Showing posts with label acceptable social behavior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acceptable social behavior. Show all posts

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Professor


Guess who took a French teacher?  No, it wasn't you.
I did!
He is very nice and very proper.  He comes to my house and, in a very organized format, corrects my French.  I will say that I think he takes a certain delight in it.  They all do, (the French).  They all take delight in correcting you.
It has been beaten into them so hard that they can't help themselves from doing the same.
I almost have sympathy for them
...until they interrupt me,
mid-conversation
to explain how I have made a grammar mistake.

And then I want to swear at them in French. Which I don't do. 
It takes a lot for me to swear in French.  I'll swear in my own language, but it takes a special kind of asshole to elicit French swearing. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Le sigh

The French might be the kings of exagerrated non-verbal signs.  They don't like giving praise - it should be understood that if no C'est de la merde was uttered, that what you have done is good. Or if things go the other direction, they just might force out Le sigh.

You should hear this rush of air being forced out of almost-pouted lips, saturated with eye-rolling disgust. It is impressive how they are able to fit so much irritation into one exhale.

But adding irritation to already irritating situations had to stop.  Must get Frog to poop outside of the pond.
I had heard it a hundred times, didn't quite remember to catch it in the act. 
So this is the first time I could consciously point it out.  We were at an airport, our flights had been canceled, thus causing a serious problem for us to catch our connecting flight, to get to our hotel that was already paid for, and pick up our rental car to drive across Costa Rica to pick up my dear old dad and stepmom, with whom we were sharing a car to get to my sister's wedding.
But this was not why Le Sigh came out. No.  I hear the wind in my ear, only to turn in the direction of my Cheri to see him looking across airport check-in hall  at a woman with a small dog... in a wheel chair.  It looked something like this

This was the scene that was so irritating that he forced Le Sigh out. 
Yes, what could possibly be more irritating than being late for my sister's wedding, leaving my dad waiting for us for 4 hours at the airport only to take a Costa Rican bus across the mountains, and us losing money vacation time.  Apparently a dog in a wheelchair.



On a more awesome note, I realized I have begun doing Le Sigh. 
I suppose it shouldn't be much of a surprise, when I first got here and we had arguments, I spoke in French.  It may have been the awkward Belgian French that the French French deem as coming out of the mouth of a Spanish Cow, but still, I could be clearly understood. So it shouldn't really be surprising that I would take a step forward towards Frenchness in order to be understood. 
Yes, now everyone will completely understand me when I am so disdainfully full of disgust at a situation that  I must lazily roll my eyes and force all the air out of my half-puckered lips. 

Friday, July 6, 2012

Common acceptable social behavior


Unsurprisingly from the country that gives you store workers and servers who can't be bothered to serve you, I bring you another awesome acceptable behavior: the non response

Picture this:

It's BBQ time and KB sends out a nice invitation for all her network in Frantasyland

response:   10 people respond immediately "on vacation"
                   5   people respond in the next 5 days
                   22 people do not respond at all

Have you been in a room with someone who isn't listening to you?  Have you perhaps done this to your parents when you were young or had your kids do this to you?
Exactly.
This is a behavior for underage people.  This should not be the behavior of adults or anyone over the age of 16.  Nor should it be acceptable behavior in offices, business meetings or between friends.


What will also happen:   
                        22 people will respond the NIGHT BEFORE or day of the event-
                                  -20 saying they are available and might bring a friend
                                   -2 asking what this BBQ is all about.
Really?
Yes, really.  Welcome to France kids!