Im now welsh

[pinkfluff<P>Big Wet Drops and Lots of Them, Are a Sure Sign of Rain!<P>]

I found out my grandfather was Welsh ever since  I found out. I have decided purely for entertainment purposes that with my Welsh surname I am also Welsh and when a french person asks if I am English I say NO indigantly Pay de Gaul and then proceed to slag the English off, now what amazes me is they not only agree with me, but elabarate on why the English are not so nice it has made me think what do the French really think of us I mean are they going to tell to our faces. I think not.  a little worrying 

[Christine Animal]

I am learning more and more today.  I didn't Know Fluff was a "Welsh surname"...  

[letrangere]

I've noticed over the years that my husband, who was born in Wales, only ever admits this when either in Wales itself or France.  And, like you, the response from French people is always very positive.  I think they feel a certain affinity with the Welsh.  M

[Russethouse]

Unlike admitting you are Welsh in England which can have the opposite effect

[Ron Avery]

[quote]I found out my grandfather was Welsh ever since I found out. I have decided purely for entertainment purposes that with my Welsh surname I am also Welsh and when a french person asks if I am English ...[/quote]

"I have decided purely for entertainment purposes that with my Welsh surname I am also Welsh" 

So PF,  you now speak French with a pakistani accent then

[Tonyf]

I am not surpised at this apparent 'understanding' between the Welsh and and French.

They share the same love and physical bond with their sheep

Also, it is possibly something to do with lack of recent success on the battlefield against the engish?

[RayB]

[quote]I found out my grandfather was Welsh ever since I found out. I have decided purely for entertainment purposes that with my Welsh surname I am also Welsh and when a french person asks if I am English ...[/quote]

** what amazes me is they not only agree with me, but elabarate on why the English are not so nice it has made me think what do the French really think of us I mean are they going to tell to our faces. I think not.**

Same thing happens when we tell them we are Americans.

[letrangere]

"Same thing happens when we tell them we are Americans."

You're having us on, Ray, surely?    They can't be real Frenchmen, they're Bretons or other foreigners? 

Incidentally, a Belgian colleague of mine with a place near Beziers says she would much prefer to be British as the locals are far more friendly and co-operative towards her British friends and neighbours than they are towards her and her German husband.  I told her it's because we have centuries of experience of colonising places.   (And we do a much better job of it than either the Belgians or the Germans, but we won't go into that here...)

M

 

[Leschenauds]

Our french neighbours love us Brits, which includes everyone from that big island just off Calais, they don't tend to differentiate between english, scots and welsh. The irish are also popular. They do however dislike germans but positively hate parisians. Probably a local thing!

As home counties residents, I found that the cornish were anti us unless we were buying something from them and the Dublin Irish love everyone. Same in France I suppose there are as many regional differences in attitude to others as in the UK.

[RayB]

[quote]"Same thing happens when we tell them we are Americans." You're having us on, Ray, surely? They can't be real Frenchmen, they're Bretons or other foreigners? Incidentally, a Belgian colleag...[/quote]

**You're having us on, Ray, surely?**

Sigh!! Unfortunately, M, no! Sometimes it is almost embarrassing how profusely they apologize for thinking we were Brits. We have been coming to this area for 10 years and as often as every six weeks before retiring here three years ago. We rent as it would be foolish to tie up capital at my age and health. We mysteriouly 'missed-out' on two places we really liked. One of our friends in the business told us to mention we were Americans on very first contact. We did and had our choice of five different places with three companies in the following week.

**They can't be real Frenchmen, they're Bretons or other foreigners?**

You are absolutely correct! We are 'Honorary Bretons' and were 'Honorary Corish' for ten years before that. We like it that way! We live in 'Patton Country' and Bretons remember. Our welcome to the community still amazes us.

[Teamedup]

Well Rayb, you have me there. I have yet to meet a french person who hasn't travelled and in fact many who have, who have anything nice or good to say about les americains. I have told folks on many occasions that I love visiting the States and that les americains are usually a good lot. I get the look of disbelief everytime.

 

My postmistress enounced to me, during other business AND quite unsolicited by myself, that french people were hypocrites. They'd be all nice and then gossiping or stabbing a person in the back when out of sight. And that british people were franc and she preferred that.  I told her that there were hypocrites everywhere and that les anglais were not always franc, but got a look of disbelief. I have to also add that we previously had had a right royal row  in front of a post office full of people.

 

A friend of mine frequently warns me about certain people in the village and how they gossip and get up to mischief.

 

And I am a wise enough old bird to know that someone being or appearing friendly is not necessarily trying to be a friend.

[Miki]

Don't know how good your French is but, since the Iraq issue, plenty of local French as well as French guests from further afield infer that the Americans are not quite what they believed them to be and that they feel they have caused them to fear attacks through no fault of their own, due they feel, to the Americans taking World affairs in to their own hands.

As for "Patten" country, my Father used to always say just how angry he was, that the British Tommy's, Canadians and others were not given their completely deserved equal footing in the liberation and so many French (not ALL, before anyone says just how much their neighbours admire the British) think that it was just the Americans that "liberated" the country. (but don't get me started on that old chestnut though)

If you really think being American helped you more than being British, then that theory certainly holds but on the matter you raise, I would say misinterpretation is more than likely the culprit.

Hypocrites ...French...surely not TU

[Lori]

I live in a small village (Vaucluse) where there are only two known Americans.  Me and one other lady who has been here for more than 20 years.  I have to say that we both have discussed this issue.  We feel we have been very well received.  Who knows what may be said when we are not present.

The funny thing is that, until my French friends got to know me, they thought I was British.  It was funny to me because I obviously have no type of British (or other UK) accent.  Also, to me, the English English and the American English are noticeably different.  But, apparently not to all the French.

Even my Vet told me the same thing.  They just know they are hearing English come out of my mouth, so I must be British.

I have to admit I have been rather apprehensive about telling them that I am American (but I have).  Don't get me wrong, I love my home country, but am not necessarily feeling good about it these days.  Also, of all the different nationalities we have met, here in France, I have to say the Americans seem to be the most obtrusive (not sure if I can say that on the forum...).  It wasn't the word I really wanted to use... but....

My French friends have mentioned several different nationalities they tend not to like.  I guess it is like someone else said earlier, there are good types and bad types from everywhere.  Perhaps some are a bit more outspoken and therefore leave a more lasting impression with folks.

[letrangere]

Americans who have settled through choice in France are a league apart, I know many in Paris and they are really exceptional people.  I just love the way they embrace everything French and make such a huge effort to learn as much as they can about their adopted country.  But the last few years haven't been easy.  And it's not just their French colleagues, friends and neighbours giving them a hard time.  One couple we know started receiving, "what-kind-of-people-are-you-that-you-want-to-live-in-France?" type mail from people back home.  Scary stuff.  M

[Lori]

MWJ - very interesting.  I have received a similar type of correspondence from "associates" in America too...  Rather amazing and very telling.

 

[Motorhead]

Britain and America: different place, same language.

Britain and France: same place, different language.

That's how I percieve most English folk to understand the situation. But really it's harder (immigration and all that) to be an American in France therefore the Americans in France are going to have to be of a higher calibre in order to survive here.

To get back to the original subject. In my manifold discussions with DRIRE they constantly referred to my "carte grise anglaise". I  tried to tell them that there were only 2 addresses on the certificate, one was my former address in Scotland and the other was DVLA in Swansea, but to no avail even though there was nothing  English about it.

I really think that nowadays most French see the non English parts of Britain as part of Greater England which is a total figment of the French centralized system. Britain has never been centralised to the extetent that France has. The origional French beat all parts of modern France through war, the same could not be said of Britain.

The English conquered the Welsh, fair do's 20:1

The English conquered the Irish, briefly.

The English could never conquer Scotland instead they bought the sh1thole off in total contravention of the Declaration of Arbroath

No wonder I'm not proud

But I could see the EU making  difference for the better some day

 

 

[RayB]

[quote]Americans who have settled through choice in France are a league apart, I know many in Paris and they are really exceptional people. I just love the way they embrace everything French and make such a...[/quote]

** One couple we know started receiving, "what-kind-of-people-are-you-that-you-want-to-live-in-France?" type mail from people back home.**

Ignorance has no nationality, I'm afraid . . . . . it seems to be Universal.