ABOUT THE FRENCH CULTURE.

France has a great image around the world, generally speaking. But what is the French culture in reality ? To give you a view of that culture, I will first make a brief description of the country. I think that the culture is linked with the geography, the weather and the history. Then, I will talk about the behaviour of the French people to each other in their own country, and to other persons abroad. Finally I will give you my opinion about all of this and about the French stereotype.

I. France as a country
a. Geography and weather
France has a population of approximately 58 million people and is the largest West European country. Half of the frontiers of France are coasts, the other half is in contact with other European countries. France constitutes a sort of gate between the ocean and Europe. That allows a lot of exchanges of goods and people.
Because it is a large country, France has a lot of different relieves. There are mountains in the east and the south, old volcanoes in the middle, the beaches are also very different from one to another : sand, stones, cliffs…That gives different climates : rain in the north and west, hot and dry in the south and east…because of such differences between the regions, the agriculture and the typical food is very heterogeneous.
b. A little bit of history
Once upon the time was France very important in Europe. A lot of nobles, artists and intellectuals, like philosophers, came to the court of the French king. French was considered like a pure language, what the Grammatik was concerned, may be because of the Latin. So the French language took a great place in Europe at that time.
The history gave to France a rich panel of artists, like the impressionists, of writers … France is conscious of that treasure and tries to keep it and to develop it today in encouraging French artists - in protecting the French music for example. I think that the French government tries to protect the French music because it is not exported enough. I was very surprised as I arrived in Germany to hear French music on the radio, like “Voyage Voyage”, “comme un ouragan” or the young Alizee with “Lolita”.
Another important historic point is the colonialism is Africa. France had quite a lot of colonies in the north and the south of Africa. There has been a lot exchanges between France and the African continent for many years. France was particularly close to Algeria. At the end of the second world war, France needed workers to rebuild the country. A lot of workers from Europe, but also from Africa. A lot of these people stayed in France after that. That makes from France a multiculty country. Religion is a good example to illustrate that. France does not have an official religion, but the majority of French citizens are Roman Catholic. The people from Africa are Muslim or also Catholic.
Since the end of the second world war, France has lost a lot of power in the world, but is still strong in Europe, for example. The language has also lost its power. More people speak in English now.

II. The French people
a. Seen by foreigners
In that part I will tell you what I red and I heard about the French people since I am abroad. I was not conscious of that before.
The stereotype of the French in the foreign countries is : a man wearing a beret (hat) and carrying a baguette. It is a quite funny and old image. But such people have existed ! The typical French also drinks a lot of wine and eats a lot of cheese. They are proud of themselves and even sometimes arrogant. They know that they have a long history and like showing it – that is what I have done in the previous part, may be I am a real French… Wherever they are, they think that they are the only persons, that is to say that they do not really care about what is happening around them.
I have a French friend who studies in England, and she said that an English boy told her that the French people is the less appreciated people in the world…in Germany I do not feel it like that.
France is also known for Paris and the “Moulin Rouge” and all its nice women…
A lot of foreigners think that French is a nice language, that it sounds like a song.
b. Their behaviour at work, in society
I will base my reflection on some lectures ( Hofstede ) and on my personal experience.
According to Hofstede´s Analysis, the French people do not like taking risks. I think it is true in business and in politics. The systems in France show that every decision is carefully studied before being taken, and that a lot of people have to see the project and to give their opinion. That makes the hierarchy be very important. That is why the power distance in Hofstede´s Analysis is very high.
French people at work are very individualist. They work rather alone. That make the competition be high in some companies.
France is a feminine society. Indeed, they are more and more women in business, and feminism is quite hard in the young generation. As far as I am concerned, I have grown in a family where the father was more at home than the mother ( because of the job ). For me men and women play the same role in the family, and as a consequence in the society.
Punctuality at work is a question of life or death. But in the daily life that is not always true. I think it depends on the person. Most of the time women are late because they care about their appearance and like talking a lot. A lot of men complain about that ”issue”. I am a woman, and I hate being late. I am always in a hurry, and stressed because of the time. When I am late I feel really bad, because I do not like waiting for people, and I find impolite coming late.

French is a rich language with a lot of words. At school, we learn to write well and not to repeat the same word in two sentences. Writing and speaking well is really important in France if you want to impress. French people also interrupt each other quite frequently as if they wanted to have the last word in a conversation.
When they meet, French people have different manners to greet. It depends on the context. In business, they always shake the hand. When friends meet, men shake the hand, women kiss on the checks - the number if kisses varies according to the region, the town…French people like contact, but not too much, because they respect privacy. I have contacts with my friends, but I do not like when other people are too close from me.
When French people meet abroad, they always try to be together, and stay together. I do not know if it is special French behaviour, or if all the persons do that as soon as they are abroad.
As I wrote in my part about the geography, France benefits from a great choice of typical products and receipts. They like fine meals and the diversity of the tastes. They also like drinking fine alcohols with their meals.

III. My feelings
a. About the stereotypes
In travelling I have learned a lot of things about my own culture. I have discovered some aspects of my culture in talking with foreigners. I think that there is truth in the stereotypes, even if people are not all the same. The education makes that we have such a behaviour.
Before travelling abroad, I had no particular feeling toward my country, I was not ashamed, nor proud of being French. But now, I am quite happy to belong to that culture. For example, in Dresden, as I saw all the French restaurants, and all the French products in the shops I realised that France is good for many things, especially for the cooking. And when I talk to others people who are from other countries, I notice that they have a good image of France.
b. About the French people
As I came in Germany, I noticed that the French people are much more polite than the German, and that they are not so cold. The same thing happened as I worked in England.
I have also observed the behaviour of French tourists or students when they are abroad. That is true that they are proud of themselves, because they announce their presence in speaking loudly and making large moves. I have the feeling that they are not so demonstrative at home, even if they make quite a lot of noise when they are with friends.
I feel French because people see me as a French. However, I like meeting new people from other countries, and I do not feel so different from them. I do not see any difference when I talk to a foreign student or to a French one. We all are young, like having fun and study to find a great job.