Do I have reason to be scared?

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dinosf

The French are not mean at all. If you are a nice person, who is considerate of those around you, you'll be fine.

So many people dog the french and it's totally undeserved, sure you'll meet people who are jerks, if you walk around the town you live in you will find the same thing.

Some don'ts for you-

Don't be as loud as most americans are, a lot of americans are really loud.

You're there to learn, don't be right about everything, if you disagree, save it for your friends, you will encounter people who will be critical of the US, you would be better off listening and learning than jumping right in with your opinion. You don't have to take crap, but let up on the "I'm American and we're always right" the rest of the world has valid opinions and we tend to ignore them, you would be better served by listening.

Have a great time, you will learn more than you ever thought possible, it will change your life. You will have a great time.

EDDie

You'll be just fine. Paris is a great city, and you will learn a lot. You will improve your French as the weeks and month pass by. Enjoy! I am green with envy! Bon voyage et bonne chance!

Gail

u will be fine, they are not mean lol you will meet tons of new people trust me the hard part is when u leave! Have fun and good luck hun.. PS the language isnt that hard once u get the hang of it

paulina

Hi. I am french and I live in Paris since 2 years, but I come from Normandie. I understand what you feel because I will go in Australia for 1 year in January. If you are scare, it will be maybe easy to you in a smaller city than Paris. Lyon, Toulouse or Rennes are very nice. There are a lot of young peope because there are university, and many pubs, concert halls...
If you want advices about France, send me a mail...
Good luck

HÃ©lÃ¨ne

Don't woory, there a lot of foreign people at Paris and u are lucky because u speack english...Try to go in pub where there is a lot foreign people (quartier latin). Try to observ people when u come, u must try to live like a french guy to be well integrated.
We certainly speack with u about Bush and american way of life : try to understand their opinion . U will play an important role because u will certainly change some french's opinion about US.
And try to travael in France it's a very beautifull coutry!!!
And u will see after some wine glasses and cheese u will have a lot of friends...

myersei

be polite. americans have a tendancy to come off as brash, loud, and don't always conform to the cultural norms of france. most people in paris speak english.

Lobo

take a couple of US friends along and you'll have them surrendering in no time:) Actually if you already have some basic French, yu'll pick up the rest of what is important to know quickily. You'll be fine and congratulations for having the bravery to do something that is out of your comfort zone.

lportil

if you know the basics you will pick the rest in no time as you will be using it all the time and the best way of learning a language is by using it constantly.
do not let the reputation of french people being mean ruin your stay there, if you behave like a human being and not like an idiot they will have nothing on you.
since you will be alone the best way is to be open and talk to people, street vendors, store clerks etc. the more you practice being open and speaking the language the better you will be.
I wish I was 19 and going to france (more importantly europe) for two years
Good Luck and enjoy

La Diva

If they are mean to you, just tell them you from Canada...but from the english speaking part...Toronto. Seriously tho' not much to be scared of. Just have fun i did!

bany

*I would not worry about the French being mean because you are from the US but if you are just get a Canadian shirt or sticker for your backpack. I would get a french tape and learn a bit more french. Most countries you will find a great part of the population speak English so the language barrier probably won't be a problem either. Go and have a good time!

DJ Alex

that's to be expected during the first month of your stay, but dont worry, youll be faring fine; adjustment is the key =). since you know the language basics already, you shouldnt have any problems learning it. just be strong and keep your heads up. goodluck! =)

ShellRe'

First of all you need to go with a POSITIVE attitude and good things will happen...Focus on smiling, being friendly and looking forward to seeing new places and meeting new people. My 28yr old niece moved to Paris this year(because of her job) and she loves it. Get a CD and book of the French language to help you. You'll need to know the basics to get by. There are so many people there that speak English as well. And so many things to see there. Look at it as a great opportunity to explore and be creative. Takes pictures. Visit museums. Try out little sidewalk cafes. Just be a good person with a good attitude and where ever you are, either in the US or in Paris, you'll have fun and meet interesting people. HAVE FUN! Bon Voyage Mademoiselle!

eejonesaux

Hi,,, you are going to have a wonderful time... People are just as friendly there as they are here for the most part.. There are plenty of students there,, so you will have people your own age to hang and learn your way around .....
They have a Starbucks.. in the Pampano (?) area,,, lots of students around there.... i was there.....i probably miss spelled it.. lol... sorry....
go have a blast.....you will be fine!!!!

good luck

au revoir

tyladuquesne

i went on a 3 week trip to fr 5 years ago when i was 17 w/ a group from school. the french that i encountered were not rude. there is an american college in paris, maybe you could contact someone at the college and they could set you up with a group to make some friends to help you learn the ropes of living in paris. otherwise you could find out where kids your age hang out there and just go and introduce yourself to ppl. from my experience most ppl there know english bc they are req to take several language classes in school so even if you just know the basic of french, just about everyone there will know some basic english also, if not more. and don't be shy about speaking french even if you aren't confident in your abilities. if you try to speak it and show that you want to, it will show them that you respect their culture and are wanting to learn their language.

oh yeah and they dont usually use ice in their drinks, so if you like ice in your drink you have to specifically ask for it.

other than that, i don't really have much advice. i wish it was me going there for 2 years. i eventually want to move there one day, if it is in God's plan for me. Just have fun, make the best of it and stay safe. Good luck!

Princess

I lived a month in France when I was 16. I really liked Normandy, but I didn't really like Paris. I found that the majority of the people were EXTREMELY rude. There were some nice people, but very few. The reputation that Paris has for being rude to Americans is well-earned in my opinion. I was nice, I didn't look like a tourist (no tennis shoes, etc), and I even spoke a little French and there were still some things that happened that I thought were outlandishly awful!! I don't want to scare you- I just wanted to let you know my opinion. It will be a tremendous learning experience and you will pick up the language quickly (I went in with basic french and came out almost fluent in just a month). Hopefully your experience will be better than mine:) Safe travels!

Raj

at late evenings, dont go to PIAGULLE area

Paul S, Bullfighter

Oh, man, I'm so envious.

You will have good times and bad times, just as you would if you had stayed home. Don't let the bad times discourage you. You're doing something that will change your life for the better, and you're fortunate to be doing it at such a young age.

If you speak some French already, you'll be just about fluent in roughly a year. I spoke relatively little when I started doing immersion trips, and I was having conversations in two weeks. If you listen, and you try speaking French, the French people are perfectly nice to Americans.

olivia s

No reason to worry at all ... It may be a culture choc for sure but you'll get along fine and pick up French as you go. No one is mean to Americans in particular unless they make absolutely no effort to speak French, even to say "bonjour" so enjoy it.

stephenalan

i've been to france and they are mean towards us, however if you get a breast enlargement then they'll disregard your americanism

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