenever and wherever.
This could also be titled “things that are true of every large city”
These things are NOT normal in my city.
I live in a huge city and not everything on this list is true.
I grew up in a city of a million in the US and lived in a city of 10 million in Asia - only 1, 4, and 5 are true for both. So, no, not every large city has these issues.
I can't imagine anybody pissing on a footpath at midday in Sydney or London
Um, none of these things are true about NYC.
This is so sad! I really want to visit France as a whole and especially Paris...I am disabled and have heard horror stories about cabs not stopping if you have a wheelchair or charging more just because you take a bit longer to get in and situated. Ugh! Very good info in your video...Thanks! BTW, if you can come to San Antonio, Texas, I will show you some southern hospitality! ❤️ from South Texas USA!
I feel u, especially on point 2, I am French and I really understrand your disappointement which seems higly justified . Most customer service are centered not on the client as they should but mostly on personnal pride and waste of time and self righteousness. I does not work, it is not my fault, I am not liable etc... Over time you'll eventually get used to it . Those failing ailing French clerks....
I am French and lived in the UK, the US and I can tell with hindsight that customer service is far better...
Keep it Up and much love to Sonyy B Williams... God bless...
Perhaps you should carry an air horn. For when the creepy guys getting in your face. Airhorn! Perhaps a touch of Mace. Good Times.
I have a really big Pet Peeve when someone comments on what I’m eating. I wouldn’t make it there. Great Video. 👍
Hi! I am French, and had lived in Paris for 15 years before moving to another country last year... and I agree with you :) all the things you say! It’s nice to hear because being away, sometimes I miss Paris so much and I forget I don’t miss the daily agressions from the creepy guys for exemple... I still love Paris, for many many reasons too, like you. Despite all of that, there are many amazing people and things there.
Thank you for your videos! Bravo! Continue :)
I can approve everything you said 👌🏻 as an international student who's gonna probably spend her entire college years here in Paris, I came two months ago and I can already feel all of these. Well thank you!! 😋 (Also personally, I HATE cigarette smoke it annoys me so much...)
Me and my family visited Paris sometime last year. We were only there for about 5 days but one of the things we noticed is definitely smoking. I feel like in NZ its very much a shame thing to be seen smoking out in public and even if you are you are very careful about where your smoking and where your smoke goes. So going to Europe and especially in Paris it was just such a culture shock.
I definitely agree with all your points, but I'm not sure "micro-aggressions" is the right word here.
What would be a better word?
@@angus7278 Well, I don't know how to call every little things that she mentionned, but "bad smell" being put into "micro-aggression" feels wrong :P Because at this point, everything that displease me in my daily life is a microaggression : "the wind blows quite hard... micro-aggression ! Damn I cut myself with some paper... must be a micro-aggression ! Wow I'm late for work and the bus is late... micro-aggression !!!". As for "people yelling at each other, that's called, well, a verbal assault.
You just described São Paulo.
Atleast São Paulo metro is really clean
@@joaoguilhermejarochinskima1820 verdade hahah
The micro-aggressions are exactly the same as NYC! I hope Paris isn’t -that- bad still! 🙂 Me and my boyfriend are planning to live in Paris for a year starting Fall 2020 (with our baby, I’m currently 9 months pregnant). Thank you, your videos are very helpful!
Kiwi here too! Thank you so much for the video, incredibly well done!
I've been there. I hated it. I saw all the problems in your list my first day there. I'll never go back.
Cats3to2 Loved your video. I’m glad you have enjoyed making a home there. I had considered moving there for a job. I visited Paris several times to try to get a feel for the city but obviously didn’t even scratch the surface the way a person does when living there. Every place isn’t right for every person and it just didn’t work for me. I wanted to love Paris but I couldn’t get over the dirtiness and my perception of the rudeness there. In some places it was absolutely one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. Looking forward to exploring other parts of France in the future.
Bonjour Rosie.
Une vidéo sur ce que vous n'aimez pas à Paris, rien de choquant la dessus et honnêtement je m'attendais à beaucoup plus de choses que 9 points. Moi même, je suis resté 1 an sur Paris de 1997 à 1998 et en partir a été pour moi un véritable soulagement. Si il y a bien une chose qui me manque vraiment le moins sur Paris, c'est le métro car souvent obligé de le prendre vers 22h00 (seul), je dois avouer que j'ai souvent était amener à "pisser dans mon froc" tellement ce lieu bien utile en journée, se transformait la nuit en un endroit dangereux. Non vraiment Paris est peut être une belle ville mais ne me manque en rien.
Pretty realistic, I think. I've just returned from five weeks in New Zealand, so I imagine all these things were a real kick in the teeth when you arrived in Paris. It has much beauty, but serious problems too. Courage, mon amie!
Merci de partager tes sentiments sur Paris et la vie parisienne. Ca me semble plutôt juste et je trouve bien que les parisiens puissent voir ça pour les faire réfléchir. En tant qu'ex parisien qui est à Saigon, je me suis surpris à retrouver certains de tes commentaires sur Paris identiques à ceux que je peux faire sur Saigon. Ce qui m'a rappelé que je ne viens pas du paradis non plus et dois composer avec mon environnement...mais comme pour toi, c'est pas toujours facile.
Je regrette énormément les mini-agressions et les mecs qui harcèlent. Il serait temps que les parisiens face la guerre aux incivilités en général.
Pour le service client, la dernière fois que je suis venu dans un magasin, je me souviens que j'ai dû faire des efforts de diplomatie pour obtenir qu'une vendeuse me fasse un paquet cadeau... c'est assez rare, mais so Paris !
Thanks again for your videos, which are pretty accurate each time I watch one of these.
I get all these issues but when im older i still want to live in paris or anywhere in france for a year of less. I just want to learn more about the culture. I understand all the problems and i still love it and still dream of it . But i know what I'll be doing is I'll be living with a friend to have a better experience . I still have a ling way to go before i get there but wish me luck with life and i hope to find some one to live in paris with me for at least 6 months .( i wanna travel so i don't mind these issues because it's every where in the world)
These daily micro-aggressions are killing me. You describe them perfectly.
so true. And you can triple this when you are living with kids.
Quel dommage que tu aies tant raison... your videos are always very pertinent! 👍🏼😊
In England you sometimes have to wait in a supermarket while the check-out person finishes a long conversation with the customer, who is also a friend.
Have you spent time in the French countryside and could you tell the differences between the people in the countryside versus Paris?
I am french born and raised but living in Canada since my early 20's and now these same things irritate me, make me angry and /or make me sad.
On the microaggressions topic you mention noise like motorbikes on the street passing by, neighbours living their lives, people smoking on the street while you're passing by... but all those things come with living in a big city, you must come from a smaller city or a rural place because as a big city girl myself that's just part of it. I hear my neighbour's kids playing outside, and their baby crying at night, and cars/motorbikes pass by all the time, people smoke outside because nowadays that's the only place they can do it legally, construction noises, etc... that's just normal.
I would advise that if you want a quieter, slower life you move to a smaller city or even go rural because there is a price to pay if you want to live in a big city, any big city.
When I was in Paris, I was walking around & runner wasn’t paying attention, turned without looking to run in a different direction & fully stomped on my foot really hard. Had I not been in a lot of pain, I would’ve screamed at her. She didn’t even acknowledge me.
On point 2, I think there is a very important cultural component, because as a French woman, I always find costumer service in other countries (like in the UK) overbearing. I just want to stroll around the shop, if I need help I’ll ask - to the point where, even though it’s their job and they’re just trying to be helpful, I’ll be annoyed at this (for me) over the top service (that can also feel very disingenuous).
For point 3, apart from cigarette buts and dog poo, most of those disagreeable things come from homeless people (especially the pee) or people from the banlieues (not. on the spitting). Those are not considered civil or acceptable, normally.
Point 4 : banlieue guys. Outright. Banlieue guys.
As for the metro, that depends on the line (again, especially if it’s one used by banlieue guys), although I have personally never experienced that, so...I don’t know any women who’ve experienced that, so I do think it depends on the line you take.
Point 8 : ...honestly, not to be mean, but I prefer a bit of that rather than the obesity epidemic in the US and in the UK (amongst other). Of course, measure is key (I don’t think it’s as systematic and frequent as you make it out to be), and there are also a lot of efforts to combat anorexia.
Point 9 : a bit contentious, maybe, but I think a lot of that is due to (illegal) immigration - a lot of those beggars or trinket sellers are Roma, or come from various African countries. They were probably taken advantage of because of their status as illegal immigrants, and I do agree that it’s very sad. I was actually shocked when I came back to Paris after living in India for 3 years - and that tells you a lot about how much and how fast the situation has worsened in the last decade, to be shocked by homelessness in Paris after spending 3 years in New Delhi.
As always, thanks for your videos, I really find it refreshing to have the perspective of someone who settled in France from another countries. I do hope that we can move forward enough as a society (and get the socialists out of the city council, Anne Hidalgo is a plague) to remedy at least some of those negative aspects.
PS : I think we also need to take into account the fact that Paris is the most visited city in the world - which means that on top of the population living there, you can add abut 80 millions visitors annually. That takes its toll.
I can see why Parisians have a reputation for being rude. *They are.* That's not normal for a big city. You won't find that in Tokyo or Dallas or London or any of a dozen other large cities. Even New Yorkers aren't nearly that rude. San Francisco and Los Angeles have a poop problem, but it's not the native population that's doing it.
What's normal for a big city is to have to put up with loud noises and lots of traffic and people getting in your way a lot. But creepy men and shocking customer service, no. Pickpockets and begging are pretty normal for touristy areas, but not elsewhere. Indian cities are noticeably dirtier than elsewhere, but that's no excuse for Paris. Look at Singapore: spick and span! Tokyo is very clean too.
WHEW, I feel like you're reading my mind (except for the fat shaming)...but I live in Brussels. The MICRO AGGRESSIONS!!!! Wow! Well said. I'm from Tennessee, USA, so I think some of the culture shock we experience is very similar.
Yep. Pretty much like every other big city in the world. Though, hearing all this about Paris, you make Manila sound like a paradise 😂
Wheew! Thanks for sharing your story. Now I have another reason not to go to Paris besides having no money ☹️🙄😘😊😊
I've never been to Paris, but a lot of these problems are very similar in New York. I think with any densely populated city area you will have these problems. The only main difference I can tell is that you seem to be more patient in France, while in NY people are rushing you like no tomorrow.
I Can relate to what you Saïd on so many levels ... I Also remember not liking thé ridiculous Price of thé rent and of course thé 3 hours a day Sat in a polution filled véhicule just to get Home 15 km from Work.... I have now opted for village life where life passes more slowly!... Keep up thé good work
I lived in Paris for just 2 weeks! And realized all the points you are commenting 😕 👎🏻
Very helpful, I am moving to Paris in August, which really gave me a perspective. Please keep sharing more honest stories
It's crazy the amount of things that are very similar to the US, so for ex. A lot of people complain about #3 of New York, #4 is something that is experienced too over here in the US (though it seems to have calmed down a bit). I live in MA so #1 (especially the road rages) is something very prevalent here.
My dear... You are so right what a pity... Paris is spoiled with all those bad behaviours... I am very sad of that... I am French and I work in Paris... Thks for this video
You almost exactly described Budapest. I thought it was just here that these things happened, but I guess its just typical of any really large city, unfortunately.
If you think Budapest is a dangerous or unpleasant city to live in , never go to Paris.
Omg🙊thanks for the information
i think we live the same problem in nazareth except one thing that we are not far from the see .and i think you are amazing
I spent a month in Paris and I had personal experience with all but one of these instances! I loved the city, but there are some definite hurdles to overcome. Also, you did not mention it, probably because of the hostile climate, but the immigrant population are quite frightening to be around. I was not comfortable and felt unsafe in many situations, and in fact one area that I was in, the immigrants had a riot it the exact spot I was just the day before. Paris is no longer a city of born-and-bred French nationals, but hostile immigrants from other countries.
just don't be racist please, it's unnecessary
Hello I enjoyed this video, albeit a little old at this point. But as a native New Yorker, and living in the big city for 20 years now, i can say pretty much "same" for things here. However, as a male (relatively in-shape), I find that I am not harassed at all. I have been in Paris for a visit for only 4 days, and I know that soon I want to relocate there. I feel also that Paris is a good location, with fast trains to Milan, Venice, London, and pretty much all over Europe, right? This pandemic has affected the entire world, and I hope that Paris, like New York, will bounce back better than ever.
I totaly agree with you. That's why I avoid Paris whenever possible. Even though these issues also occur in the suburbs.
Love what you do by the way.
Continues comme ça.
Noise and pollution is a trait of many big cities. Also London, which is also an extremely cramped and crowded city.
Je viens de province et toutes les microagressions que tu as citées résonnent tellement avec mon vécu ! J'ai vécu dans trois capitales européennes (Madrid, Londres, Paris), j'ai horreur de Paris. Mais bon, les études et les opportunités professionnelles m'oblige à revenir dans cette ville que je n'apprécie pas vraiment...
This is so accurate. I almost went off on people for shoving me and pretending like I wasn’t even there. I always made sure to say “pardon” when I needed to get past someone or accidentally bumped into them. The pee and smoke was crazy. I was sad when we went to Sacre Coeur because the overwhelming smell of pee was the worst and I could barely stomach it walking up most of the stairs. Also the men who were there selling trinkets trying to grab me and I was not having it. I didn’t have too much of a hard time with bad customer service, people were so nice to me as an American tourist. I always made sure to ask people if they spoke French (in French) and if not I made do with the French I knew. However, on our last day, at the CDG airport I got the worst customer service of my life from two different women at the airport. The first time the airline (Norwegian) had made a big mistake and as a result we had to spend several hours trying to correct it and having to pay 160$ to fix even though we did nothing wrong. The employee (who was French) badmouthed us to her co worker next to us. I guess she thought because we were American we wouldn’t understand, but I did. She then told us we went with a budget airline and if we wanted better we should have paid more. That’s crazy. Saying sorry is free. Plus, after we had to pay through the nose for their errors, we paid a lot more than if we had gone with a non budget airline. We had flown on 3 other budget airlines that trip and had no problems whatsoever. We dealt with so many of their employees and not one person ever apologized. They did this to like 3 other people on the same flight and none of them got apologies or anything. Then upstairs a woman in a shop was awful to me and even the people around me were in shock, and after the experience with the airline I just left the shop and burst into tears. Anyway, I felt a lot safer in Paris because my husband and I were always together, otherwise I wouldn’t have. Also, I’m very vigilant and aware of people coming near me or my stuff and always make things that are valuable too hard to get to, but yes, it’s definitely a thing and I could never stop thinking about it. There was a woman (who we think was Romani) who was asking us to get her a sandwich at a train station and I initially kind of brushed her off but felt bad about it and we got back in line and got her a sandwich. When I brought it over to her she looked pissed, I’m sure she just wanted money but hey, at least I did a good deed. As far as fat shaming, I’m surprised I didn’t encounter any more of it because I’m in the process of losing weight and probably seem incredibly fat to most Parisians. But I can tell some people’s opinions were affected by their interactions with me and the fact that we walked everywhere carrying heavy backpacks and I eat small portions and don’t go overboard. Many seemed surprised I looked the way I did because of my lifestyle and dietary habits. Anyway, great video and totally spot on.
Micro-aggressions: I felt it from the first month. I hated it when I realised that I was starting to do the same in many situation. I also don't like the fact that nobody cares about you (unless they're close friends). I remember being so frustrated that no one would even bother to ask my name when meeting new people, and unless we had met at least two or three times they would hardly acknowledge my existence.
Sounds like the United States. Same shit here. Very hard to make friends and people don't give a shit about anyone who is not in their social circle.
Worked 5 yrs in Paris. I agree with u. Grew up in Brittany & I enjoyed Paris more visiting for a long cultural weekend or in August when everyone is on vacation. I now live in Los Angeles (Westside). Suits me much better than Paris: less smelly, less noisy, more access to nature where u can be alone (really). And yeah, French r not great with service. 😉
as an American who's always romanticized and idolized Paris, this was very enlightening. I think a few of the things you mentioned just go along with living in any large city (smells, trash), but I had NO idea how horrible the harassment and assault was. When you began your sentence about the creepy guys with "at least once per" I expected you to say a week, not day. I'm so sorry for what you and your friends have experienced. It also made me very sad to hear about the fat shaming and makes me a little afraid to visit now as I'm not small.
Anyways, I love you and your channel, thank you!
I was surprised at some of this list! And grateful, Feel better knowing about these things ahead of my first trip to Paris, whenever that me be. Thank you for sharing.
i live near Paris and i work here, and i agree with absolutly everything this girl said, stop believing what you see in movies and tv shows and trust the experience of people who have been here more then a day
Oh! Just like New York, USA :)
Not.
Yes, the stench! They have an open sewer running through town and call it "the beautiful river Seine."
Interesting about the minerals in the water. I went there looking forward to learning more about how to dress, given that the French women are famous for their fashion sense. They looked just like New Yorkers, but with dirty hair. Now I realize that maybe their hair wasn't really dirty, just coated with minerals from the water.
I hated supermarket road rage. I would find a kind of item stop and look at several. Types, price, flavor just to choose. People would huff and run over me with their cart. Like flying around snatching things off the shelf. Well sorry I need to look for a second. I tried to avoid certain times of the day but not always possible. I also got harrassed at an atm by a young girl maybe 10. She was sitting on a curb with her mom with a baby. When I got my money out she came and started shouting trying to grab things. I knew even a child she would steal my stuff. I yelled go away in french and english and was ready to defend myself however I needed. She backed off but I had to learn to avoid some atms and look around closely. I guess this is true in many places but when living in a different arr. It was not an issue.
Tap water is not "treated" with minerals and calcium, France simply sits mainly on limestone and sedimentary rocks ;)
So true, I agree with every word You’ve said! That’s sadly true. I’m Polish and Have been here for5years as well. Can’t stand this city for most of my days here, thinking about going home or moving to another city. What’s funny even French people don’t like Paris much, I mean architecture is great and food but after that like it’s not worth it with because everyone you’ve just said
I agree. I have just returned to Paris after a long stay abroad and I am more aware of the constant agressions and illogical comportements. But strangely I find a lot of nice people sandwitched in between. Is France a sandwich of good and bad?
Oh no!! We gave 20euro to a family on the street. I never knew about that about the beggars. Really eye-opening. I have visited Paris twice now and although I do love it...it is definitely different that I had expected it to be.
I went on holiday to France in 2015 and had high expectations for my first trip to Paris. I was so disappointed by how dirty and foul-smelling it was. It stunk of piss and was from the romantic “city of love” you hear about. A massively overrated city. I truly enjoyed my time in the south of France - Skip the city, head to Provence! I would def just head out of the city next time I visit.
Tout est vrai! Et il est important de savoir ces détails quand on décide de Paris en France, que ce soit pour y habiter ou passer quelques jours! Merci de l´expliquer très clairement!
i have never heard the term "micro-agressions" used outside of the SJW lexicon.
Leonartist You just made a micro-aggression with this
You need to get out more.
It's commonly used in British parlance.
I'm really truly love this video very insightful very helpful love your energy and love everything about the video thank you very much.
Ahh....that explains the towels. Its like sand papering yourself 🤣
SHOCKING CUSTOMER SERVICE- OMG yes. My number ONE culture shock, exactly the SAME issue with a Bank officer, but she was British and I chose the bank due to an English advisor, and I asked her 3 times for tariffs information and she ended up blaming me saying she didn't know I was going to use my card to buy something overseas... I mean, just send me the tariffs when I asked for it right? She said you could have found it in the website yourself. IT IS IN FRENCH!!!! I try to contact the bank to complain by email, phone, no responses at all... just crazy.
That happened to me in D. C. He announced he was going to get on my train. I turned around and started screaming at him in front of tons of people. Not for long though. He shrunk back like a turtle to its shell. They depend on your silence.