I'm Russian and I live in New York. Just one week ago I came from Paris. You city is amaising, very old, clean. I loved the weather. I was surprised that local people are barely speak English but then I understood -you don't need it. You have everything-culture, beautiful language, delicious food, Wine, clean metro. You don't depend on Americans. That is probably bothering us.
American people is different. We are always in rush. We can't have lunch for hours...
We have to run. That make our live is very stressful.
I like France. I would like to come back

Merci beaucoup pour ton message ! (thanks a lot for your message!)

It is great to read what you've written about french men, and about french people. I think it is great that an american woman just talk about her experience of french culture, since some american have bad ideas (often wrong ideas) about french people.

Thanks a thousand times for your message, I am happy to see that some americans have a good opinion about french people even if they have to meet a french man or woman to understand that some horrible things that are sometimes said about french people are false.

I hope you will carry on writting on this forum. ;)

Thanks Susan.

Pat

I am a SriLankan woman.I read all the comments about French vs American culture, and they are very interesting for me. I want to give my thanks to Pat because I learned many things by reading him and I got to know the answers for some of the questions I've had before. I have a friend in France and I know him since many years.We were penfriends before and now I don't feel so, with the help of the new technology we could keep in touch more closer and we had chances to meet each other.Everytime with him is so wonderful,enjoyable for my family. We had chances to taste the french food as he loved to prepare French meals for us. Until I read those letters I think of Frenchmen in my point of view,and now I have some ideas how other people think of French people.I feel him as a sincere, ploite, kind and optimistic person. I learned from him how to win the life as I failed myself sometimes. And he has a great respect for others.
I think the majority of the French people are sincere, polite and kind as I feel of my friend.

Once again I would like to give my thanks to you all..

Kind regards

GSR

Pat,
I think that the french are more commiting, and generous. I have a question, in France, is there any players? (guys who date and flirt with multiple girls, usually doesn't care about any one of the girls) There are A LOT of them here in America.

salut pat! je m'appelle kate et j'ai 18 ans. j'habite a colorado aux etats-units. je ne parle pas bien francais mais j'essaie :D j'aime bien ton message des gens americains. je suis d'accord avec vous sur tout que vous avez dit. je suis allee en france l'annee prochaine pour voir Paris, Marseille, et Nimes aussi! La france est le plus beau pays dans le monde a mon avis ;) toute la nourriture est delicieuse (l'escargots, le pain, le vin)! la mer et les fruits de la mer sont magnifique! quand beacoup d'americains pensent a la france, ils disent, "c'est la langue d'amour!" les filles croient que les hommes sont tres beau :D et les garcons pensent que les filles ont beacoup de poile haha mais elles sont tres belles! je connais kyo et edith piaf pour la musique francaise et c'est tout :) mais je suis sure qu'il y a beacoup d'artistes tres bien! j'ai vu les films La Vie en Rose, 8 Femmes, et 1 encore mais j'oublie le nom :( mais j'adore les gens francais, la culture, la nourriture, et le pays bien sur! merci pat!
Kate

Bonjour Pat!

je suis contente que tu es intereste dans les Americains ;). moi, je suis une femme Americaine de 20 ans. Je peux parler un peu de francais, que je l'ai etudie depuis des ans, mais il y en a beaucoup qui peuvent pas parler francais, et alors ca fait des problemes, parce que la langue est la porte pour une autre culture. But I'll explain this topic further in my native language, English, since it is a bit easier for me and you seem to speak English at a higher level. It's very nice to know that the French in general like the American people.

I have been to France twice, and not once have I been met with unnecessary hostility by the French. In fact, the French really seemed to like me. But perhaps this is because I do something that those limited number of "snobby Americans tourists" have forgotten to do when visiting a foreign nation. I make sure that I pay respect to each and every person there, and I make the effort to adapt to the new culture with as little complaining as possible (though this part isn't hard for me because I love French culture!) I am well aware from some of my friends who are French natives that there are many rude American tourists that pass through there, turning their noses up at the thought of eating pate (excuse me that there are no accents marks, my keyboard doesn't have them! haha) or at the fact that most places in france do not have air-conditioning. But this is not how all Americans are. It is VERY difficult to state in just one or two words how the Americans feel about the French, because America is truly full of a variety of people. We've had many waves of immigration of different people with different cultural backgrounds. These differences have all mashed together to form a super culture and many subcultures below it. There are a variety of people within these sub-cultures, all ranging from ultra conservatives to ultra liberals. And within the liberals and conservatives there are those who are very educated, and those who are not. These all have an affect on how a certain people feel about another culture. In my opinion, it is education that can make a big difference in how people perceive a culture. I was very fortunate that during my early years of learning French I was taught by a native French teacher who made it very clear that the French do not hate the Americans, and that it was ok for us (the Americans) to become curious about other cultures, and try new things. However, in general, I think the Americans feel indifferent or positive about the French, though this is often combined with feelings of hesitation and lack of knowledge on where the French people are coming from, which can equal to ready acceptance of someone's negative opinions on the French only because people just haven't been taught about other cultures well enough. Though it is common to hear jokes about the French, but this usually occurs only when there are well broadcasted events that are occuring in France to the United States (such as the riots that occured a few years ago, or the elections, etc.) Americans are also so different because of the fact that we are so isolated from other cultures that we do not understand others from different countries or we become close minded and are unwilling to try new things.
But if you encounter an American, 9 times out of 10 they will most likely be friendly to you. I think the Americans are in general very friendly and are always willing to help out foreigners that step into the United States. But if you happen to encounter someone who is not friendly to you just because you are French, do not let this ruin your entire opinion on the American population. The country is still comprised of 30% "Bushies" (ils sont les personnes qui apuyent president Bush) and there is a chance you may run into a close minded person.

In general the Americans do not have a very good idea of what the current French movies are, or of many famous French actors and actresses. The only ones that some may recognize is Audrey Tautou, and maybe Gerard Depardieu. This is because there are not very many french movies that are shown in theaters in the United States. Why? I truly have no idea, though I wish they would show more international films. This is also the same for music.

if you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask me ;) I hope that the French continue to feel kindly towards the Americans. Please don't allow the ignorance of a few to spoil the positive feelings felt towards the majority. I assure you that there will always be those who support and love the french in the United States. I hope I've answered some of your questions!

Amanda

hey pat.

im an american teenager. im 15 and i personally love the france because the language, culture and, well, everything else about it.(i think people in my own country are kind of stupid) im sorry to say that the general thought by americans is that the french "suck"

i really dont understand whats not to like about france, or the french people
even looking through the perspective of american history, we wouldnt be here without france.
France aided us during our revolution.

so, as i said, most americans claim to hate france, but i love it, and i cant wait till i take my trip there next year.

Brian

Who knows if this site's still alive, but yeah, French culture exists in the US. The United States is made up of different nations, so to speak ... the Northeast, West Coast, the South, the Midwest, etc., so it's hard to think of the United States as having a single, unified opinion of anything.

But, the French fall into two camps: respected for their culture vs. hated for their culture. Then there are the people who can only think of wine, cheese, and that the French are the lovers of Europe! I grew up outside of New York City and live there currently; my mother and aunt lived in France during the 80s, and we have family friends there. It's not terribly uncommon for people who live on the coastal Northeast to have connections to Europe, but it's definitely much different elsewhere in the US thanks to isolation and distance over land (it's funny, people in the US hate the French the same way they hate people from the Northeast; they're both snobs, apparently).

French film, pop music, etc., is definitely known around here. But, from an American perspective, the French seem really intense about accents. A classmate in college had parents born in France and she told a story about her father, who was born and raised in France, who lost his authentic French accent after living in the US for so long. When he visited France, the French shunned him because of his accent. To an American that seems truly bizarre, but I know it's the case in Italy, too ... a girlfriend was from Italy and she recounted similar things happening when she visited there.

I guess the French are also seen as being really stuck up on traditional culture, like families eating at the dinner table at a certain hour, etc. Where I'm from that's pretty much the norm, and so is the politeness and courtesy that's expected on say ... public transportation, etc. The coastal Northeast is still kind-of connected to its European roots. The rest of the country, god knows what it's like over there, but it's probably much different. That's why it's hard to judge anything as being universally American.

Bonjour Pat. I'm an American teenager. I was born in New York but I am now living in the Southeastern region of the U.S. which is home to many prejudice and culturely ignorant Americans. I myself, am not your average everyday American teenager and I love France and the French culture. It really bothers me that because of my government, (Bush ect...) Americans are percieved as war hungry and uncultured (which in many cases tends to be true, unfortunately)I cannot stand how so many Americans feel superior to the rest of the world when in reality my country is backwards at least a hundred years because of stupid politicians. I have visited France once and I absolutely adored it! The food was amazing and the way of life was even more amazing. It appeares to me that Americans live to work while the French and other Europeans work only so they can live and enjoy life. Is this really so? Do the French really enjoy life as much as it seems they do?

I haven't seen as many French movies as I would like but I just recently saw La Vie En Rose, a movie about the life of Edith Piaf. She was a great singer with a very tragic life. I also know of other famous French singers and actors such as Charles Aznavour, Yves Montand, Bridgette Bourdoue, Catherine Denevue, Alain Delon, and Marion Colltiard.

Some Americans think that the French are snobby and stuck up but I didn't find that at all. Using the little French I can speak I was able to cummunicate fine and thought that the people were kind and helpful. I can understand why some French people don't particularly like Americans in general. An example of this, I witnessed at the Charles De Gualle airport in Paris...A rather obese American couple, adorned in sweat pants and flip flops, were so rude to this poor French airport attendent. They were apparently lost and were constanly complaining about how there weren't enough signs written in English (which I myself didn't find at all.) After they finally left the poor man alone I could have sworn he was cursing them in French...which sounded so funny to me never having heard a Frenchman curse before. Anyway I had a fantastic time in Paris and I plan to go back (perhaps permanately)

hello,

I have seen that you (?) were interested in cultural differences between France and USA, and I'd like to answer you but the subject is rather vast, and it would be great if you could precise a little your question (or I will write too much about the subject :) and it might be too boring )

Another thing, that is quite important : are you french, american or english ?
Since I am french I could easily talk about french cuisine and give you a french point of view, but if you are french it won't interest you that much to have such a french point of view since you could have the same.

I would be happy to talk about this subject, since some differences are quite clear and others are not so obvious.

Kind regards
Pat

Hello Karen,

When reading your answer I noticed that where you live people do not talk that much about french people, and it is surprising to notice that in France everybody seems to have an opinion about american citizens, even if there are not a lot of american people in the town and area where I live. But it seems to me that french people are constantly under the influence of the american culture since there are a lot of american films and series on TV, there are also Mcdonalds "restaurants" and US music on radio.... and this is a good way for french people to appreciate the american culture, but as we are sometimes over-flooded with all these american products, some people comes to think that the USA are a threat for the french culture. (that is sometimes a reason why some people have a bad opinion of the USA, since french people are generally really attached to their culture and do not really like when another culture pretends to impose some of its "aspects".)

Concerning what french people think is crazy of american people, I may add all the stupids world records that some people are ready to do just to be "famous" (I do not say that some french people do not do such things, but the USA seem to be the place which has the world record :) of people ready to do stupid things just for fame !)
In addition to this, american people seems to be eccentric person, since we have examples of people disguised in hotdogs just to make advertising, or we have recently seen a man in underwear playing the guitar in the streets of New-York or Los Angeles (I do not remember well) to make money and this would not be possible in France since this man would be arrested for indecent behaviour.
American people are thought to be much more eccentric than french people, meaning that they are ready to do anything in order to be seen, to attract attention while french people are educated in a different way, since french kids often hear : "tiens-toi correctement !" = "behave correctly" or "ne te fais pas remarquer" = "Do not attract attention on you !"

I have to stop here for today, since I no longer have time to write, and you are maybe fed-up with readig me and my Frenglish !!
So I stop here and wait for replies, and I will maybe carry-on later on if you are not too bored with my replies!!

Thanks a lot if you have succeeded in reading till the end :)

To finish, I just wanted to say that when I talk about french or amrican people I just refer to some groups of people, and not to all american or to all french people since I am well aware that everybody do not have the same opinion concerning the same subject, and do not thing that I express or only express my opinion too, it is just a very general description of some thought, idea and opinions.

Here it is truly the END
Bye ;)
Pat

Hi!
Concerning the fact that a lot of countries are influenced by american culture, I think that the main reason why this culture is present all over the world is just a matter of business and money ! Indeed, the USA are the most powerfull country in the world, and it is seen as a chance if an american company is interested in your country to settle new firms and thus encrease the benefits your country can get from these new firms. This is why a lot of governments cannot (or dare not) say(ing) "no" to the USA government (and to all the products they want to sell : Mcdonalds, TV film....) Indded, just take for example what happened with France concerning the war in Irak, when the french government said it was against this war, the USA just kept on reminding us (french people)that they helped us during world war II. It is true that this help was necessary and welcomed (and we still thank americans for this help :) ) but is it a sufficient reason for us to always agree with the USA government ? And it appeared that the USA did not accept and understand this refusal to have the same point of view, and as a result they started making fun of France through some TV show, they stopped importing some french products.... this is the solution they found to make France understand that it did not behave correctly (with having a different point of view : who would accept that the difference of point of view is a kind of threat ?)So, the US government took economic sanctions against France. This is why I think that the fact that the american culture is spreading all over the world is just a matter of economic interests (even if I agree that a lot of people like what the US culture gives them ) I think that it is impossible for a country which wants to have some importance at an international point of view, to forbid this pieces of the US culture. Thus I think that money and business ( and business strategies) are the main reasons why the US culture spread all over the world, since the USA are the "1st economic power" (I don't know if it is correctly written in English ?! sorry !) of the world, and it can be resumed that way, with imaginnig the US government saying to a country wishing to develop "If you want to develop accept our goods and trade contracts, and we will help you. If you do not accept you will never succeed in developping". I do not think that this rapid sum-up is far from reality. And I think that the USA want its culture to develop all around the world to make the biggest amount of benefits it is possible to make, and the other countries which, maybe, do not have this capacity just have to accept this situation which nevertheless has its limits.

Here is my point of view about the reasons why the american culture influences a lot of countries in the world. There are certainly other reasons than economic one (it is obvious) but I cannot develop all of them (I would need several pages ! :) ) but I think that it is the main one. This is just my point of view of french man living out of the USA = an eye seeing the USA from abroad...maybe in a wrong way (not so sure it is the wrong way..)but just tell me what you think about this, since it is a great pleasure to talk to you !!!!!

Bye
have a nice day/evening/night.....
Pat. ;)

Hi Karen,

To answer your question : no, I have never visited the US , I am not rich enough :) I am still a student at university (and thus I do not have enough money to go to the US !But I hope to go and visit the US in the future.) but I "know" more or less some aspects of the US culture, and the US in a more general point of view, since I study anglo-saxons countries and cultures (language, literature, history, politics...) And what about you, have you ever visited France? It is a pity that we cannot put photos on this forum, since we could have shared photos of your countries, as well as of the place where we live !

"I guess the government or the people who do business for America shouldn't be all about money or benefits." I agree with you, but the reality tends to prove that only money and benefits are important nowadays. This is somethings that french people often associate with the US. Indeed, a lot of french people think that US big firms and citizens are ready to do anything for money and benefits, it is another stereotype french people have on the US. It seems that in the US there are no limits when business and money are concerned. Every possible way to earn a lot of money, or make as much benefits as possible seems to be allowed, while in France some would be forbidden or strictly controled to avoid abuses, and to protect the workers and their rights.
It can sometimes appear that the US government or big firms would prefer benefits rather than respecting the rights of their employees.
Money is more or less a taboo in France. Indeed, it is not well percieved for example to publicly say how much you earn-if you earn quite a lot of money-since you would be seen as a pretentious person who would like to make people be aware of the social differences (so that the people in front of this person would feel inferior) and of the fact that some people earn a lot while other are not that way lucky. This is maybe due to the fact that in France people are really concerned with the word "equality" as in the french motto :
"Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité " = Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood.

To carry on the fact that make french people think that americans are (sometimes) crazy, I want to add plastic surgery. Indeed, there are a lot of examples of american people using plastic surgery to look younger, while they just look more unnatural and awfull ! (that's just my point of view !) Just take the example of Mickael Jackson !! Is he not now a kind of alien coming from another planet ?! :)
Plastic surgery can be great for some people, but in the US some people seem to abuse of it, and the results are just......awfull and frightening ! Don't you think so?

Here is the end of my writing today, another big one ... next time I will maybe deal with more positive aspects, because i have just talked about some more or less "negative" (and sometimes funny) things, but french people really like the US and its inhabitants for various reasons.

and what about you ? what do you think about french people, France, its customs...? Just tell me how do you imagine this country and its inhabitants, I am sure you have some idea, or stereotypes (good or/and bad ), it would really be a pleasure for me to read what you have to say about my country.

I'm really happy to talk with you !!
kind regards
Pat.

Hi Karen !
It is a great pleasure to read you! I am really pleased to read a few french words in your last message! (your french seems to be very good !)
You say you are teaching french : it is great, if ever you need help or information about something concerning french do not hesitate to ask me, I would be really happy to help you ;)

Concerning what you said about the fact that in France (and other foreign countries) we only see rich people and celebrities from the US, it is true but we know that they do not represent all american citzens. I am well aware that the US are not a country full of rich people and celebrities. I know that there are "ordinary" people, but I talked about the rich and celebrities, just to point out the fact that these people, who can use plastic surgery (for example),often abuse of it, and thus they look ridiculous and that is what french people think when they see them, but we are well aware that they do not at all represent each and every US inhabitant (fortunatly !!)
I imagine that "ordinary" people are quite like french ordinary ones.

Concerning the way french people generally sees americans, I may add something that you could often hear in France when somebody wants to make fun of US people and it has something to do with foods since a lot of french people, if they were asked to make a caricature of an american woman or man, would say (or draw) that american people are fat because they do not eat correctly (too much hamburgers!) But, as I have just said, it is a caricatural vision of US inhabitants (meaning that we know that all americans are not fat, and do not constantly eat hamburgers, of course !! :) )
How do american people would make a caricature of french people ?
I think I've got the answer : bread, beret, mustache, accordion ! Is it true ? I think it is since we often see US or UK caricatures of french people corresponding to these 4 words.

I have read in your last message that you find that french people are polite. It is true, since people think it is very important to say "bonjour, au revoir, merci ....". You could often meet a mother with her child in a bakery buying bread (for example a typical caricature :) ) and the mother will ask her child to take the bread , and if her kid does not say "thank you" the mother would tell him/her : "et qu'est ce que tu dis à la dame/au monsieur ?" = "what should you tell now to the baker ?" and normally the child would answer "Merci", and then the Baker and the mother would exchange smiles. This is a situation that frequently takes place.
Just an advice : if one day you go in France, people would really be pleased if you tell them "bonjour, merci, au revoir...", even if you do not speak french except these words they will be happy, since they will consider that you are polite first, that you try to make efforts to speak french, and then (for french people) it shows some sort of respect. So, learn these french words first and you will be easily accepted and people will try to make efforts to understand you, to help you.... Be carefull, I do not say that if you do not use these words people would be unfriendly with you, but they can help them to be friendlier.
I am sure that americans are polite too, but maybe they do not think these words to be so important. For french people they correspond to a kind of respect you show to the person who is in front of you.

I have seen that you wanted to ask you clasmates and teachers, what they think about french people, it is a great idea, but do not feel obliged to do it for me! I would feel guilty to "oblige" you to do this (I have read that you are shy, but it may be just to speak french but if you are really shy I would really feel ill at ease)just because I often ask you to tell me what american people think about french.

For the photos it is a great idea to make a website, I will maybe do the same if I have time, because I think it is interesting to share some pictures of our countries because they could show some cultural differences (since we are in the topic "cultural differences"), but simply it is interesting to see how the US really look like (and the same for you concerning France, even if I know that these pictures will show just a town or a more or less big area of each country, and not the whole country with all its specificities and differences)

Have a nice week-end !
Kind regards
Pat

Hi Pat,

I've been reading the posts on this topic because I too have been curious as to the French opinion of Americans. I am 23 years old, and I live in Dallas, Texas. I am traveling to London and Paris this August and wanted to know how the French percieved the American people. I agree with Karen's comments in that I believe the majority of the world believes that Americans are exactly like what the see in American Films and T.V. Most Americans have a great respect for French culture and look in awe at the architectual masterpieces, philosphers and artists that have come from France. I took classes in both high school and college that had a great deal of focus on Descartes, Rousseau, and Voltaire.

While I was in high school we had a French foriegn exchange student named Violette. I'd have to say that the fact she was French made her one of the most popular people at our school. Americans as a whole are very fascinated and interested by European cultures. Everyone wanted to know what it was like to grow up and live in France, French customs, etc., and what the French thought of the American people. I believe what bothered her the most about American culture was gun-ownership. Remember that this is Texas, and Texas prides itself in liberal gun policy. I had to point out to her that this was not what it was like in the rest of the United States. For example- in several states and cities like New York City and Massachusets, it is very difficult to get permission to obtain a firearm. I would elaborate more but I am trying to be consise so you do not get bored reading all this.

My point being that the political viewpoints and social atmosphere differ greatly depending on the geographic region of the United States. There are, however, a few cultural aspects of the American people that tend to be present throughout the greater whole of the United States. In the words of your newly-elected president: "Americans don’t ask about the diplomas or social origins of someone who comes up with a new idea; they just ask whether the idea is good or not. Past failures, if they’re honorable ones, should be seen as an opportunity to learn, and not as a stain on one’s reputation.” American culture holds people who have extreme drive and motivation in the highest regard. In America, if you want something badly enough (admission to a certain college, a job, opportuinity, business venture) then we believe you must work your absolute hardest to attempt to achieve this(moral and ethical restrictions do apply). We believe that to do anything less is to fail yourself.

I know I wrote alot and I deleted several sentences that I hope to elaborate on in this future. I am curious to know more about your opinions of us! I look foward to hearing your reply.

i am a senior in high school and i am currently working on a research paper that is dealing with french/american relations. thank you to both pat and karen for posting your opinions on your own countries. it was very interesting and helpful to read.

one thing i wanted to add, pat, in your first post you asked what french music and movies we know of, my favorites are amelie, the triplets of belleville, and yann tiersen. i am not sure if you know of these, but i like them a lot. :)

Wow, I really enjoy listening to what all of you have to say. Pat, if it's long, that's okay, i like reading all of it.:)

Yes, I live in a city, but not as big as Los Angeles. Where you live are there freeways,and big buildings?

Votre anglais est tres bien(Your english is really good). Anyone would think an american wrote it. Except, this was the only imperfect english.
(Karen is used reading me, and told me it was not that way bad = thanks Karen)

I will add,probably later, more pictures of people and more things. I would be extremely happy to see some pictures of France especially in snow.Here, in the city where I live, it never snows. You would have to go to the mountains to find snow. I've only been to the snow once so you're very fortunate if you live where it snows.

When I go to France, I'll be sure go to Paris and smaller cities around.
Sorry I don't know alot about french people, it would help if t.v. stations here showed more about the rest of the world. But they seem to be people who really enjoy life. i think everyone here thinks the same.The only thing i can think of is that some people say french people don't shower everyday. is that true? and I think that's okay because that's their custom. right?
If they don't shower, do they smell? or is it not noticed because everyone's used to it?
I hope this doesn't offend french people in anyway.

About the stereotype of being shot by a crazy man, that is something that like in any country,it happens but mostly the U.S.is a safe plece like any other country.You could live here your whole life and not ever be in danger of getting shot. It's mostly rare that that would happen unless you live in a dangerous community.

Sorry, I haven't seen any french movies BUT I'm thinking about seeing a movie called Paris, Je t'aime. First I nedd to see what it's about. But also, I might see if i see "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain". I mostly don't know about these because I haven't seen the ads on television for it. Here if you turn on the tv, most commercials and ads are about American movies and products.

May I ask, is Pat short for your name or a nickname? Is it a common name in France? Here, Pat is a name.

Also, I watched on t.v. the The French Open tennis competition in Paris. I saw some of the match between Montanes and Nadal.

De rien. pour les images, I was glad to help you see a bit of what it looks like here.
How's my French? okay?

Bon Soir,
Karen :)

Bonjour! I have a question for Pat19. I'd like to know how the French handle dating and relationships. The reason I ask is because I've been dating a Frenchman for the past two months and I've noticed a lot of cultural differences in how we go about dating. Things have been going great and it seems that we're in a "relationship" but nothing is official. Do the French assume that because a couple goes out on a few dates that they're together? Is there some sort of verbal agreement that's made before a relationship is official, like we do in the US? One of the things that shocked me was that my French "friend" found it strange that I had only been intimate with a few guys. Are French women loose? Are infidelity and open-relationships common in France? I've tried talking to him about these sort of things but he thought it was too early to discuss a relationship yet we act like we're in a relationship already by American standards. I don't know what to expect or to make of our dates or relationship. I'd really appreciate a response from anyone that knows anything about the matter! Merci beaucoup!

Bonjour! Comment ca va ?
Merci for telling me my french was good.

About names: some of the ones you mentioned are used here like:

Matthieu-here it's Matthew,Nicolas= Nicholas or Nick, Sebastien= Sebastian,Paul, Frederick,Georges= George?,Christophe=Christopher,Louis= lewis?,Thomas, Benjamin

girls: Marie or Maria,Catherine or Katherine,Noémie=Noemi(mimi for short),Nathalie=Natalie,Sylvie=Sylvia?,Evelyne,Laura,Emamnuelle is for boys usually here.Simone, Stephanie,Audrey, Vanessa, Julie.

Popular names here for boys: Jacob,Michael,Joshua,Christopher,Andrew, Daniel, Anthony,William,Ryan,David,James,John,Jonathan,Benjamin,Gabriel,Kevin,Anjel,Robert,Jose,Juan,Lucas,Brian,Nathaniel,Carlos,Alex.

For girls:Emily,Ana,Olivia,Samantha,Ashley,Elizabeth,Alexis,Natalie,Lauren,Jessica,Jasmine,Jacqueline,Alexandar,Catherine,Jeniffer, Megan,Michelle,Vanessa,Diana,Amanda.

Common family names or what we call last names are: Garcia, Gonzalez, Martinez,Johnson,Williams,Jones, Brown,Davis, Moore,Anderson,Rodrigues,Lewis,Young,Hernandez,Lopez,Perez,Campbell,Sanchez..

About the not showering...
I was talking to my teacher and she was telling me she had gone to Paris and that she went to the hotel and she had to ask for a shower because she said the people in France don't shower evryday. Also, I had been on the internet looking up stereotypes and I saw one that said french people don't shower everyday and someone on the wbesite explained they don't but something like that cities now follow American customs and shower everyday. something like that...That's why I was asking if it was true. Somewhere I read that some soldiers from a war years ago had reported that french woman smelled and weren't well groomed so maybe that's how it started. I don't know.

About the pictures...
Wow! our freeway is realy nearby.
Where you live, It's not like a city? What are the streets like?
Any pictures that show what France is like will do. You live around castles? You live near old churches and monuments?

About the work thing, My teacher told me that, but I really don't know how she knows.I don't know how much vacation time people take off at work because I'm not old enough to work. But there are days off for people who work in government jobs like banks and schools.Also Christmas and Thanksiving are hvacation for most people but not all, For example, my mom works as a nurse so on Christmas she did have to go to work. Some holidays like Memorial day, only schools and banks and others take that day off.

Yeah, I would like to talk about school, or if you work, what do you work in or what is it like in your job?

a tout a l'heure,
Karen

Hi Dia !

In France, it is true that when you introduce your boyfriend or girlfriend to your family, it does mean that your relationship is a serious one. But concerning your friends it depends on your beloved's caracter, because from some people it is not that way important, while others are reluctant to meet their boyfriend/girlfriend's friends, because it could mean that your remationship is becoming serious, but also because he wants to keep you just for himself, and meeting your friend would mean to "share " you in a certain way. And, as it seems your relationship is quite recent, I think that he prefers being only with you rather than with your friends, because he is interested in you and not yet in your friends.
Another reason could also be the fact that he is a frenchman in a foreign country, and he has to get used to american people, their way of being and thinking, so he may be feared to meet too much people, and have the feeling he does not understand what they are saying ("they are maybe making fun of me and I do not understand", could be what he could think) or many other things like this. It could thus be difficult to face people your beloved like while you could dislike them.
Thus, I think that in your case he prefers being with you and getting used being with you rather than being confronted to people he is not used understanding yet.

Concerning dating, usually people like being with their boy/girlfriend, some cannot stop phoning them and sharing time together. In France it is more often girls who phone their boyfriend than the contrary. In your case, I do not know if he can easily come to see you, since he could have come earlier (if you are waiting since saturday). If he cannot (work a lot, far from you...) I don't think the fact he does not call you or see you means a lot of things, he is maybe and simply a shy man!!

But as I told you some men in France do not call very often their girlfriend, but they are pleased when she calls. ( they "prefer" waiting their girlfriend to phone rather than phoning themselves, since it is well known that it is girls/women who like spending hours phoning their friends, and not men :)

I hope I answer you.
Have a nice day
bye
Pat

Hi Dia !

I am glad if I've answered your dating questions ! But I am sorry, I do not know what you mean when you deal with "facebook" = I do not know this word and I do not know what it means.
I've looked for "facebook" in dictionnaries but I did not find it, and then I've looked on the net and I found it was a kind of website connecting people together : "Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you."
If you talked about that, I can just answer that I am not on Facebook, and I even not knew this website (it is maybe a shame ?! so shame on me ! :) but I've never hear about this facebook, I do not think it is known in France )

Nonetheless I am really happy if I have helped you ;)
If you have other questions DO NOT HESITATE ;)

Have a very nice day !
Pat

Pat -

Bonjour, bonjour ! Merci beaucoup for sharing your stories, your opinions. I truly enjoy reading them!

It is funny that what you said a few posts back about never discussing money, not drawing attention to oneself - this is how I was raised! These are both in the worst of taste and display bad breeding. This