Des Observations

A few general observations about the French here in Aix-en-Provence, to help you fill in the backgrounds of your mental paintings.


They love exact change (or as close to it as possible), but hate small change even more than we do in the U.S. I've actually had vendors give me a cheaper price just to avoid small change, even if it was exact. The man from whom I generally buy les abricots secs and les épices has told me that le prix for my goods was €3.32, but when I handed him exact change he refused the two-cent coin.


They do not understand that hot food and plastic should not be mixed. At my favorite spot to get take-out café I have been handed a chocolat chaud (liquid this time) that was served in a plastic cup with a straw. Cheap expresso is regularly served in small plastic cups. Fortunately, the hot drinks here do not seem to be QUITE as hot as back home. Still hot enough to burn those sensitives like myself, but they are generally consumable within about five minutes. Quite a happy change.


Hand sanitation also seems to be an unknown concept. Vendors regularly touch money then the food they're preparing, then serve the food. All of this is generally done without gloves, too. I once had a vendor scratch her face then continue preparing my crêpe. Fortunately, she was using a spatula and not actually touching the food.


The men here are mostly quite ugly and primarily quite arrogant. They don't live up to the women here, who all present themselves so well that one has to wonder why they haven't abandoned French men as a whole. I've also met more personable women than men.


The toddlers are frequently quite wild and energetic. There is much fun to be had in watching them terrorize pigeons in the plazas and run around with branches in the parks, all while yelling. Though, they can be well behaved; even these wildlings understand when they ought to say 'thank you.' Perhaps this is a lesson some U.S. children could learn? ;) The parents also seem far less concerned that their children will be harmed than parents in the U.S. are. Young children frequently trail dozens of yards behind or in front of their guardians on the main streets, or run almost free in the plazas while their parents huddle and chat.


Salut!


I should have a usable computer and internet soon, so blog updates will be more frequent!


News from the regular academic world: My paper application has garnered me a video interview for the August Orientation staff at Denison. Not the June O, but really that's even better - leaves time for having a regular job or internship. Aug O would pay approximately $500, I believe, plus room and board. I would only have to leave for school about a week early. Of course, all of this means I still have to search for another job or internship!