Things I do differently after living in France

What do I do differently after living in France?

When I left Australia for a six week holiday many years ago, I had no idea I would end up in Paris, stay there for 3 years, and pine for her every day since I left.

I also had no idea those 6 weeks would turn into 7 years of worldwide adventures!

How could I imagine how much I had changed since I left Paris many moons ago in my thoughts and attitudes, and with every day things? That is, until I decided to jot down a few things today.

Things I do now wherever I am, after living in Paris

1. Whenever I walk into a small store, I always say hello to everyone :-) Yes, it’s true, many people find this VERY weird! When I lived in Paris, I quickly learned that it was absolutely necessary to show politeness and respect by saying, “Bonjour, Messieurs, Mesdames.” (Hello ladies and gentlemen) as soon as I walked in.  Doing the reverse when I left the store was also essential, “Au revoir, Messieurs, Mesdames.”
2. My first visit into a Bakery / Boulangerie on my last trip to Paris reminded me about this immediately. I walked in, there were a couple of people standing near the counter, and here I am, fresh off the plane from Australia, totally forgetting my Frenchiness, and started to order when the lady behind the counter looked up at me. As soon as I opened my mouth and started to order, all faces turned to me with shock and horror, and I immediately realised my mistake. I apologised to them all, stepped backward (to wait my turn), face down (because it was glowing bright red). I could have KICKED myself for this major faux pas! When it was my turn to order, I apologised again feeling very contrite indeed, and the lady serving me accepted my apology and was ever so nice to me. Phew! Disaster averted!
3. When speaking with French speakers, I learned to pronounce my surname / lastname with a French accent. My surname is Hughes (which is pronounced as “Hews” in English). In French it sounds totally different, so I learned to say it as “Oog”, and if people looked baffled, I would spell it in French, or show them a card with my name on it.
4. When verbally giving details to someone who is filling in a form, I learned to spell my first name differently – in the French way. In English (as an Australian), I was used to spelling my firstname out loud as “T. Double E. N. A”. I quickly learned this was not acceptable in French, and instead I learned how to spell my name as, “T. Euh. Euh. N. Ah.”
5. I always pronounce CROISSANT like a French person. For decades it has hurt my ears to hear people in other countries pronouncing this word in so many bizarre ways. Krasant (USA) comes to mind – ugh!
6. When living in France I came to love the croissant as the national treasure it is, and treated it with the reverence it deserved. Imagine my horror on joining the rest of the world (after my departure from France),  where people were using croissants like a slice of bread or an opened bun or bread roll to be stuffed with so many fillings — it just made no sense. I know I can never change the people of the world, or prevent them from doing this (it feels like it’s sacrilegious!), so I just continue to eat good croissants in the manner to which I have become accustomed. But please – don’t ask me if croissants in Australia are as good as France. Please don’t. Because the answer is, “No.”. Unless you know a French baker in Australia who uses French butter and French flour for his masterpieces (salut Jean-Marc ! finding you at my local Queensland Sunday markets with your croissants was such a miracle!).
7. On the occasion I open a bottle of champagne and it doesn’t get finished in one sitting, I always pop a teaspoon in the bottle before putting it back in the fridge. I learned to do this in Paris, and have done it ever since. It doesn’t matter friends think I’m nuts, it makes me feel good :-) It encourages the bubbles to stay for about 2 more days.
8. Since I lived in Paris decades ago, my usual dinner time has always started around 8pm, and yet I know friends here in Australia might have dinner around 6pm – and that’s just fine … for them. But please don’t ask me for dinner and expect me to eat so early … that just doesn’t work for me. I’m happy to come for cocktails, but eating dinner so early … not my cup o’tea I’m afraid. I got used to eating late in Paris when I was working, as I worked until 7pm and then would meet friends for dinner after that around 8pm.
9. I don’t remember learning this one in Paris, but I know I did not do it before I arrived there, and I did it as soon as I left. The initial memory is gone, but the lesson was well learned. It involves crossing the street as a pedestrian.  I learned to look at the DRIVER, make sure they saw me, and if they slowed for me to cross the road, I would nod, smile, say “Merci!” and sometimes even give a little wave. If all pedestrians made eye contact with the driver of cars slowing down, it might help prevent unnecessary accidents at road crossings whether or not there are traffic lights.

Did you enjoy things I do differently after living in France?

These are just a few of the things which poured out of my memory banks, and if I think of any others I’ll add them here.

So how about you? Have you had any experiences like these? I’d love to hear about them. Please do let me know:

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Enjoy your armchair travel in Paris via my website, or if you’re planning your trip or are already there — have a fabulous time!

I love Paris! J’adore Paris !  XOXOX

Teena Hughes in Australia

Tags: bakery, being polite, boulangerie, champagne teaspoons, croissants, dinner time, france, french, madames, monsieurs, paris, pedestrian, pronunciation, teena hughes