ooh la la, paris!

I actually considered buying one of these -- a little piece of French history, all my own -- but realized it would be of no use to me, as my French is extremely basic.

Aside from hello and how are you, I know only the barest minimum for survival:

Je ne comprends pas.
Parlez-vous anglais?

And the all-important

Je suis végétarienne/végétalienne. (I am a vegetarian/vegan.)

My inability to speak and understand French did cause some inconvenience. I expected this, and was prepared for it (see above phrases). What was frustrating was when people would try to strike up a conversation with me, in French, of course. Unable to communicate in English, they would smile, shrug or shake their heads, and give up.

Despite warnings from some quarters that the French are rude, I found the opposite to be true. The French people I encountered were helpful, friendly, and gracious.

Even those I could not communicate with tried to be of help.

The "reputation" of rudeness, I would say, comes from those who try to talk to them in English off the bat. If you didn't understand English at all, and someone came up and started talking to you in a strange language, how would you react?

If you at least preface what you want to say with, "Parlez-vous anglais?" that wouldn't seem so rude. At least you tried, right?


----------------------------

To say that the French appreciate culture and history is an understatement.

In Paris, not only will awe-inspiring monuments and landmarks greet you at every turn, but each day is like a mini-film festival. According to Aude Hesbert, festival director of the Paris Cinema International Film Festival, there are 300 films showing in Paris everyday.

Lucas Rosant, a Paris Cinema programmer and head of the Paris Project, says these are not all French or even Hollywood films. One-third are from Asia and Africa.

I don't think any other city can claim this.

The French would go out of their way to discover new cultures, says Martin Macalintal, the audiovisual attaché of the French Embassy in Manila.

And that's exactly what they did at Paris Cinema 2008, filling up the theaters of the MK2 Bibliotheque to watch the films in competition, as well as the Filipino films.

The Philippines was the "country of honor" at this year's Paris Cinema, from 1 to 12 July.

This photo was taken during Brillante Mendoza's talk before the screening of his film "Serbis" at the MK2.