A French In Australia: Australian Culture

Tutorial Transcript

Salut YouTube hi guess what I've got a Frenchie with me I'm with Celine from the podcast Entre Deux Chaises we've actually just done a podcast episode together which I'll link in the description box down below but I really wanted to take the opportunity to chat to her because she's a Frenchie living in Australia Celine I'm 34 and I was born and raised in Paris well just outside Paris and it's always been my dream of moving to Australia Sydney and it took me a while to to make this dream come true but I did three years and a half ago and I found this really interesting to talk about maybe sort of the other side of the culture shocks like what was it like moving there what was your first impression when you got off the plane like your first weeks do you remember how you felt what that was like for you first impressions, a funny one was queueing to get on the bus you know how the Parisians are you just have to fight for your life I had to cue yeah and once or twice as a reflex I was Parisian like oh you know what I'll just walk up and continue towards the door and a few people told me like it's over there and I felt so ashamed. Oh my gosh we do this all the time in New Zealand we're like other queue that you're looking for is over there. Other than that people being like the waiter and waitress is like being way too happy way too enthusiastic what can I get you today okay so we have these and bad and then you order and they're like amazing not a problem I'll be here in a second Great choice! Too much too much stop it and just another another quick example on them when you're at the restaurant or a bar or something like that that was really a shock for me as soon as you're finished in your plate as you're still you're even still chewing they take the plates away. How many times I still had some drink in the the bottom of my glass and you know just with the ice cubes and I just love keeping my glass and you just literally look the other way you look back and your glass is gone. For me it says okay now you're done, go, like we need the table. Where in France you eat something and you just say for hours you know it's just I guess the French way of doing things you know the art de vivre and we're just enjoying this food or drinking time and don't ruin that for us. And sometimes I said that to them at the beginning and they were like no but it's just for you to be more comfortable this way you have a clear table in front of you I mean no it doesn't make me comfortable! No it makes you uncomfortable like it's time to leave now. Also you know the timings are really not the same. Everyone is up at like 5:00 it's completely normal also because the Sun rises earlier but you can't go out at night this was one of the first shocks like okay let's go out it's 9:00 p.m. like a normal time to go to the restaurants in France yeah you know and you're like oh kitchen is closed kitchens closed and you're just like what? One of the shocks when I arrived was the clothing style okay for months I couldn't find anything to buy in the clothes shop I was like oh my god bring me back all my French brands I'm like ah but this is patterns and shapes and it's and it's never too much. Also the classic activewear like everyone wearing activewear well girls but yeah yeah guys as well honestly sometimes I do wear them like you know a nice sports legging like Do you feel bad? Do you feel like I can't believe I'm going out in this? first I was I haven't done this many times but a few times I was like ah okay let's go out and then I'm like okay well this is normal but it was weird a little bit. Are they wearing activewear because do you find them more sporty people? Yeah of course okay so people they wake up at 5:00 they put the active wear on they go running yeah yeah definitely but you see people wearing activewear at 3:00 in the afternoon just because that's their outfit for the day. What was quite shocking is how girls get all dolled up to go out for us French is like is she really going to go out like that like all boobs outside very very very short dresses and very high heels and too much makeup and they go up like that and it looks like they're they're going to shoot a video clip you know it's like it's not real life for me it was always like ah oh my god and then I'm sorry I'm maybe I became too prude growing older but even the way they dance and how guys like in the clubs are dancing with them it's really like oh yeah it's going too far like the whole concept of dating actually is really not French although these last this past years it came in you know with globalization but I often say that to my Aussie friends you know like in France when you kiss someone you're with this person it doesn't mean you're together forever but your boyfriend/girlfriend whereas in Australia like I think in the US on New Zealand is like well I'm dating it was just a hookup yeah exactly and maybe tomorrow it will be another guy it's interesting because the cliche about French people is that they're the ones who are trying all different types of people and going around because they can't stay monogamous and stuff actually no no no. And when you moved to Australia I'm curious because I've got a little bit of a now a reverse culture shock cliche about us about Australians New Zealanders did you have to kind of change the topics of conversation that you talked about with people because we're not really into politics in the same way that French people are for example our and the big cultural debates and that kind of thing? It really depends to be honest in the workplace I met a lot of very interesting people Australians or not and I feel like I've had the same conversations and as I would have with people here in general yes yes it's true that we people are less debating I'm always asking but why are you thinking that but don't you think that bla bla bla bla bla bla and it's true that I realized after a while that it was a very very French thing to do to be challenging with people yes yeah yeah and just we love debating it all have told me ah you're so French like debating all the time of course you would debate the way like the plate is put. Yeah you can never just accept it. No but it's not about being critical it's just about having an opinion yeah it's true that I don't know yes something can always be improved on did you find that in the in the Australian workplace in it that people gave compliments a little bit too often for your liking? Yeah well for me everyone is so positive which is a great thing now I really like it because and also being back I'm like I can feel back now the negative of French but yeah everything is always yeah great amazing yeah let's go let's do it let's being very in the yes when we're very in the challenge like yeah well no well you would usually be like no but explain okay why not and if you do this that whereas yeah in the workplace I've had people saying like yeah let's try and do this and other people be like yeah okay let's go for it but in your life no I'm thinking this through but but I did this or did this think about all the the risks and if we do this because me I'm doing all the you know why it won't work exactly but actually and I think it's a good thing because yeah things are moving and people are in a positive state of mind and and I think it's great whereas it's true that in France when you when you bring an idea in the workplace you're like okay I really have to have all of my points like as to why it's a great idea because I'll be challenged and actually I think even for a French person I'm very honest and I can be quite blunt and I've had so many people telling me like over there like yeah you're too blunt you're too direct, too rude you have to tiptoe your way a lot you have to be yeah so it was great and that was a great idea and this and that but don't you think that maybe we could do more like what do you think about doing this way whereas in France we'll be like yeah okay but no I don't think it's working and can we find something else you know. It's a shock but actually I think I prefer now things being sugar-coated a little bit I think it's balanced yeah no not too much yeah amazing it's great you've done a great job but it sucks and not too much it sucks. Yes find in between the balance. After living in Australia for a while I mean what do you feel like you've learnt from this country oh wow I've changed a lot I'm way more relaxed like no worries mate I've learnt to be positive more I learned to be more that person when hi how are you? Even in a clothes shop - how are you? - before I was like hi hi I'm good and you and actually like it makes you feel so much better you know you feel it makes you feel good so I like that and what about this general approach to your lifestyle everyday life how is that different in Australia yeah one of the main great things about Australia and Sydney because this is where I live is for me it's such a safe city like you know being a Parisian like you just hold onto your bag all the time you're always checking your pockets because like you know I had so many rules so many reflexes on how what you should do like for example in Paris if you're travelling to Paris never enter the in the metro get your phone in your hand because this is where a pickpocket will grab it and the doors will close and they are quick! Exactly and I'm in Sydney I'm with a backpack I'm like I'm never worried you know in Sydney you can leave your phone you can leave your wallet on the table go to the bathroom come back it's still here it's amazing and it's such a relief and I feel so much more relaxed and I feel I feel safe it's a Latin way of thinking how can I screw this person it's sad to say but it's just like oh there's this but you know I could grab this at the same time you know it's so easy to steal, why not? Or it's so easy to go around the rules. And as a girl, as I said, you can go out wearing like short things and it's okay and no one is ever coming to talk to you well yes people are talking to you but not street harassment or anything and even guys who sometimes want to make a move on you they're so friendly yeah guys like being little bit tipsy and going getting out of the bar and going to another band like and we're meeting at the traffic light and they're like hey how are you do you want to come with us to have a drink yeah in Paris if someone says that to me I'm like go away it's the way they say it. They're NOT creepy and scary which is what you can find in Paris for sure people are genuine this is really what I love I'm not saying of course they are not only genuine people and there's no rape or murder in Australia but honestly like really no on a day-to-day basis it's so relaxing to know that you can trust people there is a big big sense of community as well like people are just happy to help happy to they're happy. Surely there must be some things that you really miss about France all the same tell us what are they? Yeah well can I be more cliche and say Food? And yeah you know the French summer I miss the French summer because you know the Sun setting at 10:00 p.m. like even in summer in Australia it's 8:30 and you know the long evenings and the times like you know shops being open later I do miss that. That was so fun thank you so much for sharing your experience I love hearing about the reverse experience of French people living abroad of course it doesn't surprise me that the thing that they miss the most is food. Yeah, cliche. That's it for now until the next video see you guys next time A bientôt!