I’m now entering the 4th week in Paris. Do I feel that I have mastered the way of life here? Not at all, as will soon become clear. But I do think I’m becoming more comfortable with having no idea what is going on. I find myself in unclear situations all the time, often because I was told something very quickly in French and only got the general sense of things with little specificity. This is true in my internship and also at my homestay. A lot of the time, someone will tell me something in French, and I feel the general sentiment but not the exact meaning. This means that I end up misunderstanding little things. For example, my host mom asked me to grab a specific towel from the linen closet — I grabbed the right color towel, but the wrong size. I’m still finding out how to deal with this; trial, error, and lots of repetition is my current strategy. 

I’m more comfortable with the lack of clarity when I’m out to eat. So many times, a waiter has said something to me and I nod and smile, only to turn back to my friend, both of us having no idea what they just said. In a work situation, I’m more likely to ask people to repeat themselves because I don’t want to risk making mistakes due to misunderstandings. But at a restaurant, which is relatively low-stakes, I’m more okay with sitting there, being lost for a few minutes. Eventually, I figure it out.

It is still very embarrassing when I ask someone to repeat themselves in French and they immediately switch to English. Sometimes, before I’ve even spoken, I can feel that I have been recognized as an American. Like when I’m handed an English menu before I’ve even said two words. This can be frustrating when you’re trying to blend in. I swear I can get it if you just give me a chance!

But don’t get me wrong; Parisians are not mean! They are actually quite nice in my experience. I feel like I was told all these horrible stories about Parisians being dismissive, making fun of people’s French, and generally thinking they’re above everyone else. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t noticed a bit of that, but those instances are outliers rather than the norm. People are very helpful and polite when I, say, ask for directions, even if they turn out to be wrong a good portion of the time. Even then, I think those misdirections come from legitimate mistakes rather than any mean spirited desire to play pranks on a poor lost American. 

For example, last week I had plans to meet with some friends for a picnic near the Eiffel Tower. I was told it would be a 30 minute bus ride, so I left with ample time to get there, picking up some macarons on the way. Much to my dismay, when I reached the bus stop, the bus was slated to arrive 20 minutes later than the scheduled time. Panic quickly set in, as waiting another 20 minutes would certainly make me late, but I saw no other choice. That is, until another bus driver, probably seeing the distress on my face, waved me on. I was confused; this bus was going nowhere near the Eiffel Tower. When I explained my predicament to the bus driver, he assured me that he would help me get there. Génial! He pointed out a metro station on his route and said, in no uncertain terms, take Metro Line 12 and you’ll be at the Eiffel Tower in 5 minutes. I thanked him profusely and skipped to the Metro station with my faith in humanity restored.

But of course, to my horror, Metro Line 12 has no stops anywhere near the Eiffel Tower. And when I checked Google Maps, it said that I was 20 minutes away through any mode of public transportation. So not only had I wasted 20 minutes, but he had taken me only 10 minutes closer to my destination. This was turning into a nightmare. I was already quite late and had no idea where I was, or what had gone so wrong. 

I attempted to gather myself and find a bus that would take me where I need to go. Thankfully there was one that goes directly to the Eiffel Tower, and the stop was not too far away. Of course, the bus was late because of evening traffic, but at that point, the situation had so thoroughly beaten me down that I was grateful for anything. 

Despite the fact that I would have gotten there quicker if I had just walked, I had a lovely time with my friends. My host mom said that the bus driver who had so kindly misdirected me was the typical Parisian; kind, but not always correct. So if you’re ever in Paris, heed my advice: don’t be scared of Parisians, they are very nice! But make sure you verify with Google Maps before you go taking their directions.