Les Stefani
6, rue du Sergent Godefroy
93100 Montreuil (about 30 minutes from my classes - c'est bon!)
I'll be pretty near my current roommate Abby (YES!) and right outside of the 20eme arrondisement in Eastern Paris.
I have three brothers, Mathieu (21), Julien (18), and Victor (12) and they have a dog! And a piano! I bought my Zones 1-3 Metro pass this evening after a successful visit to Centre Georges Pompidou, which I will post photos of tomorrow.
Now for the good stuff:
#1 French people shut their doors all of the time. This is not to keep people out, necessarily, but rather to demonstrate the idea of privacy. Not that they don't want you to knock, but it seems strange to Americans since an "open-door policy" is pretty much standard for us. So, if you're wondering why your dorm's foreign exchange student seemed so antisocial, keeping his door shut tight all of the time, know that all you had to do was knock.
#2 It is considered rude to not say hello AND goodbye to everyone in most places that are somewhat intimate, e.g. not the metro (super awkward), and not the street (people just look at you like you're insane). For instance, going into a shop you should say "bonjour madame" when you come in and something like "merci, au revoir!" when you leave. If you don't, the French will totally call you out on it by making a dramatic point of saying "BONJOUR MADEMOISELLE." My favorite scenario: in the elevator, you are to greet people when they get on and when they get off you are to bid them good-day. Hilarious.
#3 French people do NOT sit on the floor NOR put their feet up whilst sitting. It is, as Dr. Costello would say, just not French. Amusant, to be sure.
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