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Les French

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The bittersweet truth about the 2022 presidential election

Last Sunday, Macron’s reelection was welcomed with overwhelming joy by the democratic world. Enthusiastic posts and tweets coming from abroad flooded social media. Yet, while it is tremendously good news for Europe, the presidential election left a bittersweet taste in France. Fending off Marine Le Pen is only a won battle, but the war on populism and the far-right threat is far from over. Macron’s victory isn’t a landslide one, and it might not be durable in terms of long-term effects. This incertitude comes mainly from three aspects concluding the deciding runoff. Despite losing the election, Marine Le Pen scored 41.5%, compared to 33.9% in 2017. The percentage doesn’t necessarily reflect Le Pen’s growing popularity, but it is a sign of increasing sympathy for far-right and eurosceptic parties. And as such, this result may be a worrying harbinger of a possible dangerous shift in the future. Similarly, as Macron won…

I went to the French ER and this is what I learned

When it comes to accidents, I’m like a magnet. Luckily, I haven’t died so far, but these mishaps usually seem bad enough to land me in emergency rooms. At a Halloween party, during the long weekend, I jumped so high, I hit my head against a mezzanine. And then, due to a continuous headache and a weird concave bump, I decided that going to the hospital for a check-up would be a wise thing to do. Since I’m not yet that familiar with the healthcare system, I started asking friends for advice. All of them, with no exceptions, suggested that I should make an appointment because this is how it works in France. Of course, it would mean that first, I need to make an appointment with a GP, who would let me schedule another appointment for an eventual check-up. Given that head injuries aren’t a joke, I could picture…

The funniest French Instagram accounts to follow

Many people think that living in Paris is a dream. They aren’t mistaken, but it’s absolutely not like in the media. When you live in the city of lights long enough, at some point, “Emily in Paris” stuff just doesn’t hit the spot anymore, so you start craving something humorous and more relatable. Or maybe you are just curious if the legends are true. Any reason is a good reason to explore these funny instagram accounts that perfectly sum up the perks of livin’ la vida loca in France. Source: Yugnat999 Yugnat999 When it comes to covering the overall experience of living in France, there is probably nobody who does it better than Yugnat999. For those who don’t already know, the enigmatic nickname is basically a reversed version of his name Tanguy and the number 666. And behind this witty name hides the French pioneer of meme posting. It’s hard not to…

“Emily in Paris” through the eyes of real Parisians

Emily in Paris” has taken the internet by storm. This new TV Show coming from Netflix depicts the story of an American girl who moves from Chicago to Paris. The result is as follows: the French are outraged for how the show pictures them, and the foreigners living in Paris complain about how inaccurate it is. As part of the latter group who have encountered the same struggles as Emily, we couldn’t let the discussion slip without our reaction. Is it really that bad? Or maybe it’s somewhat right? Let’s take a look at this widely commented Netflix show through the eyes of real-life Emilys. Photo via: Netflix Emily’s apartment (verdict: 50% true) There are two things about Emily’s apartment. Let’s set the record straight and say that real chambres de bonne don’t look like that. More accurate would be a 15 square-meter apartment with a shower inside and a toilet in…

What is white privilege in France?

As a rule, we generally abstain from discussing politics and social issues. But we can’t remain silent when the most basic human rights are denied to some only because of the color of their skin. Given the current situation, we had no choice but to speak up. Racism is not something that happens only in America. As “adopted” Parisians, we would like to raise awareness about racism in France. For this reason, we decided to translate and share an Instagram post written by French writer Fiona Schmidt who discusses white privilege. She shares how racism affects the daily lives of French people of color. We see you, we hear you, and we stand with you! The advantages of being white in France (a nonexhaustive list): I’m not a porn categorywhen I unintentionally pass someone at a close distance, their hand doesn’t grip the purse by reflexnobody touches my hair without…

5 things French men do better

Paris is the city of love – no doubt about that. Some of us can’t resist its charm what sooner or later results in falling under the spell of French men. They are fluent in the art of seduction and love to use it. While some of them resemble well-known bourgeois bohème, such as Serge Gainsbourg, others prefer more niche lifestyles. Yet, there are several traits French men have in common that make us endlessly adore them as well as choose them as lifelong partners in crime. Roger Vadim & Brigitte Bardot (Image via Criterion) 1. Their moves are full of panache Being French is not just a nationality – it’s a way of living. Prominent cultural and historical background implemented French people with innate high confidence, and they aren’t afraid to show it. They know they are les Français so everything they do must be magnificent. French men embraced this rule and love to…

5 things you start to realize when living in Paris

Moving to a new city is always accompanied by hopes and expectations that are usually fueled by the image we know from the media. Especially for big cities like Paris, it is impossible to avoid having some concept of living there. Of course, time spent in the City of Lights deprives every newcomer of misconceptions and shows what Paris is really like. Welcome to this unique guide of 5 things people realize when they move to Paris (according to an adopted Parisian). 1. Paris is much more than the Eiffel Tower Many foreigners who dream about coming to Paris, fall under the Eiffel Tower’s spell. No wonder why. Almost every movie whose action takes place in Paris features this superstar. According to them everything worth attention happens around it. The first thing you find out about people living in Paris is that the Eiffel Tower doesn’t make us excited.…