Going to the Continent or France if you prefer is always enjoyable.
First, you ned to prepare your bags and/or suitcases. Travelling light is always a winner.
So, there are various way to go across the Channel: Ferry, Plane, Eurostar.
France is good for various things. But Paris is not France.
It is the Capital city but why not explore other tiny villages and towns?
Food is usually the main attraction. Local producers and markets are the way to go. Unique flavours and able to taste before buying is usually common.
In Le Mans for instance they have "Les Rillettes".
There are also the "Caves Viticoles" : Wineries.
So combining food and wine is a winner. However, it is important to pick the right wine in order to get all the right "saveurs" from the food.
But, let's talk about the french language.
Each time when going back to France there are changes in the vocabulary. Sometimes, some words don't make sense, especially when analysing it all.
As a few examples: French call celebrities "people". There is also the word "addict" which is taken from the English language.
When it comes to technology is it even more confusing.
They do pronounce iPod, iPhone and iPad the same way as the rest of the world. However...for WiFi....it is "WeeFee". So, why keep the anglo-saxon pronunciation for some words but switch to French for others?
Same goes with "Firewall" it remains for some but others will use the french alternative "Pare-feu".
Why making things complicated - and should technology not been a standardised language so everyone is using the same words without any changes?
In general, USB is similar - this is maybe the exception!
It seems that France is moving towards a rather uncertain future. Is this country losing its identity?
Recently and sadly, St Emilion Estate was sold to a Chinese investor.
So, it reaaly seems that French citizens enjoy this kind of daily torture, but don't even see that there would be an easier way to deal with it.
When going to a business, whether to buy clothes, IT products or asking for a service it could turn to an endless conversation.
A lot of people can be frustrated and almost angry when going to La Poste because the simple action of sending a parcel abroad is something "unusual" and long winded!
When it comes to sort out all retirement documents - even for the french residents - it is a real hassle. Endless paperwork. Bureaucracy is almost partof their daily lifestyle. They love to have "attestation" for everything in order to certify that you have attended that training or school - and usually 3 copies are necessary too! Deep breath and relax.
Finally, when some people start to visit French forums dedicated to iPhone it is a complete new world.
The word "jailbreak" and the verb "jailbreaker" is used. So mixing French sentences and languages with an English verb right in the middle sounds and looks slightly odd. But it seems normal for the french users. Are they consequently and unconsciously speaking Franglais?
As a final note should "jailbreaker" not be swapped for "déverouiller" or "pirater"- a real French word!
Great write up. I love french language. I have taken various courses to learn french. I have got some ideas from you . Thanks for sharing this nice post.
Posted by: cathyee | 09/04/2013 at 17:55