I hope this will become a recurring feature. I want to review books that may be helpful or insightful for an au pair in Paris (or France more generally).
There are no shortage of books for people who have the desire to up sticks and make a home for themselves in France. Yet these books tend to focus on those who have both the means, and the luxury of time, to renovate quaint farm houses in the south of France. They know that they have years of warmth and sunshine in which to make their mistakes. This is not the case for au pairs. Au pairs have a maximum stay of 12 months on the stagiaire aide familial étranger and every minute not spent speaking French or trying to absorb chic by osmosis is a minute wasted. The easiest way to get around this is by reading the tales of those who have gone before you.
So I will be highlighting books which may be the most useful for you as an au pair on your placement. I am not looking at any particular genre - travel guides, travel writing, language books, poetry, and prose. If it will help you make sense of French life, I will read it and review it. So, let's start with:
Almost French: A New Life In Paris - Sarah Turnbull.
What's it about?
Sarah was backpacking across Eastern Europe as part of a year off from her work in television journalism in Sydney, Australia. Whilst in Bucharest she met Frédéric, a chic French lawyer, who invited her to come stay for a week in Paris. Eight years on and she is still in Paris and married to Frédéric. This book recounts the endless faux pas and cultural calamités that occur as she tries to acclimatise to living in the capital of chic. Never help yourself to champagne at a 'cocktail', never wear 'pantalons de jogging' to the boulangerie, and never be short of a riposte.
Sarah's constant confusion and the seemingly arbitrary and old fashioned customs and quirks of French life will have you laughing at seething alongside her in equal measure. She has that boldness and natural warmth that one expects from an Australian. It makes her an excellent companion in the face of icy Parisian attitudes. If you are what the French call 'Anglo-Saxon' (which seems to cover not only the English but Australians, Kiwis, and Americans amongst others...) you too may be surprised to discover the French attitude towards feminism, homelessness, and wine consumption.
Always by her side is Frédéric. However she soon discovers that having a French partner, although an advantage over many expats, does not immediately ingratiate her into social circles. If you are looking for a romance to sweep you off your feet, then this is not the travel memoir for you. Whilst Sarah and Frédéric's relationship is very much both the catalyst and the heart of this book, it is not a fairytale. Through Frédéric and Sarah's relationship we can see how cultures can clash in the most fundamental ways. In some ways it is these little things that make Sarah seem most confused by French culture. Her anger at his friends' behaviour towards her, her frustration at being dragged to his country home EVERY weekend, and how she marvels at his attention to style and detail reveals how our cultural and national identity permeate even the most intimate details of our lives. It shows how hard it can be for two individuals from such different backgrounds to see eye to eye on matters.
Why should you read it?
Culture shock is a given when you move abroad. Now matter how many times you may have visited a country as a tourist, living there is another matter. This is especially true with places that have been as romanticised as Paris, both by foreigners and by the Parisians themselves. I expect every au pair will feel like a fish out of water at some point in their stay.
You will wage a constant battle to understand and be understood, and it can be exhausting. You will feel lonely. You will feel frustration at being viewed as foreign. There is a strong chance that at some point in your time abroad, you will want to throw in the towel and give up. Fear not! Sarah felt that way too. But with a little help from her partner and the few (mostly expat) friends she made, she learnt how to put on a French dinner party, how to navigate the endless bureaucracy, and how to hold her head high whilst walking a dog with a ridiculous haircut. In this book she not only shares her frustrations, but also her triumphs and proves that you too can survive in a foreign country, though maybe not with all your dignity intact.
The author really shows how alluring the French way of life is, and how even after multiple falls, one can still want to be one of the almost mythical 'Parisiennes'. Being a true 'Parisienne' may be unobtainable for anyone who is not born in France (if not those born inside the privileged 75- postcode), but Sarah shows that with some hard work, anyone can become 'almost French.'
There are no shortage of books for people who have the desire to up sticks and make a home for themselves in France. Yet these books tend to focus on those who have both the means, and the luxury of time, to renovate quaint farm houses in the south of France. They know that they have years of warmth and sunshine in which to make their mistakes. This is not the case for au pairs. Au pairs have a maximum stay of 12 months on the stagiaire aide familial étranger and every minute not spent speaking French or trying to absorb chic by osmosis is a minute wasted. The easiest way to get around this is by reading the tales of those who have gone before you.
So I will be highlighting books which may be the most useful for you as an au pair on your placement. I am not looking at any particular genre - travel guides, travel writing, language books, poetry, and prose. If it will help you make sense of French life, I will read it and review it. So, let's start with:
Almost French: A New Life In Paris - Sarah Turnbull.
What's it about?
Sarah was backpacking across Eastern Europe as part of a year off from her work in television journalism in Sydney, Australia. Whilst in Bucharest she met Frédéric, a chic French lawyer, who invited her to come stay for a week in Paris. Eight years on and she is still in Paris and married to Frédéric. This book recounts the endless faux pas and cultural calamités that occur as she tries to acclimatise to living in the capital of chic. Never help yourself to champagne at a 'cocktail', never wear 'pantalons de jogging' to the boulangerie, and never be short of a riposte.
Sarah's constant confusion and the seemingly arbitrary and old fashioned customs and quirks of French life will have you laughing at seething alongside her in equal measure. She has that boldness and natural warmth that one expects from an Australian. It makes her an excellent companion in the face of icy Parisian attitudes. If you are what the French call 'Anglo-Saxon' (which seems to cover not only the English but Australians, Kiwis, and Americans amongst others...) you too may be surprised to discover the French attitude towards feminism, homelessness, and wine consumption.
Always by her side is Frédéric. However she soon discovers that having a French partner, although an advantage over many expats, does not immediately ingratiate her into social circles. If you are looking for a romance to sweep you off your feet, then this is not the travel memoir for you. Whilst Sarah and Frédéric's relationship is very much both the catalyst and the heart of this book, it is not a fairytale. Through Frédéric and Sarah's relationship we can see how cultures can clash in the most fundamental ways. In some ways it is these little things that make Sarah seem most confused by French culture. Her anger at his friends' behaviour towards her, her frustration at being dragged to his country home EVERY weekend, and how she marvels at his attention to style and detail reveals how our cultural and national identity permeate even the most intimate details of our lives. It shows how hard it can be for two individuals from such different backgrounds to see eye to eye on matters.
Why should you read it?
Culture shock is a given when you move abroad. Now matter how many times you may have visited a country as a tourist, living there is another matter. This is especially true with places that have been as romanticised as Paris, both by foreigners and by the Parisians themselves. I expect every au pair will feel like a fish out of water at some point in their stay.
You will wage a constant battle to understand and be understood, and it can be exhausting. You will feel lonely. You will feel frustration at being viewed as foreign. There is a strong chance that at some point in your time abroad, you will want to throw in the towel and give up. Fear not! Sarah felt that way too. But with a little help from her partner and the few (mostly expat) friends she made, she learnt how to put on a French dinner party, how to navigate the endless bureaucracy, and how to hold her head high whilst walking a dog with a ridiculous haircut. In this book she not only shares her frustrations, but also her triumphs and proves that you too can survive in a foreign country, though maybe not with all your dignity intact.
The author really shows how alluring the French way of life is, and how even after multiple falls, one can still want to be one of the almost mythical 'Parisiennes'. Being a true 'Parisienne' may be unobtainable for anyone who is not born in France (if not those born inside the privileged 75- postcode), but Sarah shows that with some hard work, anyone can become 'almost French.'
No comments:
Post a Comment