Expectations

[idun]

What were your expectations when you moved to France and how did real life match up.

I had none, I moved with no preconceived ideas, didn't know France, so was ready for a bit of an adventure. AND I didn't need to get my friend to send the soap she had volunteered to send, which was a good thing.

[Anton Redman]

I thought the French would have a better command of their own language.

7 years on I remain amazed that I can pass an evening communicating in French with educated French people. Only to discover that the morning after that my lingustic skills have sublimated like spring snow on black tarmac. I can dredge the word novation out of the long dark teatime of my soul and drag a notaire over to convince my dentist that it is also a French word. However the day after I cannot convince my dentist that router bit and strawberry are the same word.

I remain shocked that there seems to be no middle brow French culture.

[idun]

However the day after I cannot convince my dentist that router bit and strawberry are the same word.

 

 

[:D][:D][:D]

 

[pachapapa]

[quote user="Anton Redman"]I thought the French would have a better command of their own language. 7 years on I remain amazed that I can pass an evening communicating in French with educated French people. Only to discover that the morning after that my lingustic skills have sublimated like spring snow on black tarmac. I can dredge the word novation out of the long dark teatime of my soul and drag a notaire over to convince my dentist that it is also a French word. However the day after I cannot convince my dentist that router bit and strawberry are the same word. I remain shocked that there seems to be no middle brow French culture.[/quote]

Pero una fresa es una fresa, no es solamente françes, de hecho la misma cosa en portugues y asi se siga.

[idun]

But are we talking about the same strawberry?[8-)]

[pachapapa]

[quote user="idun"]But are we talking about the same strawberry?[8-)][/quote]

Add cream and a little sugar to taste.[:P]

http://goo.gl/WZvGi

[idun]

I hope that that link was for those that didn't get Anton Readman's little joke.

 

[Joe]

Two and a half years on,I am still struggling with the language.I think it is an age thing.The younger people I have met seem to learn quicker.I have got to persist.Apart from that I have no regrets at all.We are both doing our best to integrate by way of Breton dancing and attending Repa's etc.

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

By the time I relocated to France I'd been married to a Frog for decades and reading forums like this for a few years. Result: no real surprises at all.

You could say that I expected France to be broadly similar the the UK but with detail differences. I live in a sizeable commune near a biggish town, so none of the 'cut off in the wilds' problems some people get. In general I do the same sorts of activities here as I would have in the UK at this stage in my life.

[andyh4]

Less bureaucracy than we expected.  We had the culture shock in Germany where you are required to register at the town hall for example on arrival (and not just foreigners) and were expecting similar in France.

Coping with the language better than expected - though like Joe I do not find it as quick as others - but again probably from the German experieince where we learned that you just have to do it and be prepared to make an utter a*s*s of yourself - asterisks because IIRC the forum software does not like the donkey word.  As long as you are understood it is not so important if it is totally gramatically correct.  A sign of progress is when you know you said it wrong as soon as you said it.