The only way to know a place is to know its people.
for the more proper “bonjour"when entering a shop or running into a neighbor on the elevator.
What I didnt know were the words other, more sophisticated rules.
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Walking into a doctors office waiting room:Bonjour, everyone.
Coming into a department store: Nobonjour.
Walking onto the metro platform: Nobonjour.
Theresa Conroy/Travel + Leisure
Getting onto the bus:Bonjour.
Encountering a stranger on the sidewalk: Nobonjour.
Encountering a stranger in the courtyard in front of your building:Bonjour.
Theresa Conroy/Travel + Leisure
Passing an older woman on the street:Bonjour, madame.
Navigating that learning curve was deep enough to impact my personality.
In the U.S., I had been an astute newspaper reporter who was rarely flustered or timid.
Theresa Conroy/Travel + Leisure
Maybe French radiators do work that way.
(Spoiler alert: The heating system was, indeed, broken.)
Each time we visited, the desire to stay grew.
Theresa Conroy/Travel + Leisure
It wasnt until the first year had passed that I began bumping up against unexpected, nuanced challenges.
(Hint: Dont touch any of the produce without permission.)
More quandaries arose over time: How do you put the stick shift into reverse?
Exactly how far is 800 meters?
What does the traffic sign that looks like a space rocket mean?
What size shoe do I wear here?
Why cant I find ready-made chicken broth?
And why didnt anyone tell me I had to put salt in the dishwasher?
One by one, I knocked those quandaries off my List of Things That Confuse Me in France.
The only way to know a place is to know its people.
