Before arriving in Paris, I heard that Parisienne people were very rude. Now after being in Paris I feel very differently. I think that most people in Paris are not rude but choose to stay to themselves. I have also noticed that people in Paris are not very sensitive/emotional. They are not affected very much when a person bumps into them, instead they act like nothing happened.
People in Paris are also very willing to speak English. Most of the time, when we try to speak French, they stop us and begin speaking English. Most people in Paris will say they don’t know English if you ask them but then will speak English very well if the conversation persists. I greatly appreciate the effort that Parisiennes make to communicate with English speakers.
Another thing I have noticed about people in Paris is the variety in the way they dress. There are various social classes living in Paris so the style of clothing they wear varies. We have seen many people who are very fashionable and wear lots of luxury brands. Other Parisiennes dress more simply. A big trend we have noticed is sneakers and tights/socks. It is very popular for women to wear sneakers with black tights or fun socks. Men also wear shorter jeans with colored socks and sneakers.
Emmanuelle from MLK brought to our attention that French berets are not considered very fashionable in Paris. It is actually mostly the elderly who wear them. I found this very interesting.
Overall, I have found the people in Paris to be very interesting. They are different from Americans in the way they dress and the way they live their lives. Parisiennes seem to be more stylish and are not in a hurry to get from place to place.