American dating french woman

All dark memories of New York–sipping overpriced drinks at clubs while men pointedly ignored me–dissolved in a wash of flirtation.

But despite the quantity of my interactions, the quality left something to be desired. Our conversations, which kicked-off with cultural differences and anecdotes about America, never seemed to progress.

Even after I fixed my mangled conjugations and verb tenses, my accent betrayed my origins.

An activity as simple as my ordering a drink piqued people’s interests because it was a natural ice breaker: Oh, are you American?!

To him, my personality, my values and my views were nothing more than “Americanisms”, even when that connection didn’t exist or matter.

are all delightful, non-threatening ways to initiate interest.

Before long, I had the dating life every 20-something dreams about.

My proverbial pocketbook was full of outings for coffee, at the movies, and over drinks.

Regardless, I found myself in conversations and situations—dating situations—that were totally foreign to me.

In France, I was distinctly recognizable as une étrangère the moment I opened my mouth.