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The 11 different Americans that you’ll meet in France

While there may be hundreds of thousands of American expats in France, there are only 11 types, writes American Katie Warren.

The 11 different Americans that you'll meet in France
Photos: AFP, Steve Webel, menard-mickael/Flickr

If you're an American in France, you'll know that it's nearly impossible to avoid running into your compatriots in this relatively small country. After all, France is one of the top destinations in the world for American expats.

But what kinds of expats are we, us Americans?

Here at The Local, we think there are 11 types – perhaps you recognize yourself?

1. The Elite

Probably an embassy official or some kind of upper-class professional, this American is often lucky enough to live in the ritzy 7th or 16th arrondissements of Paris. They rarely rub shoulders with expats from other tribes, but tend to only socialize with their own kind. If they’re only here for a few years, they usually don’t bother to learn French.

This group also includes the celebrities who have given up Hollywood life for a Haussmannian building, such as Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman (below), who can often be seen strolling through the Tuileries Gardens with her young son. (Not that we’re stalking her or anything. But she wears a navy-blue peacoat.)

2. The Gone-Native

This breed of American expats in France has completely integrated into French society. They refuse to hang out with anyone who isn’t French. If they must socialize with a fellow American, they insist on speaking French. If they didn’t smoke before, they’ve certainly started.

A meal without cheese is simply pas possible. Choosing to forget that they were once Yankees themselves, they freely criticize American values and habits and blush with embarrassment at any mention of Donald Trump or Sarah Palin. They will never understand the obsession with guns or going to the gym. And they’d rather be guillotined than be seen at McDonald's or Starbucks.

Photo: Flickr/Luca Vanzella

3. The Accidental Expat

This expat never planned to live in France long-term. They probably came here to study abroad, fell in love with a dashing Frenchie, and never left. They probably do teaching or translation work. Since they’re shacked up with a native, they most likely speak French pretty well. 

This expat is willing to mix with other tribes a bit, hanging out with French friends they know through their significant other but also befriending other Americans, as they're not quite in denial of their American-ness like the Gone-Native (see point 2).

4. The Converted

These Americans might’ve been staunchly pro-American Dream, pro-capitalism, and pro-fried food, but after spending some time in the Hexagon they're now undeniably converted. They’re convinced that socialism is the only way.

Health and education systems that won't leave you bankrupt, ticket restos, and the hivernale has them won over. They’re constantly saying things like, “You could never find this in the States” or “Can you believe I only paid €7 for an eye exam?! €7!” They think that France has it all figured out, and if they ever go back to the States they will have some seriously devastating reverse culture shock.

Photo: National Eye Institute/Flickr

The Eternal American

This expat will never quite shed their American-ness, nor do they seem to want to. They definitely don’t blend in and it doesn't bother them. You know the type – you’ll see them heading to the supermarket in yoga pants and brightly-coloured running shoes, a Starbucks pumpkin-spiced latte in hand.

They always speak just a little too loudly, and if they speak French at all, it’s with a proud American accent. They need to frequently stock up on peanut butter and Kraft’s mac ’n cheese at the American grocery store in the Marais, or from a package from their mother.

The Paris-Obsessed

City of Love. City of Lights. In the eyes of a Paris-Obsessed, Paris can do no wrong. They often spout wistful romanticisms such as “Paris is most beautiful in the rain,” or “This is the best city to get lost in”. Their view of the city is that kind of idealized “Sex and the City” version of Paris.

They happily ignore the city's flaws to live in the glamourized movie version of the city. They probably live in Montmartre and imagine themselves to be in a Woody Allen movie as they stroll the cobble-stoned streets listening to Françoise Hardy. Don’t expect them to ever venture into La France Profonde (“Deep France”).

Photo: Flickr/Moyan Brenn

The Complainer

The polar opposite of the Paris-Obsessed is the Complainer. You know, the American who can’t stop talking about how France is the worst. High taxes. Terrible customer service. Secondhand smoke. The dog poo. RER workers will go on strike the one day you absolutely can’t be late. Anything administrative will take up 5,000 hours of your time and will be stressful enough to drive you to start smoking.

The toilet paper is pink, for God’s sake. This American would probably enjoy a notorious France-bashing article by journalist Janine di Giovanni, which complained about the €4 half litre of milk. So why do they live here again?

Photo: Flickr/Tristan Legros

The Blogger

Often France's best and most loyal promoters. You’ll find this Yankee at one of the nearest hipster cafés that have popped up recently in Paris, Instagramming their €5 cappuccino. The title of their blog is something like “An American Girl in Paris”, “Ma Belle Vie”, or some clever wordplay of their name and a couple French words.

According to their blog posts, they spend their time getting lost in the streets of the Marais or the Latin Quarter, soaking in the sounds of the beautiful French language and the smell of freshly-baked croissants. But contrary to the Paris-Obsessed, they’ll probably also dedicate blog space to bemoaning French bureaucracy and recounting their daily expat mishaps and cultural clashes, which can be embarrassing (but cute and funny for the rest of us).

Photo: Flickr/menard-mickael

The Author

American writers have been drawn to France since the days when Hemingway and Fitzgerald frequented Parisian cafés such as Les Deux Magots and spent Saturday evenings at Gertrude Stein’s literary salon on the Left Bank.

The modern-day American novelist has probably lived in France for quite some time. They probably started out as a journalist or a blogger. Now they make a living on the seemingly endless American thirst to know the secrets to living, eating, cooking, dressing, loving, raising well-behaved kids who don't throw food, and how to stay thin like a French person.

The Second-Homers

These Americans aren’t quite willing to go all the way with France, but will have a regular holiday romance and will commit to spending a few months or up to half the year in the Hexagon, probably in Paris.

They can afford an apartment with a balcony in the Marais or across the street from the Bon Marché. (Their other home is probably a pre-war townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.) And they'll proudly speak French better than many of the other permanent expats here. 

The Student

And lastly, the student. Often in France on an exchange programme for about nine months, the American student tries to take full advantage of their time in Paris. Since there’s a good chance they’re under 21, they take advantage of France’s lower drinking age by spending the majority of their evenings in bars, or else sleeping on trains as they travel through Europe on the cheap.

They say they’re here to improve their French but somehow end up hanging out only with other international students. Studying comes in second place to visiting a new city every weekend, becoming cultured with visits to the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, and drinking €2 bottles of wine on the banks of the Seine River.

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

Photo: Flickr/The LEAF Project

 

By Katie Warren, An American in Paris

 
 

Member comments

  1. What about the “Two-footer” A child born to an Irish Mother and a Yank father. Oh the pond jumping I have done.
    Seems like I might be unique to France..
    Kate

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LIVING IN FRANCE

What changes in France in July 2022

Summer's here and the time is right for national celebrations, traffic jams, strikes, Paris beaches, and ... changing the rules for new boilers.

What changes in France in July 2022

Summer holidays

The holiday season in France officially begins on Thursday, July 7th, as this is the date when school’s out for the summer. The weekend immediately after the end of the school year is expected to be a busy one on the roads and the railways as families start heading off on vacation.

READ ALSO 8 things to know about driving in France this summer

Strikes

But it wouldn’t really be summer in France without a few strikes – airport employees at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports will walk out on July 1st, while SNCF rail staff will strike on July 6th. Meanwhile Ryanair employees at Paris, Marseille and Toulouse airports will strike on yet-to-be-confirmed dates in July.

READ ALSO How strikes and staff shortages will affect summer in France

Parliamentary fireworks?

Prime minister Elisabeth Borne will present the government’s new programme in parliament on July 5th – this is expected to be a tricky day for the Macron government, not only does it not have the parliamentary majority that it needs to pass legislation like the new package of financial aid to help householders deal with the cost-of-living crisis, but opposition parties have indicated that they will table a motion of no confidence against Borne.

Parliament usually breaks for the summer at the end of July, but a special extended session to allow legislation to be passed means that MPs won’t get to go on holiday until at least August 9th. 

Fête nationale

July 14th is a public holiday in France, commemorating the storming of the Bastille which was the symbolic start of the French Revolution. As usual, towns and cities will host parades and fireworks – with the biggest military parade taking place on the Champs-Elysées in Paris – and many stores will remain closed.

As the national holiday falls on a Thursday this year, many French workers will take the opportunity to faire le pont.

Festival season really kicks in

You know summer’s here when France gets festival fever, with events in towns and cities across the country. You can find our pick of the summer celebrations here.

Paris Plages

The capital’s popular urban beaches return on July 9th on the banks of the Seine and beside the Bassin de la Villette in northern Paris, bringing taste of the seaside to the capital with swimming spots, desk chairs, beach games and entertainment.  

Summer sales end 

Summer sales across most of the country end on July 19th – unless you live in Alpes-Maritimes, when they run from July 6th to August 2nd, or the island of Corsica (July 13th to August 9th).

Tour de France

The Tour de France cycle race sets off on July 1st from Copenhagen and finishes up on the Champs-Elysée in Paris on July 24th.

New boilers

From July 1st, 2022, new equipment installed for heating or hot water in residential or professional buildings, must comply with a greenhouse gas emissions ceiling of 300 gCO2eq/KWh PCI. 

That’s a technical way of saying oil or coal-fired boilers can no longer be installed. Nor can any other type of boiler that exceeds the ceiling.

As per a decree published in the Journal Officiel in January, existing appliances can continue to be used, maintained and repaired, but financial aid of up to €11,000 is planned to encourage their replacement. 

Bike helmets

New standards for motorbike helmets come into effect from July 1st. Riders do not need to change their current helmets, but the “ECE 22.05” standard can no longer be issued – and all helmets sold must adhere to a new, more stringent “ECE 22.06” standards from July 2024

New cars

From July 6th new car models must be equipped with a black box that record driving parameters such as speed, acceleration or braking phases, wearing (or not) of a seat belt, indicator use, the force of the collision or engine speed, in case of accidents.

New cars II

From July 1st, the ecological bonus for anyone who buys an electric vehicle drops by €1,000, while rechargeable hybrids will be excluded from the aid system, “which will be reserved for electric vehicles whose CO2 emission rate is less than or equal to 20g/km”.

What’s in a name?

Historically, the French have been quite restrictive on the use of family names – remember the concern over the use of birth names on Covid vaccine documents? – but it becomes easier for an adult to choose to bear the name of his mother, his father, or both by a simple declaration to the civil status. All you have to do is declare your choice by form at the town hall of your home or place of birth.

Eco loans

In concert with the new boiler rules, a zero-interest loan of up to €30,000 to finance energy-saving renovations can be combined with MaPrimeRénov’, a subsidy for financing the same work, under certain conditions, from July 1st.

Rent rules

Non-professional private landlords advertising properties for rent must, from July 1st, include specific information about the property on the ad, including the size of the property in square metres, the area of town in which the property is in, the monthly rent and any supplements, whether the property is in a rent-control area, and the security deposit required. Further information, including the full list of requirements for any ad, is available here.

Perfume ban

More perfumes are to be added to a banned list for products used by children, such as soap-making kits, cosmetic sets, shampoos, or sweet-making games, or toys that have an aroma.

Atranol, chloroatranol (extracts of oak moss containing tannins), and methyl carbonate heptin, which smells like violets, will be banned from July 5th, because of their possible allergenic effects.

Furthermore, 71 new allergenic fragrances – including camphor, menthol, vanilin, eucalyptus spp. leaf oil, rose flower oil, lavendula officinalis, turpentine – will be added to the list of ingredients that must be clearly indicated on a toy or on an attached label.

Ticket resto limits

The increased ticket resto limit ended on June 30th, so from July 1st employees who receive the restaurant vouchers will once again be limited to spending €19 per day in restaurants, cafés and bars. The limit was increased to €38 during the pandemic, when workers were working from home.

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