Life in France

We finally got our heating back last night. I guess our landlady forgot to put something in the main boiler thing downstairs, so all four apartment in the building didn’t have any heat. Somehow that just isn’t too surprising…

Yesterday we went to an exposition on the city of Belfort. This year the town is celebrating its 700th birthday, so the exposition was about the history of the town. It is hard to believe this town is 700 years old. There is just nothing in the States that is that old!

Also Sarah writes a short article for her college newspaper about her adventures in France. This time she wanted to write about some of the differences in everyday life we have noticed. The three of us brainstormed. We came up with a lot of funny things, so here is a copy of the article. Sarah wrote it , but the ideas are all of ours. I left it just how she wrote it because the phrases in “real” England English are also amusing. Here are some translations:
1.Chave = the best translation I have come up with for this word is a person who is a “tool”
2. Zebra crossing = cross walk
3. brollies = umbrellas

Pourquoi…?

Pourquoi do the French male chavs all follow the fashion of having either a
burberry handbag (no really) or a pastel coloured bumbag (or fanny pack as my housemate calls it) with some kind of animal depicted on it.? (the baby blue kangaroo is the best we’ve seen)

Pourquoi is there poo everywhere?

Pourquoi do the French dance with their hands facing down whilst clutching said pastel elephant handbag?

Pourquoi is it necessary to say “Bon appetit” anytime you see someone (usually a stranger) eating anything, however small (on the train, sitting on a bench, walking down the street on your own…)

Pourquoi is it fashionable to have one trouser leg rolled up to your knee and the other tucked into your sock?

Pourquoi do the French always feel the need to push in the queue?

Pourquoi do the French have no concept of time e.g. discussing their husbands’ hemorrhoids with a stranger when buying tickets at the train station, despite knowing there are 27 people behind them who want to catch the train leaving in 34 seconds. E.g.2 stopping the bus when I need to get to work so that a little old lady can get off to buy the bus driver breakfast.

Pourquoi does a green man mean nothing on a zebra crossing?

Pourquoi do they not sell salt and vinegar crisps/peanut butter / baked beans/ bacon/ decent chewing gum?

Pourquoi do the French tramps prefer to hold their brollies over their dogs rather than themselves in the pouring rain?

Pourquoi does a baguette only last for one day before the only thing left to do with it is to throw it off the balcony to see how far it will go?

Pourquoi is everything shut for 2 hours every lunchtime and all day Sunday and Monday when this is the only time anyone has off work?

Pourquoi have I not seen anyone wearing a beret or with a string of garlic round their neck?

Pourquoi do the French never smile when the sky is blue most of the time? They are probably trying not to step in the poo!