What I like and what I don’t

Read regular guest posts about a Kiwi living abroad in a non-English speaking country.

On Friday I went to the little arthouse cinema down the road to see A bout de souffle.* It’s a classic French film, made in 1960 and directed by Jean-Luc Goddard, and was one of the first and most important films of the French New Wave movement. Basically, New Wave filmmakers, working in the 1950s and 1960s, were known for their radical new approach to filmmaking – for example they used quite out-there editing techniques and improvised dialogue, and often presented existential themes. The aim was not to mesmerise or enchant the audience with a story – on the contrary, they aimed to draw attention to the fact that a film is just a series of moving images. (I sourced all that from Wikipedia). Anyway, the film was good. A bit strange, but good.

It features an American actress called Jean Seberg (who, in the film, speaks gramatically perfect French with an incredibly strong American accent). She has a short pixie haircut and wears stripes and slim pants, and her style in the film has since become an iconic look. In fact she appeared in quite a few French films, and this is what she had to say about life in France:

“The French life has its drawbacks. One of them is the formality. The system seems to be based on saving the maximum of yourself for those nearest you. Perhaps that is better than the other extreme in Hollywood, where people give so much of themselves in public life that they have nothing left over for their families. Still, it is hard for an American to get used to. […] I miss that casualness and friendliness of Americans, the kind that makes people smile. I also miss blue jeans, milk shakes, thick steaks and supermarkets.”

I was really struck by how aptly she described her view of the French approach to relationships – saving yourself for those closest to you. And her comment about milkshakes and thick steaks got me thinking about what I like and don’t like about France. Since I haven’t done a post on that yet, here goes…

A random little selection of things I like -

I like the French rituals that structure human interactions. For example, giving a kiss on each cheek, or shaking hands, when you first see someone for the day. Or wishing your colleagues “bon appetit” when you leave work and head to your respective homes for lunch.

I like how a lot of French food packaging has instructions on how it should be sorted and whether it can be recycled. It’s a small gesture, but it encourages me to put more things in the recycle.

I like how there are lots of clubs and associations (at least in my town). Running clubs, swimming clubs, and in each wee suburb there is an association that puts on regular events and activities for residents who live nearby. You get the impression that the community is a living, breathing thing with a bit of structure to it.

Things I don’t like about France – or that I miss about New Zealand –

I don’t like how a lot of French people spit in the street. Not everyone, of course, and usually young people. But it’s certainly more noticable than in New Zealand. And it’s pretty gross.

I don’t like how loooong some things take to get done. It took weeks and weeks for my French credit card to arrive in the mail. Also, in theory my employer should reimburse me for 50% of my transport costs, but when I asked them about it, they said some kind of essential “function” was not working at their end and so it couldn’t be done, and I should check back in later. Which seems like a pretty lame reason to me.

I don’t like the constant road works. The workers make big holes in the footpath and put up signs telling pedestrians to cross on the other side of the road. You cross the road, only to come across a barrier and a sign telling you to cross on the other side of the road. Free amusement for the afternoon if you have some spare time, but a bit annoying if you’re trying to get anywhere.

I think the unfamiliarity of a new culture serves to really draw your eye to what’s different, and you can’t help making comparisons with “back home”. The key is to let yourself appreciate the positive parts of what’s different, without letting it be ruled out by what you miss. To be honest, the only thing that I really truly miss about New Zealand is my family and friends. And fish and chips.

Jean Seberg is buried in the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris. I hope she ended up with some French people close to her, and she saved a little bit of herself for them.

*In English, Breathless

Mihiata  – Saint Nazaire, France

Follow this link to see an interview with Jean Seberg, the actress in ‘Breathless’.