Please DO NOT WEAR tennis... by roaming_liz
Please DO NOT WEAR tennis shoes, camera, or big diamonds. It is the fastest way to be pegged as an out of towner. It saves you lots of problems. It is a must to say bon jour at EVERY time you enter a store or at the cashier. IT IS A MUST. The French are very kind people if they perceive you as well trained- that means formal, respectful and never loud. They look at life through emotions so they do tend to get upset about little things but just stand still and watch them run out of steam. But the city is still one of the largest in the world and tooooo many people still makes for LOTS of opportunity for stress. Just smile with your eyes and have fun watching them.For the first few months that I lived here, I had to realize that they were not just mad at me they really didn't like each other and especially in a store. It is amazing that this country has any gross national product because some days I can not find ANY service that is pleasant. You do have to go OUT of the city. Just chalk it up to normal and just stand in line and dream about something pleasant.