A French friend of mine is just back in Paris after 20 years in Asia and says the biggest change he has seen is exactly this people are much friendlier. He puts it down to the younger generation being more open, exploring the world and coming back.
As a Paris resident for 35 years, I have witnessed this evolution. I see at least two factors. First, the French in general are no longer scared to be confronted by people speaking foreign languages. They used to panic and be very rude for this reason alone. Now, rather than feeling shame, many take pleasure in speaking English, for example. Second, client relationship strategies, completely unknown to much of France 25 years ago, have gradually filtered into business and public services. The old bureaucrats had only one mission to make it impossible for you to achieve your purpose. Today, it's practically a pleasure to go to the post office, for example, or to a state administration, where staff are tripping over themselves to be useful and even kind. Of course, there are still miserable bastards everywhere, but the average Parisian has become an eager and pleasant person at your service.
#parisians #attitude-change #generational-shift #friendliness #language-skills #customer-service #hospitality-industry
[
add
]
[
|
|
...
]