Want to move to France from Spain!

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by dcat

In Spain, for me, the difficult things have been the noise, the atrocious, rude, and dangerous driving, and that so few of the reasonable laws they have are enforced at all. I never thought I would become a person who would say they were for law and order!

Well, you've captured most of my top issues with the French! Maybe there aren't so many differences with Spain after all.

I've only been to Spain a couple of times, so I'm no expert on the culture there (and how it is perceived by us "Anglo-Saxons"). But a few of the other things that struck me when I was first here:

The French have different standards of health and hygiene than Americans. That sounds worse than it is - but I remember my sister-in-law asking me quite seriously if I "always" brush my teeth before going to bed. She found that quite peculiar (and she was a high school teacher). And for a "spirited discussion" sometime, just raise the issue of whether or not you can or should ask guests not to smoke in your home!

In France, sidewalks are for parking your cars. There are very few "rights" or courtesies extended to pedestrians, although that is changing. (Drivers are now supposed to stop at zebra crossing to let pedestrians cross. Some do, some don't.)

And the big one is the incredible bureaucracy and the games you have to play with the "fonctionnaires" to get anything, from your carte de séjour to any sort of permit or paper. The terms "civil servant" and "public service" don't exist in French because, as they say, civil service is neither civil nor much of a service. But once you figure out the game, it can be kind of fun to play it.

At least the French eat dinner earlier than the Spanish, and it's easy to make conversation just by raving about the local food and wine (and it is good!). Most French people really know their history and culture and if you express the slightest interest in it, they'll regale you with lots of information.
Cheers,
Bev

[alinspain]

Your so right! But don't forget the poor service!

[MichelleAlison]

"I was wondering what some of those cultural differences are. In Spain, for me, the difficult things have been the noise, the atrocious, rude, and dangerous driving, and that so few of the reasonable laws they have are enforced at all. I never thought I would become a person who would say they were for law and order!"


The Argentines always complain that the driving here is terrible and that nobody obeys the laws. I suppose we have the Spanish to blame for this, as they are the ones who conquered most of Latin America

Regards

Michelle