Jun 252011
 

(asked by Nicolette from California) I was in a relationship with a French guy. The relationship was very good here in CA. So, he invited me to France to spend Christmas with his family, meet his parents, etc. I was excited about this, and accepted. I arrived to meet a very wealthy family. During my seven week stay (in their secondary house) I was invited into the big house for 2 meals with them, a lunch on my 5th day [Read the rest]

Dec 212010
 

(by Young Reader from Vietnam and the US) Ok, I guess it’s the season, so I’m treating you with new entries. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to post regularly (like I used to do), I’m still busy with other stuff and all, but let’s give it a shot. Let’s start (again) with a very long e-mail from Young Reader, a Vietnamese girl that has been living in the US for a while. First of all, thanks for [Read the rest]

Apr 172010
 

(asked by Jen, from… somewhere, possibly somewhere in Asia) I went to Paris 12 years ago and came back a year ago, both for a 2 weeks of vacation. I had a great time, only that I couldn’t help but to wonder if Parisian (or should I say the French people?) don’t really smile to strangers? I don’t mean just to any strangers you met on the street…. but the people who serve your table… or in a hotel… or [Read the rest]

Aug 062009
 

(asked by nobody, I just came up with it a few minutes ago while in the metro) Something that annoys me with tourists sometimes is the fact that because they’re abroad and they’re tourists their IQ seems to be suddenly half of what it normally is, and they lose all common sense and ability to think about basic things.I understand that it can be hard to adapt to a foreign country and foreign habits, but when we’re dealing with common [Read the rest]