Frequently Asked Questions.
Some of my expat friends say they get a bit tired of answering the same old questions over and over again whenever they're introduced to a new French person. Where are you from? What are you doing in Paris? Etc.
I don't really get that and it's because I'm from New Zealand, it derails them from the standard questions. The French, like most people, don't know much about that small, faraway country on top of the world. The Dutch asked a lot of questions about NZ too, but they could usually dredge up a connection, a relative who'd moved there after the war, that kind of thing, so they would know a little more about it.
Questions About Me
As always, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. It can be about living in France or something else if you like. If I can make the answer interesting enough, I'll make a blog post out of it.
I don't really get that and it's because I'm from New Zealand, it derails them from the standard questions. The French, like most people, don't know much about that small, faraway country on top of the world. The Dutch asked a lot of questions about NZ too, but they could usually dredge up a connection, a relative who'd moved there after the war, that kind of thing, so they would know a little more about it.
Questions About Me
- Are you Irish? No.
- Do you have Irish ancestors? No.
- Are you sure? N...almost had me there.
- How many *count* piercings *count* *count* do you have?
- (Often followed by) You like wearing black a lot, don't you?
- How long does it take to fly there? (Repeat one million times) 28 hours if you're a masochist and fly non-stop. (Watch the questioner's jaw drop.)
- Australia and New Zealand are quite close, aren't they? Not really. Consider the distance from Paris to Moscow. That's about the distance between the *closest* two points. (Watch their jaw drop again.)
- How many people? 4 million
- How many sheep? 60 million (If you run into any slack-jawed Parisians, they may have been talking to me.)
- What are real estate prices like in New Zealand? (Okay, now my jaw hurts.)
- New Zealand... There are these films, right? (Repeat one million million times)
- (One time) No, this one was about a troubled Maori family. (Bloody hell, he's actually seen Once Were Warriors. It's an outstanding film about a family that implodes. You also need a strong stomach to watch it.)
- (Someone who I'd met five minutes previously wanted to know if he could ask a personal question) Is it true that the Dutch still dislike the Germans? That there are tensions?
- The Netherlands isn't so tolerant anymore, is it?
- Why are these weird things happening in Dutch politics? (I want my easy questions back, please.)
As always, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. It can be about living in France or something else if you like. If I can make the answer interesting enough, I'll make a blog post out of it.