What are chalenges of living in france?

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xakilegnasp

The first thing about any country is the language. And for an anglophone all the articles and also the familiar and formal way of addressing a person can definitely be a challenge. I agree the French are crazy about paperwork, but I have not had all those problems of waiting that was described, except when I needed my phone fixed and I I was in need of wood for the fireplace. As far as danger is concerned, maybe that just depends on where you intend to live. I live in the south of France out in the country and the most exiting thing that has happened here in the 7 years I have been here, was that our bank was broken into in the middle of the night, but we all think it was an inside job. I have found that making friends is really difficult though. The French are very polite, extremely helpful and friendly, but also very private and tend to keep you at arm length. One also has to learn the customs, just as in any country, it is very easy to offend someone. For example, when invited do NOT be late, never call anyone by their first name unless they are friends or you are asked to, make sure you greet the shopkeepers or others in your building, just passing without a greeting is extremely rude, when invited bring a good wine or if you bring flowers, do not bring white lilies, chrysanthemums, red carnations or any white flowers and always in odd number except 13. Another thing is that the French use a lot of sign language, so make yourself familiar with the local ones since you might make a sign that is considered rude. I could go on and on. So to sum things up, learn the language, it is rude to be in someones country and not speak it, learn the etiquette, especially when invited for a meal, and customs, You might have trouble getting used to the shops closing at around 8 o'clock at night and being closed Sunday, half on Saturday and they close for lunch. That was a big adjustment. Someone said the French hate Americans. I have not found that to be true. They are better than most Americans I know at separating the government from the individual.

friSbee

Try to imagine being a total stranger in your own country, unaware of all the local knowledge we all hold in our heads, such as , what happens if we become ill or need an electric supply let alone the language barrier and not having any friends or family to call on. Living in France is just the same as being a stranger anywhere.
In a nutshell the challenge is to develop one's communication and social skills skills in order to obtain the usual comforts and peace of mind we natives enjoy. I hope this helps with your project.

Chiha

Language barrier if you are not fluent in French. They don't treat you well if you don't speak their language.
French peoples attitude is alrealy not as friendly as Americans so don't expect smiles from servers and clarks.
Racism and Crimes. Many French are racist, be aware especially if you're of arab or african origin. That's making many immigrants criminals.

suubz18

You need to give a 10 to the guy above me. Great answer LOL.

Francoise

Good question. I can tell you a few things which are really challenges of living in France.
For a start, it's a country crazy for paper work. No matter what you do, be it applying a card, or asking for help from the Social Service, changing driving license details etc etc, you will have to fill in loads of forms and been given back loads of forms to keep in return. And also, the French authorities love attestation ( announcement or declaration ), whatever you do, they ask for proof. And the best ones and most effective proofs are the attestations issued by the concerned authorities. Besides, you better keep these papers for at least a few years in case one day they suddenly ask for them out of the blue. French systems are very slow and ineffective. I couldn't figure out why, in this computerised age, to apply a cheque book will take 4-6 months, to change my address for my postal account, it will take 1-6 months, to lose my social service card and apply another one, they told me I have to wait for 1-2 months. If you hate paper work and are an impatient person, all these will certainly drive you mad.
Secondly, the crime rate in France is extremely high. It's certainly a challenge to stay safe. Almost everyone lives here has one time or more experience of being robbed,pickpocketed, or mugged or being the victim of a crime. I'd been pointed with a 2 feet long knife in Nice and later this knife cut the strap of my handbag and the criminal jumped up to a nearby motorbike with his accomplice and were gone. I'd seen numerous crimes happening everywhere, including bag snatching in town centre, tourists being robbed, woman being knocked down by a hit-and-run car etc etc. Especially these day since Romania joined the EEC, the Romanian gangs are active everywhere in France, they use baby pushchairs to load all the stuffs they go through from the big bins in streets, picked up papers with people's identity for the purpose of making some fake documents or credit cards: grab women who walk alone near the pavement into a van and drive off, these women are then forced to prostitute. Another terrible crime is selling kidney. One day , a teenage girl found dead in a public lavatory, the lower part of her belly had been cut opened and the kidney was gone.
Another thing is there are many bad drivers here, you have to be at high alert at all time if you drive. Even if you are a good driver, you can become the victim of a bad driver. My spouse almost got killed a few months ago because of a hit and run car. They never caught the culprit. And it's very easy to get your license point taken, it's an offence if you overspeed, it's an offence also if you drive too slow. Many things are very unfair, such as if you have a worn out tyre, points will be taken from your license.
France is only good for tourists who stay a while , enjoy the best venues or touristic attractions and then go home.

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