photo by Kalleboo (flickr.com)The Stereotypes about the French are not only the funny and old image of the man wearing a beret hat and a baguette.
Most foreigners do not understand
the endless strikes in France whenever there is a social conflict in the country. Even the French living in
Lyon complain about the strikes in
Lyon public transport that occur regularly for many reasons.
Another strike is already planned next 8th December that celebrates the city of lights and the Beaujolais Nouveau. Transport tickets are usually free for that special day in
Lyon. So many people living in
Lyon will not appreciate this strike. More and more affected people by the bad consequences of the strikes use the public bicycle services to go to work.
Unfortunately, the tourists on holiday are often trapped and their week holiday becomes a nightmare as they have to change their visit program or even cancel some visits.
What is more, they cannot rely on
the French air transport companies that may go on strike when they just plan to move to France. Yet, transport measures have been taken to improve the public transport to get to
Lyon, and then travel in the city.
The Perrache and the Part-dieu railway stations in the center of the town are linked to
the international Saint-Exupéry airport which is 2 hours from
Paris by
TGV high-speed train. It has become much easier to get to
Lyon…, except on strike days.
In addition, the Lyonnais are said to be distant people who do not make acquaintance with people so easily. True, language is a first obstacle since they do not speak English. Does it mean they do not care about the other cultures? Certainly not. They are just very bad at speaking foreign languages, especially English, as the second language courses in the secondary schools with 25-28 pupils of heterogeneous levels prevents any relevant oral practice.
The French even consider oral speaking as a taboo since the French culture is based on writing habits.
Today, the French living in
Lyon are more aware of the language gap.
Some prefer to have their children in bilingual and international schools. Others are trying hard to create English-speaking sites and magazines to help the tourists and the international expats in
Lyon.
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