The other side of the French postcard

Hey Julien. Well, here's my two cents.

I've been in France since 2005. Finished my studies and currently working here. I live in Cergy, a Paris suburb. Coming from Singapore, what I can say is France and Singapore are on the opposite sides of the scale while totally being equal. However we're not here to talk about that. That'll be for another time.

The two sides of my French postcard. I guess when people think about France, Paris, romanticism, great architecture and vibrant art scene comes to mind. I think it's true when you're a tourist. I still remember my first French croissant and the numerous walks in Paris. Ah yes, the enchantment.

However, life's different when you start living in a country. People only see the beautiful facade of Paris or rather that's what certain French would like to portray. Just like any other city and country, Paris and France have their other sides. Unemployment, crime, high living expenses, noise, hustle and bustle and not to mention the huge number of hobos or what the French call SDF: people living on the streets. It pains me to see them.

On a good note, Paris and it's suburbs are very cosmopolitan. True that France is a european country but it has a huge population of immigrants due to its colonial past. However, I'm not complaining. Being a foreigner myself, I like living in a cosmopolitan environment. Kind of reminds me of Singapore. Anyway, the thing about the French is that no matter how good you speak their language, you'll always get that "look" before you speak. The "look" on their faces as if saying "I'm preparing myself to try really hard to understand what he will say cause his French will be difficult to understand". Yes, that "look". LOL. But hey, I'm not French and I don't want to be. The French are very proud of their language and there's a certain chauvinistic patriotism about it. I've always heard people arguing that French is a language of literature and English is just a business or commercial language. Then I'll always remind them of Chaucer, Gower, Spenser, Shakespeare, Wilde and Dickens among others. Argument closed needless to say. LOL.

Anyway to sum it all, I love the fact that France has a rich history and that the art scene in France is vibrant and that the sky's the limit. You can express yourself, up to a certain extent of course, more than in other countries. However, relationships are very difficult to establish and help from strangers is a rare commodity.

So, I must say that we need to see the two sides of the postcard cause that's what a postcard needs:
Two sides.

Till next time...