Forgotten Culture

Having been back in Canada for the summer, I'd forgotten some things about French culture. For instance, I'd forgotten how long it takes to do a load of laundry. About an hour from start to finish...then hang dry your clothes. I'd also forgotten to watch out for dog poop on the sidewalk. Just about stepped in some...dodged it at the last minute. And I'd forgotten that pedestrians do not have any rights. Cars park on the sidewalk, blocking the way. Crosswalks and streetlights seem only to be "suggestions". I'd also gotten out of the habit of walking. You walk everywhere here and it doesn't seem to bother anyone. I walk 40 minutes one way to work, 5 days a week and that's normal. I actually enjoy it. It beats being stuck commuting for that amount of time. As long as the weather stays nice, that is!

I'd also forgotten how important outward appearance is to the French culture. Here, people dress up to pick up the mail, to get groceries, to get their kids from school. Hair is done, make-up on, trendy clothes, fancy shoes, etc etc. I'm going to have to find a balance between the desire to fit into the culture and spending too much time/money on "looking pretty".