Overseas briefing

BORDEAUX — It is a commonly held American stereotype that the French are snobby.  Before arriving in France, I wasn’t sure what to expect from les français, and whether this generalization would turn out to be true.  However, from my very first day here, I began to realize that this stereotype was perhaps more myth than reality.  On my first day in France, as I was making the voyage from Charles de Gaulle airport to Bordeaux, I entered the wrong car of the TGV train, towing my two oversize suitcases all the way to the wrong seat.  Overwhelmed, sweaty and exhausted from eight sleepless hours on the plane, I was saved by the kind young man who recognized my problem and gently said, Je vais vous aider, “I’m going to help you.”  Taking one of my suitcases himself, he led me to the right car, hoisted both of my justunder50 pound bags up into the baggage rack and left me to sink into my seat with a sigh of relief and gratitude.

Once I got to Bordeaux, I met Julie Clair, my conseillère, or adviser, at the local bank where I opened an account.  She was warm and welcoming from our very first meeting, patiently answering all of my questions, and even asked me how I was liking the university and adjusting to life in Bordeaux.  And when I had to return to the bank with several more random questions, she always recognized me with a smile on her face and made me feel like maybe I was less of a bungling American than I thought.

Later, on the plane going to visit some friends over February break, I met a wonderful French family on their way to spend the vacation in London.  I spent nearly the entire plane ride talking to the mom, who explained that she was a middle school English teacher, had lived abroad in England when she was young, and was very excited for her two young sons to see London for the first time.  When we landed, she wished me a wonderful vacation, and hoped that we would run into each other sometime in Bordeaux.  While I haven’t seen them again, and probably won’t, I will always remember our conversation and the mint that she offered me as the plane descended and my ears started popping.

Riding the tram every day to get to the university provides another slice of Bordelaise life and has become the setting for many touching examples of kindness.  On countless occasions, I have seen young people give up their seats to older women or men who enter the tram, who accept with a gracious smile.  When the cars are particularly crowded and no one can reach the yellow boxes to validate their ticket, someone squished close to the box will offer to take a stranger’s ticket and punch it for them.  And if anyone ever steps on your toes, which is inevitable in the morning rush hour on line B, they usually turn over their shoulder and offer a shy yet genuine “pardon.”

So while there are certainly French people who are brusque, unfriendly or not particularly welcoming to visitors, there are also Americans who could be described in just the same way.  Over the past three months, I have encountered more than my fair share of people who have showed me that this country is full of generous people who are willing to help a complete stranger, who are interested in learning about others and who even offer the American girl sitting next to them on a plane a piece of candy to suck on during the landing.