My life with the French

When you hear the word "French", what comes into your mind?

For some, the most common words that would likely remind them are baguette, coffee, romantic, French bread, the Eiffel Tower, or simply people who have hygiene problems (no offense to my French readers, here!)

But really; it takes a little while to know a detailed view about the French culture. The stereotypical society may be intimidating at first, but when you get to learn about them and accept them, you will realize they can be a fun crowd, too.

Being involved with a few good (and crazy) expatriates for several years, I noticed a lot of common traits and interesting habits they share. Though I don't really know how they behave back in their hometown, my life with these people here in Manila had been pretty much exciting. Here are a number of thoughts about them:

They have a funny but sexy accent.
You can laugh all your hearts out, but when I was first introduced to the French company I worked at a few years back, I thought my foreign colleagues would either have an American or a British accent--merely for being white, or residing in the west. But I was completely, without a doubt, stupidly wrong. They spoke with an accent that was very odd to my ears. It was quite similar to an Indian accent but not too thick; and a tone that seemed to have a repetitive sound. But despite the hilarious, silly accent, it gradually felt like romance in my ears. They have this distinctive gesture a bit like Italian (without the exaggerating hand movements, of course), and the way they stare are dramatic and sweet. Well not everyone, but most of them. (French dudes, you can react later, LOL)  

They talk in crowds using their native tongue even if they're with another nationality.
No matter how many Filipinos they are with, they won't make an effort to speak in English especially if they walk along with their kind. They just... don't care!
They will even speak louder in French especially if they're jiving along a topic. And what do we, Filipinos do? Stare at them, I guess. And pretty much wait for them to turn their heads and say, "Ooops! I forgot to say it in Engleesh!"
Well, some of my French fellows have an explanation for that. Most of them do that because they are intimidated with the English language, especially if they know their companions speak them well. But to me? Naaah. Unexcused!  

They drink beer like water.
Some people told me that the Germans are the kings of extracted barley. True enough, but I never realized how the French can also be addicted to beer. As I mentioned earlier, they treat it like water. Although beer isn't really their favorite (nor coffee), wine gives an impact to their social life, especially when they meet someone for the first time. 
I remember when I hanged out with a group of interns back in 2007, they asked me out for a drink. I was shocked when they took me to a beer house! Well that was because I was thinking it this way: when it comes to liquor, there will be happy hours and the idea of getting drunk is present--because I was only familiar of the Filipino culture. But to the French, it was totally a different thing. Hard drinks are for socializing, not for bad influence (though sometimes it depends on the case). France is also home to thousands of breweries and vineyards and since it has been a tradition for the French to drink, beer and wine are simply equivalent to an everyday fruit juice.   

  

Smoking is paradise.
Yes, these people are literally CRAZY over a box of cigarettes. In fact most of them buy their smokes in reams. Everywhere they go, they smoke. They just fill the whole place with smoke!
That's because cigarettes are  almost entirely prohibited in France, and smoking is very expensive there. A regular box almost costs 5 euros (285php or 6.62USD) and a ream is four times the price. Whereas in Manila, a box costs more or less 25pesos, making it almost free for the European market (and half a dollar in the US). So as long as they are staying here, where almost all the influential things are permissible, they take the most out of it and enjoy the perks of well, burning their lungs.

They eat salad for lunch.
While the Pinoys enjoy a meal of more than five times a day, the French try to reduce as much of their diet from two to sometimes one whole meal. And their favorite ingredients? Green, leafy vegetables.
I do not completely understand why they are so fond of salads. They are actually very creative in combining them from the common corn, carrots, celery, lettuce and potatoes to avocado, almonds, red cabbage, mangoes, black olives, bell pepper, zucchini, chicken, and whatever they can think of. Olive oil is their basic condiment for salads but I sometimes see them put balsamic vinegar in it. 

They worship the sun.
It is fairly understandable that white people crave to have that tan complexion using natural heat. But lo and behold--the French (no matter the color) expose themselves under the sun for almost the rest of the day without even using an umbrella. In fact, they laugh and wonder why the Filipinos make it a habit to use an umbrella in the sunny weather. Well, we have obvious reasons--one, for already being tan; and two, the UV rays of a tropical country can bring skin cancer to anyone staying under it for more than three hours. But because summer is short in Europe and gray skies surround the country for almost the entire year, the sunshine is like gold on their skins.

Their second spouse is the beach.
And because the beach is much different in the tropical islands compared to their cold, lifeless oceans; the French never get tired of coming back to the sea for another tanning and enjoying marine life. What's more is, beach-hopping in the Philippines is way much cheaper compared to the neighboring countries. 
 

Complaining is a hobby.
Need to say more? Maybe I'll explain a bit. Simple--they just love to complain, debate, argue--name it. As long as their mouths are open, they will never stop. That's because they're used to the convenience of their country. France is known for awesome bullet trains, high-class coffee shops and restaurants, haute couture, fancy hotels, and a combination of classic and modern architecture. Everything moves fast in France. And if they notice something that does not match their complacency, they simply complain!  

Cheese and wine is their favorite dessert.

The clubs are their evening cribs.
While the Pinoys carry their way to the malls, the French rather spend their weekends in clubs. House and techno are their kind of music, and oh--there's plenty more of beer to celebrate with!


They have this "thrift issue" that beats the locals.
Among the foreigners that I've met, the French are the stingiest people. As long as they can squeeze their budget to the limit, they would do it.

They got 'wheels' on their feet.
The French always get a high score among several candidates of world tourists. Almost every country have French people living in it, or are taking a vacation. French people are very curious, adventurous, and daring individuals. They can travel in an elite, casual way, or walk the world with only a bag on their backs. And they are not ashamed of it.


And most of all...

They love Manila.
Most of the French I know are so in love with my country, mainly because it's affordable, it's accessible, and freedom is in their hands. Almost all the things they want is here--nature, exotic food, stylish living, rowdy adventures, and rebellious interests, LOL.

So those are just some of the traits that I can share to you. There's actually a lot to know, but I challenge you to learn more by meeting one in person and feel the experience on your own. :-) Vive la France!