@@saintuk70Yeah but so much of what they think they understand about the U.S. is wrong, so there's not much room for them to feel superior. But also yes, they do criticize us for not traveling internationally.
Correct. The truth is, many Europeans pat themselves on the back for having "traveled abroad." But traveling abroad for them is a matter of hopping on a train for a couple of hours. The U.S. is the size of Europe. I could drive from Memphis to Baltimore in 13 hours. One could also drive from Paris to Hungary in that same amount of time, but by then you've "traveled abroad" to 4 different countries lol.
@@saintuk70 Just because we haven’t visited and experienced, doesn’t mean we’re not aware. I know there are different and beautiful languages and cuisines and ways of life. I know there is ancient architecture and art like nowhere else in the world. I am very aware that there are amazing things outside of the United States, but until I can afford to visit and see those things, I have no problem with discovering all the wonderful things that my own country has to offer.
I love her. She has the best attitude of anyone I've ever seen doing a video like this. She gets us. Even the parts she completely doesn't understand, even then she still gets us. Such a refreshing open-minded attitude to take to another country. She has obviously earned her honorary American and Canadian citizenships.
It is a concept and it really changes the way you see things. Americans see an empty spot of land and think about skyscrapers, food courts, or factories. We can BUILD something there that didn't exist before. In Europe, everything already existed, and it's been there so long nobody remembers who built it or how. The house I'm in now, I've lived here for most of this house's existence. In Europe you could live in a house that was built centuries ago. Those are rare in America.
It is so awesome hearing someone speak possitive about America and the things that are so great about this country, not just the bad....... Thank you so much.... We love you
"The world is a mirror." Not a precise reflection but you tend to receive the attitude you project. (not familiar with this channel but SHE def projects a positive vibe)
There is a concerted effort by the European media to report only on the worst aspect of the US. That should tell you something about the balance of power .... and I'm European.
Marie, speaking for myself, thank you for the warm comments and appreciation for the USA and Canada. Its is nice to hear someone be positive about us. I think the thing I liked the most is your appreciation for our friendly nature. We are happy for the most part. Yeah, we have our haters but they aren't the ones who speak for the majority and they do have their rights also. Anyway, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND FIRENDSHIP, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a fellow enjoyer of food (of all kinds), you have no idea how nice it is to hear a French woman be complimentary of food available in America. We spent most of the last 150 years being told how bad our food was compared to French food... it's nice to hear a compliment once in a while! With pharmacies - I don't entirely disagree with you... but, sometimes you have to heal your soul as well as your body, and ice cream is good for that. 🙂
Well to be fair, "american" food is kinda crap tbh, but that's why I'm so happy we have imported so many others. Mexican, Indian, Thai, Chinese, etc etc are all super yummy
@@UnshavenStatue Most culture's foods are imports and permutations on other culture's foods. The baguette and croisant both have roots in Austria, via August Zang. Japanese tempora was inspired by the cooking of Portuguese traiders. And just because the mass manufactured brands aren't always the best quality doesn't mean good food doesn't get made in America. I wouldn't judge the quality of British baked goods just on a package of custard creams from Tesco.
People ( Including, or even especially Americans) really can't fathom how BIG this place really is! some of the states are bigger than entire European countries. and the language even with all it's various dialects is English. everywhere. with Rhotic "r"s, which makes it especially ours (and Canada's). My very favorite thing about living here is the knowlege that, whenever I want and for whatever reason I want, I can drive for 4 days in any direction and STILL be here without needing a passport.
As large as the USA is, Canada is even bigger. And Mexico isn't exactly small either. There's a combo like this in Asia with Russia, China, and India, but it's much more difficult to go from one to the other.
@@M21655 I thought it was more like 90%. Still, the lion's share lives within 100 miles or so of the border. So if you want to get lost in the wilderness, just head north and find all that grand solitude.
I travelled to a lot of countries in Europe and the Middle East when I was younger. A lot of things don't make sense in other cultures, but the experience of travel is of great value to your understanding of the world and yourself. Travel gives you a broader perspective.
Yes, Marie, as an American, I agree with you about the roads and cross-country highways here...they are very well built and convenient for sightseeing throughout the USA. We here are very lucky, probably more so than we even realize, these Interstate, cross-country highways were built by possibly the greatest engineers the world had ever known, due to their experience of performing much do or die engineering during World War 2.(And also just pioneering, building where there was nothing before in early America.) The ways the roads are banked to account for people not slowing down enough when taking curves, especially on monutainous roads, roads where ditches are off to the side, the care in design to make sure rainwater and melting snow doesn't form pools on the roads, the sticks by the sides of the roads and highways that mark where the roads end and the ditches begin, (which has saved countless people from disasters in snowy areas, when the snow covers the roads), along with bicycle-like reflectors on them that make them visible in the night.(Saving people from going off cliffs!) The many guardrails on such mountain roads, that level of workmanship and engineering, on such a gigantic scale, covering innumerable miles/kilometers throughout the entire North America, will not likely be seen on Earth again for quite some time. Merci beaucoup pour votre vidéos, je suis heureux vous aimez bien America et Canada.
I watch a lot of travelers from other countries and they all say the same thing about US - that we smile and chit chat a lot. Weird that this isn't just something that everyone in other countries do. I like that you notice and have had such a positive experience visiting our country.
I don't know if this helps, but often when we call a store a pharmacy, it isn't really a pharmacy. (E.g. Walgreens Pharmacy) It's actually a convenience store with a pharmacy *department* somewhere inside. The store has all the food, snacks, cat food, toilet paper, clorox, etc., and then about a quarter of the store will be devoted to medicine/health aids and a pharmacist (chemist) counter. But the store itself isn't the pharmacy. There are also pharmacy areas in our grocery stores, Walmart, target, etc. There are also proper standalone pharmacies in the U.S. but they are much less common.
Just "convenience." Very happy you've enjoyed your time in the U.S. You are welcome here and you would be a positive addition if you ever decided to move here.
Marie, thank you for your pioneer thinking and actions! Watching you examine my country with a European flair has energized my own enthusiasm! When you visited the D-day sights of Normandy and honored the memory of our fallen heroes you won me over! Stay sharp and seek out the fun and exciting challenges in this world!
Marie, I am glad you find many things to like in America and frankly surprised that you mention the people and their smiles/kindness. I never really appreciated this kindness being from here until you mentioned it and I reflected on my experiences in Europe. In Europe, I didn't find the people unpleasant, but I do notice a difference. If you get to New Mexico, I think you will find the New Mexican food even better than the Mexican food you have experienced in Arizona and California - of course, I am a little biased. If you get out this way, my wife and I would be priviliged to host you 🙂
Absolutely correct about New Mexican food. It's not heavy like Mexican food and also not heavy like TexMex and Southwestern food both of which are also less heavy than Mexican food.
Being from California, I definitely agree with you about the Mexican food in your state. It is better. That doesn't mean the Mexican food is bad in California, because it isn't. It's actually fantastic! But it IS better in your state. I thought Mexican would be great in Texas, but I wasn't impressed. Although, I haven't had it a lot there, and I am sure I would find some places are better than others. But Marie, I am with you. I wish I could eat Mexican food every day. Even bad Mexican food is fantastic. What's not to like? Sour cream, cheese, sauces, meat, beans and rice, tortillas, and more! Quite frankly, my favorite food.
I love watching your videos. I grew up in a small town that had lots of immigrants. They were from all over Europe. We had only a few hundred people in the town but it seemed like about half of them had been born in Europe. You are kind and sweet and, as they say in my state, "Ya'all come back soon, ya hear?"
Can I just say how much your English has improved even from a year ago. Your accent is very light now and you have a good grasp of the American accent.
To "get" the pharmacy thing in the USA take a look at the old movie, It's a Wonderful Life. There you will see the origin of the Pharmacy in the USA from about 100 years ago. Then it all makes sense. That's what informed me of the oddity
Bonjour Marie, my favorite thing about America is the freedoms we enjoy. My favorite thing about France is that's where our beautiful, sweet Marie is from Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Marie to you and your family.
It is always refreshing to see your enthusiasm and zest for life and to hear your thoughts and views of our somewhat "unusual" life in America. I envy your opportunity to travel and see this world. I've made several trips to Europe and enjoyed my travels. Unfortunately, all of us age and slow down, making travel a bit slower and more inconvenient. Take advantage of your youth while you can. Have the very Happiest of Holiday Seasons.
Marie, it's so good to hear you talking about the things you liked the most about America (and our neighbors up north in Canada). You're right about the National Parks Passport being something that will make you want to go out and see incredible places. The squares on each page are actually for stickers that you can buy at Ranger Stations and then you match up the color on the sticker with the part of the Passport with the same color. It's one of those things people like to do. They like to put stickers on things, especially if they're colorful! There are also many places that have stamps for visitors even though they are not a part of the National Parks system, one of which is Mt. St. Helens which is run by the Forest Service. They have a cool stamp though. I loved hearing you talking about the food and to be honest, we're equal opportunity. We've stolen excellent food from all over the world as people immigrated from there to here. The difference is that because we're such a melting pot of different people, the food gets twisted a bit to become even BETTER. Italian food here in the US is a great example of that. I've been to Italy many times and they have fantastic food, but when you go to Italian restaurants in Chicago and eat THAT Italian food, you'll see that it's different in a good way. Italian Deep Dish Pizza is something you have to experience at least one time in your life. It'll change you. The Mexican food, the Chinese food, the Italian Food, and all the others have been combined into American food. For me, as an American who's traveled to 38 different nations on four different continents, I'd have to say that the thing I like about America the most is the diversity of places to see and experience. It's awesome that you got to go to Florida and I'm looking forward to seeing you wrestle alligators!!!! I hope you got to go on an airboat tour down there as well! Merry Christmas Marie! May 2024 be the best year of your life so far!
Interesting observations, thank you! Convenience, yes. People come to expect it, and they notice when things aren't convenient. We have big highway systems for moving large amounts of people and goods over some big distances. We built our world around cars. And in such a huge country there are so many different environments, some very different, like whole other worlds, taking the opportunity to explore it and see just how big and different it can be will transform your life and how you see the world. Laissez les bon temps roulez! Cheers!
As a person who was born outside the USA as an expat and natively speaking both Spanish and Engish. I must say your English is amazing. Your pronunciation and idiomatic usage is wonderful. Thank you for your great content.
It is quite surprising to say, but I am from Nasvhille, Tennessee and I met a French girl from Le-Sables D'Olonne on the West Coast while I was in Nantes several years ago. Five years later and she is moving to the US to live with me for good :). Her name is also quite similar to yours, hers is from Bretagne, Mari-Wenn. She relates a lot to how you feel in your videos about the US. We look forward to more of your videos, thanks for taking the time to make them for us. Merci
Another travel TH-camr I sometimes watch is Kaja Kubicka who is Polish-Danish. Recently, in Japan, she said "if it isn't weird, you not doing it right," which reminds me of your last point. Speaking of which, we have a pet hedgehog.
What makes any country special is the people, and America is so diverse in the different cultures, of other countries that are in it. There are few places so open to being different and excepting of it , like America. It is what makes our country great. I hope someday Marie you will come live here because you will make it even better.
That's because we take our freedoms for granted even though their rights not a privilege we're so used to it because we are the greatest country ever through history it sounds corny but true to have this much power this much freedoms and this much restraint if it was up to Europeans that had this power we would have another world war or Earth would have been destroyed 10 years ago by nukes
@@Toucan11we do well the majority of us there's %10 that are the loudest that want to change America into something different they want a mold our freedoms like Play-Doh
❤ Thank you for your kind words regarding the USA. I love France! I think your country is so beautiful and has it all. I am going to in April and i can’t wait. My French teacher said the same thing about the convenience. Joyeux Nöel ❤ Love your videos 😊
Marie, thank you for sharing your experiences with us! You help me to appreciate my own country even more. You provide an intelligent and refreshing view of things that we, as Americans, often take for granted. Thanks, also, for your ever-improving English. Before long, you'll sound like a native speaker! Your videos are wonderful! I always look forward to your next posting! Much gratitude to you!
I love to hear about your travels and your favorite things. I really enjoyed what you said about the passport book and also about how a smile can change a person's day. Thank you for being such a bright shining example for the world!
I appreciated the comment of accessibility. Even when we have things that are far away from each other, we still find a way to make far away things accessible. Many of us Americans constantly look outside to see how other countries do certain things, but it feels nice to see we do have some items done well.
Omg an American living in England it does surprise me everything closes early on a Sunday 😂 and no 24/7 corner shop !!!! I do miss my 7/11 or quick trip 😔 I’m living in the countryside of England, so I definitely feel you when u talk about everything being in one place. I can drive around my city for 30 mins and find about 7 + different gas stations, about 50+ different food places, 50+ different stores and about 50+ other buildings (I live in Texas !)
I really enjoy Marie's videos. I have to admit, her thoughts on American kindness really hit me in a certain way. I even teared up listening to the impact it had on her. God bless her sweet soul. America loves you Marie! If you ever come to the Dallas, TX area, I can show you the best Mexican food and BBQ in the area!
My favorite person from France is YOU, your openness, positivity, sense of adventure, and appreciation of even little things! Happy Holidays, peace, love, many blessings ❤.
Ive driven some awfully narrow roads in North Idaho, throw in several feet of snow, and an 86,000 pound logging truck, it gets interesting. Why have a hedgehog for a pet? Why not have a hedgehog for a pet?now you understand a little bit of the American dream. Glad you enjoyed yourself 👍
Merry Christmas from Texas! I am glad you think we are generally kind as Americans. I have been to France and I thought the people were very friendly as well.
Merry Christmas Marie. We love having you visit our country and can’t wait for your return. I live in Texas and there is so much to do and see here. And now that we know how much you love food, Texas bbq can’t be beat.
She reminds me of my French friends I had in college, at Purdue. Stephane and his wife Sandrine. I visited them during summer break, on the outskirts of Paris. Good memories, lo these many years ago!
Hi Marie, i enjoyed how your eyes brightened up the more you were talking. We could see the joy that you felt reminiscing about your trips. Your stories and thoughts about your travels never gets old, its fun hearing them. Hope you get all you want for christmas and your friends and family have happy holidays.
Hi Marie! I always love your enthusiasm 🥰! In the US, there’s an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of “why not?/why can’t I?” that explains much of the “strangest” that you describe 🙄🤷♂️😂. If people will buy a liter sized popcorn at the movies… well, why not try selling a 2 gallon sized bucket ?!🤷♂️ - someone’s sure to buy it ! Etc,etc. When I was a kid, you could buy little turtles and even baby caimans/alligators as pets and a LOT of kids had them. Why not? - was ok until kids got salmonella and parents started getting rid of them in lakes,etc🥺😂 - oh well! Even as an American I’m often puzzled by the “strange” things - pet rocks, chia pets, etc !🤣
I'm so glad that you enjoyed your journey to the Untied States and Canada and hope you will have more opportunities to visit in the future. You are such a bright, kind, positive young woman and your videos are just a joy to watch! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and can't wait to see your next adventure! 💙🤍❤️
It is so much fun and fascinating to get your perspective on our culture in the USA. I enjoy your attitude immensely because I see hope for the next generation of young adults. Thank you so much for your time and effort you put into your videos. Marie have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I live in Florida so I am excited to see what you visited while you were here. Stay well and be safe. Your parents raised a wonderful daughter.
Thank you, Marie, It is refreshing to have a new pair of eyes remind us what we have in this country. I wonder what remains for you to explore in the U.S. because you have visited a good share of the spectacular scenery. Those of us in the Great Plains have acquired an appreciation for subtle beauty along with the rarer spectacular sights. Here in Nebraska were have the spectacular migration of the Sand Hills Cranes in March, the unique fossil beds at Ashfall State park and a jewel of a zoo in Omaha. Look these up on the internet, I think that you will find them interesting.
I am so glad you had the opportunity to come and visit America. You have seen way more than I have and I live here. America is just as old as Europe. We are just a more developed country. We worked to make things better and easier for everyone. We still have the old roads here as well. So narrow when two cars come, both have to move over to pass each other. So you have seen all the easy to get to places. Lots of what we call, back country roads and places to visit here also. Amish country is some of that where they still use a horse and buggy to get around. Maybe you will be back to see more. I get to see Places through your lens that I will never see otherwise. Many of us her cannot afford to travel. We stay on our own little area and don’t go too far from home. I am so happy you get this once in a lifetime chance to explore this large country. Many who do what you have done, they end up loving here to live. Your family is there. Tough to leave. But just as easy as traveling here, you can go Home to visit anytime you want.
Good list, Marie. It’s been so enjoyable to watch your travels this year. The music is one reason I love America. And so much of the music I love is connected to New York in some way. I do also enjoy some West Coast music, but it’s mainly the East Coast for me.
Je suis Americain mais j'aime beaucoup la France. I've been to France a couple of times and I loved traveling through France. You have a beautiful country too. From Mont Saint Michel all the way down to Nice. Beautiful journey. I took a river cruise from Lyon to Arles the last time I was there. Magnifique! I studied French in high school and college and am still struggling with my French. Glad you had a good time dans les États Unis.
As an American I'm glad you always feel welcome here and people are warm and friendly to you. Ironically, that's one of the things most Americans say when we travel to Canada! We're always impressed with how friendly Canadians are and leave thinking they're the nicest people in the world. We're so lucky to have them as our neighbors. One thing's for sure, kindness is contagious. I live in Southern California but I have a friend in Alabama. Every time I visit I realize how much friendlier they are than what I'm used to at home. Some people think southern hospitality is phony, but it isn't and that's a very cynical attitude. It's sincere and you see it everywhere in the South. When I return to SoCal I always try to bring a little of their friendliness home with me. I'm really enjoying your channel and I love your observations about this great country. Americans often forget how much we have to be grateful for. I guess it's just human nature. As for the pharmacy example you gave, they probably make more from selling snacks and drinks than they do selling drugs. Rents are high and retailers are always looking for ways to maximize the benefit from the customers that walk in the door. Gas stations make more money from their mini-marts than they do selling gasoline. Since we live in a market-driven consumer economy there's value to having access to any customer. He comes in for gas and you sell him a Coke and a bag of chips. You'll see that sort of crossover in many types of businesses. It's the same reason many TH-camrs sell logo coffee mugs, sweatshirts etc.. The traffic their site brings in has value in other areas.
Bonjour Marie! I am SO glad that you really enjoyed your time here in the States, and that you actually are considering living here for a time. I highly recommend that next Summer for you to visit the MidWest, go to Chicago, come to Detroit for the Woodward Dream Cruise in August to see all the amazing new and classic Mustangs, and so much more to explore in the MidWest. Hope you and your loved ones are all doing well and have a wonderful Holiday season! Bonne journee! ~Be Blessed
You're a sweetheart miss💞. We do have Pharmacies with mostly medical items. Drug store like CVS have Pharmacies in the back of the store and they also sell popular items that people need. It's literally called "One stop shopping" because you can get everything you need at one store and only make the "one stop" on your way home👍💯. I hope that explains it and God bless you! Thank You for this fun video💖.
Pharmacies that sell groceries, etc: Goes back to your favorite number 1 - convenience. If you have to go to the pharmacy to pickup a prescription, it is convenient to get your groceries done at the same time rather than have to drive down the road to the grocery store. The reverse is true as well - most big grocery stores have pharmacies.
I appreciate Marie 's positive and friendly point of view and attitude towatd North America and american people. I share the same feeling. I am french also. Thank you. Thanks to Marie we share nice documentaries about America. Friendship between France and America is genuine and eternal. Best wishes from south of France ❤😊
Great video Marie. It was interesting to see the things you liked the best in the U.S. Even though I'm a country boy in Tennesse where country food rocks I also think Mexican food is what I like the best. I hope you enjoyed your trips to U.S. enough to come back and visit again. Merry Christmas to you Marie.
I'm so lucky to have found your channel! I long to go to Colmar and Nice (the whole French and Italian riviera really), and here you are talking about all the places Ive gone to. Did you get a chance to see Yosemite and the Grand Canyon (south entrance)!!? Im going to go binge watch all your other videos! I hope to see your country one day, mon français est horrible, mais je continuerai d'essayer! come back soon💞
Thanks for sharing and including us on your journey. I imagine everyone has a distorted view of other countries based on television and politics. I’m always pleased when visitors from around the world comment on how kind and friendly Americans can be.
I just found your channel today. Thank you for the great video. I watched your Montana video where you said you're considering moving here to the USA. That is really my favorite part of my country, when visitors have a great experience and want to be here more. I'm very happy to hear my fellow Americans have been nice to you. 🙂 As I'm sure you know, we don't have universal healthcare, so that is a significant expense that needs to be considered. But I would say you already have that American spirit of dreaming of bigger things. I'm sure you'll do great regardless of where you decide to live. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Marie, hope all is well with you. I wanted to hopefully give you a helpful tip if you plan to visit the Seattle, Washington area and want to see one of the 3 national parks (Mt Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascade) here. If you want to see the parks you likely want to visit between late June to mid October. If you visit outside of that time, most of the National Parks will start getting snow and the roads close. I know you visited Spokane, Washington but that has a very different climate than the western part of the state. If you visit I would suggest looking up road closures for the national park or national monument if you visit. P.S. If you visit you have to ride a ferry across the Puget Sound since that is something many locals do but very few tourist do. To make it really unique you could take the ferry from Seattle, Washington to Victoria, Canada. Depending on the time of the year you can see different types of whales while on the water.
Christmas decorations are out in my neck of the woods. These are the Christmas Market Weeks in St. Charles. It is rainey and chilly but the crowds are thick. Carolers and costumed street performers circulate among the crowds and inside the markets the shops are decorated well. Rain or not, crowds too, still so much in the Christmas mood. So glad it is there too. Can't wait to see the Christmas season there. So happy you have good things to say but then you are always positive, Marie.
My grandfather (Sargent, French Army) came over here after the first world war and his favorite food was Mexican food prepared with French wine sauces. So good!
We are basically Europe in one nation. Infact we have more Irish than Ireland. Where i live in Southern Illinois we are 90% German. Each state is a different country with different laws and different culture.. I love especially where i live that i can get to Chicago, St.Louis, Nashville, Indianapolis all within a few hours. I love that we have deserts, plains, mountains, ice, islands, tropics, etc. There is nothing in the world USA does not have because its a melting pot of everything in the world.
Thank you so much for your time. I've watched off and on for a long time. You're getting more and more at home in front of the camera. Really enjoy the content. I would like to address the quirkiness of our pharmacies. I'm almost 65 and I remember a time when pharmacies were locally owned. The big chain drug stores hadn't reach small town America. My own town had two Pharmacies. 4500 people. They were hubs of the community. Each had a lunch counter/soda fountain. They were news stands, offering local and national new papers and magazines. Card shops. Gift shops. One even had a small hardware section, screws, nails, picture hangers. My parents would take me to the local pharmacy on Saturday afternoons for an ice cream cone. As the chain stores grew and mom and pop pharmacies went out of business...The function of "General store" offerings came with the expansion. Kinda how we got the current ridiculous pharmacies. Thank you again and have a wonderful holiday/new year.
You kind of answered your own observation about pharmacies earlier in this video. It's all about convenience for shoppers. There are some pharmacies that only do medications and medical stuff, they are usual in small towns though. The larger pharmacies stock different things cater to shopper convenience and make more money. Ahhh, CAPITALISM. Great to hear some nice things about America for a change. Glad you had a good trip.
That, of course, is the business model for CVS and Walgreens. To get to the pharmacy, one has to go to the far catty corner of the store, opposite the entrance, passing all the 'stuff', to get there. "Oh, I DO need one of these." LOL.
@@kevinh5349 Simple answer: Just do buy anything you didn't go there fore. lol I've never once bought anything from those stores I wasn't planning on buying anyway. I'm always in and out in 5 minutes. lol
:) Great video. Can't wait to see where you went in Florida. I currently live in FL, but grew up in the rural Midwest (Central IL). I have lived in IL (21 years), MT (1 year), Texas (10 years), GA (3 years), and now Fl (13 years). Loved seeing your Glacier Park videos, since that is one of my favorite places in the country, just behind the Oregon Coast. Can't wait to see where you go next. It is great to learn about France as well. I think the 'pharmacy' thing is confusing. They should be named differently, since there are 'pharmacies' in several different stores here, like most all food stores have a pharmacy inside as well, but we don't call the store a pharmacy. You won't find many stores here that are only focused on one thing. They most all have everything or a lot of items not associated with the store theme.
Marie, I have watched you for a few years and your "American English" is getting very obvious. I can hear it very clearly. It reminds me of when I was in Eastern Europe and the young people learned English from Americans (Bosnia and Kosovo) .. They would pick up southern accents and it was funny to hear them talk with an eastern European accent combined with a US southern accent. Also hearing them adopt the culture of "yes sir/ma'am" , general politeness to strangers, etc. I miss taking the people that worked on our bases and their families to special occasions like Thanksgiving dinner and 4th of July parties where we opened up our dining facility and had sports events for them and their families! So much fun!
As an American, I fully understand about the kindness of people because I have experienced it myself when I've traveled abroad. I've also experienced feeling lonely traveling when people weren't kind, helpful, or made me feel welcomed.
Marie,I feel bad I almost forgot to wish you the very merriest of christmases and a wonderful beautiful New Year. Also, please extend these wishes to all of your family.
Hi Marie I'm from Oceanside California and my favorite food is Mexican of course. I also love getting my National Park passport stamps. I love your travel videos.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Marie. I feel like I am the American version of you. I don't have a vlog though. But I have been going to France a lot lately and many of the things I love about it are the things you love about the US. I have been learning French for 4 years, it was my covid hobby. Eventually it led me to spending more and more time discovering France. So far, I have explored the middle, east, and south. I am planning a trip in a few months to discover the West and then the following year, the North. Any suggestions of where to go are welcome! The word you were looking for in this video was "convenience". It's a good way to describe our pharmacies, while they are for medicine we also like convenience so they also have several items we may want to comfort ourselves when we aren't feeling well, like ice cream. You are right that probably doesn't make sense if you are ill to eat, but we aren't always the best at making healthy food choices haha. It is funny you mentioned hedgehogs, I just learned that word in French today. I don't think I will have much occasion to use it. Most of us do not own one as a pet. You were also correct in your usage of "living proof" as a phrase, that works. France has incredible diversity of places which are fun to discover too. I love the food and the influence neighboring countries can also have on it. not unlike Mexican food here. For the most part, French people have been very kind to me on my travels. They seem especially surprised to see an American speaking more than a tourist level of French and having fairly good pronunciation. I try to do my part, I know we are stereotyped as not being very interested in culture or language but of course that is not true of all of us. I also appreciate the things that are very different and don't make sense to me. For example, I still struggle to understand why French numbers change so much as they get higher and the word order of how you use the word 'manque' still doesn't make sense to me even though it has been explained many times. All those differences are a lot of fun and part of the magic of travel and spending time in other cultures. I can't wait to continue to explore France and to follow your journey as you continue to explore North America! -Your friend in Washington state.
It's nice to hear a European say that American kindness is sincere and uplifting. So many Europeans say that our kindness is fake and makes them uncomfortable.
I enjoy videos by people, such as yourself, come to the US and marvel at things that we sometimes take for granted and some things we might never have noticed. You remind me to be more pleasant to others. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We love interpretation of ourselves from charming, bright, inquisitive overseas visitors. You’re always welcome, snd I love seeing myself through your eyes. Merry Christmas, happy Nee Year!
Marie, I appreciate that you really like it here in the United States. I like it too, but I was in France in May 2022 and I can get as excited talking about my trip and experiences as you do about the US. I was amazed at the size of the country as I traveled around between Paris, Normandy, and Chamonix. And how beautiful France is! I just love the country, the people, the culture, the language, the food, the wine, and so much more! On a side note and contrary to some people's opinion, I did not find Parisians to be rude at all. If you understand the culture, Parisians are a wonderful people and my experiences were all good (not counting the guy at Tour Eiffel)! 😊J'aime la France !
I found the same on my two trips around France and I think in Paris you get what you give!!! If you are friendly and appreciative I felt I was treated well🥰🥰🥰🥰
Our uniqueness is what makes us special. I have a weakness for beautiful french ladies ... lol. So nice to see you again and listen to your year's activities. I look forward to more. Have a Merry Christmas my friend. I hope your next year is filled with more adventures to share :) Canada Misses You :)
Hello Marie, I always really enjoy your reactions or talks. You are such a sweetheart. Such a good person. I'm so glad you got to come to the US again. And I'm very happy you enjoyed yourself, and we're treated well. Thanks so much for keeping us informed. Don't forget to tell your parents how great a job they did with you. :-)
Mary you should try US territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands. They are just as pretty.
I love this outsider's perspective on my country. Really loved number 5, I take it for granted but having traveled a lot, I know it's not universal. Also, you can find authentic Mexican food in all 50 states of the US haha, it's one of our favorite foods, rarer in the norther states, but common everywhere else. There are pharmacy's in Texas that sell guns lol.
Thank you young lady, i had a great time in France I spent three days in the Louvre and as an art history major the way they arranged it I could anticipate what was coming so it took on an evolutionary flavor. I also spent 28 days in Cannes in August and skid in Tigne , thank you
As for pharmacies,I think starting in the early 1900s, entrepreneurs learned people prefer "one stop" shopping, especially if feeling ill.
General Stores never went away.
8:32 we’re often criticized for not traveling abroad too much, but there’s just SO much to see and experience in our own country!
It's not that, it's the lack of awareness of what the World is outside of America
@@saintuk70Yeah but so much of what they think they understand about the U.S. is wrong, so there's not much room for them to feel superior. But also yes, they do criticize us for not traveling internationally.
Exactly, American is beautiful
Correct. The truth is, many Europeans pat themselves on the back for having "traveled abroad." But traveling abroad for them is a matter of hopping on a train for a couple of hours. The U.S. is the size of Europe. I could drive from Memphis to Baltimore in 13 hours. One could also drive from Paris to Hungary in that same amount of time, but by then you've "traveled abroad" to 4 different countries lol.
@@saintuk70 Just because we haven’t visited and experienced, doesn’t mean we’re not aware. I know there are different and beautiful languages and cuisines and ways of life. I know there is ancient architecture and art like nowhere else in the world. I am very aware that there are amazing things outside of the United States, but until I can afford to visit and see those things, I have no problem with discovering all the wonderful things that my own country has to offer.
As a citizen of the USA I really appreciate your comments. You are a kind and beautiful person.
I love your attitude. You are such a kind and sensitive soul.
I love her. She has the best attitude of anyone I've ever seen doing a video like this. She gets us. Even the parts she completely doesn't understand, even then she still gets us. Such a refreshing open-minded attitude to take to another country.
She has obviously earned her honorary American and Canadian citizenships.
America is an idea that we can all be apart of. You have an American heart :)
It is a concept and it really changes the way you see things. Americans see an empty spot of land and think about skyscrapers, food courts, or factories. We can BUILD something there that didn't exist before.
In Europe, everything already existed, and it's been there so long nobody remembers who built it or how.
The house I'm in now, I've lived here for most of this house's existence. In Europe you could live in a house that was built centuries ago. Those are rare in America.
It is so awesome hearing someone speak possitive about America and the things that are so great about this country, not just the bad....... Thank you so much.... We love you
Yes, America needs a hell of a lot of improvement, but it's positives I think do outweigh the bad!💯
"The world is a mirror." Not a precise reflection but you tend to receive the attitude you project.
(not familiar with this channel but SHE def projects a positive vibe)
There is a concerted effort by the European media to report only on the worst aspect of the US. That should tell you something about the balance of power .... and I'm European.
We can’t wait until you come back and explore more about our country! We’re all learning from you!
Marie, speaking for myself, thank you for the warm comments and appreciation for the USA and Canada. Its is nice to hear someone be positive about us. I think the thing I liked the most is your appreciation for our friendly nature. We are happy for the most part. Yeah, we have our haters but they aren't the ones who speak for the majority and they do have their rights also. Anyway, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND FIRENDSHIP, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The innocent wonder in your eyes puts a smile on peoples face's. There is a goodness there that makes people feel good.
As a fellow enjoyer of food (of all kinds), you have no idea how nice it is to hear a French woman be complimentary of food available in America. We spent most of the last 150 years being told how bad our food was compared to French food... it's nice to hear a compliment once in a while!
With pharmacies - I don't entirely disagree with you... but, sometimes you have to heal your soul as well as your body, and ice cream is good for that. 🙂
Well to be fair, "american" food is kinda crap tbh, but that's why I'm so happy we have imported so many others. Mexican, Indian, Thai, Chinese, etc etc are all super yummy
@@UnshavenStatue Most culture's foods are imports and permutations on other culture's foods. The baguette and croisant both have roots in Austria, via August Zang. Japanese tempora was inspired by the cooking of Portuguese traiders. And just because the mass manufactured brands aren't always the best quality doesn't mean good food doesn't get made in America. I wouldn't judge the quality of British baked goods just on a package of custard creams from Tesco.
@@UnshavenStatue "chinese" food in the US is a US invention
People ( Including, or even especially Americans) really can't fathom how BIG this place really is! some of the states are bigger than entire European countries. and the language even with all it's various dialects is English. everywhere. with Rhotic "r"s, which makes it especially ours (and Canada's).
My very favorite thing about living here is the knowlege that, whenever I want and for whatever reason I want, I can drive for 4 days in any direction and STILL be here without needing a passport.
In Europe, you can drive for 40 hours or more and don't have to show your passport
As large as the USA is, Canada is even bigger. And Mexico isn't exactly small either.
There's a combo like this in Asia with Russia, China, and India, but it's much more difficult to go from one to the other.
@@protorhinocerator142Canada is bigger but 99 percent of the population lives along the border with the US
@@M21655 I thought it was more like 90%.
Still, the lion's share lives within 100 miles or so of the border.
So if you want to get lost in the wilderness, just head north and find all that grand solitude.
I travelled to a lot of countries in Europe and the Middle East when I was younger. A lot of things don't make sense in other cultures, but the experience of travel is of great value to your understanding of the world and yourself. Travel gives you a broader perspective.
Yes, Marie, as an American, I agree with you about the roads and cross-country highways here...they are very well built and convenient for sightseeing throughout the USA.
We here are very lucky, probably more so than we even realize, these Interstate, cross-country highways were built by possibly the greatest engineers the world had ever known, due to their experience of performing much do or die engineering during World War 2.(And also just pioneering, building where there was nothing before in early America.)
The ways the roads are banked to account for people not slowing down enough when taking curves, especially on monutainous roads, roads where ditches are off to the side, the care in design to make sure rainwater and melting snow doesn't form pools on the roads, the sticks by the sides of the roads and highways that mark where the roads end and the ditches begin, (which has saved countless people from disasters in snowy areas, when the snow covers the roads), along with bicycle-like reflectors on them that make them visible in the night.(Saving people from going off cliffs!)
The many guardrails on such mountain roads, that level of workmanship and engineering, on such a gigantic scale, covering innumerable miles/kilometers throughout the entire North America, will not likely be seen on Earth again for quite some time.
Merci beaucoup pour votre vidéos, je suis heureux vous aimez bien America et Canada.
I wish we could build fast trains like Europe has.
Love your RUSH mug!
I watch a lot of travelers from other countries and they all say the same thing about US - that we smile and chit chat a lot. Weird that this isn't just something that everyone in other countries do. I like that you notice and have had such a positive experience visiting our country.
You always make me smile Marie, never change that wonderful optimism, it’s one of my favorite things about YOU‼️😁❤️
I don't know if this helps, but often when we call a store a pharmacy, it isn't really a pharmacy. (E.g. Walgreens Pharmacy) It's actually a convenience store with a pharmacy *department* somewhere inside. The store has all the food, snacks, cat food, toilet paper, clorox, etc., and then about a quarter of the store will be devoted to medicine/health aids and a pharmacist (chemist) counter. But the store itself isn't the pharmacy. There are also pharmacy areas in our grocery stores, Walmart, target, etc. There are also proper standalone pharmacies in the U.S. but they are much less common.
Just "convenience." Very happy you've enjoyed your time in the U.S. You are welcome here and you would be a positive addition if you ever decided to move here.
Marie, thank you for your pioneer thinking and actions! Watching you examine my country with a European flair has energized my own enthusiasm! When you visited the D-day sights of Normandy and honored the memory of our fallen heroes you won me over! Stay sharp and seek out the fun and exciting challenges in this world!
Marie, I am glad you find many things to like in America and frankly surprised that you mention the people and their smiles/kindness. I never really appreciated this kindness being from here until you mentioned it and I reflected on my experiences in Europe. In Europe, I didn't find the people unpleasant, but I do notice a difference. If you get to New Mexico, I think you will find the New Mexican food even better than the Mexican food you have experienced in Arizona and California - of course, I am a little biased. If you get out this way, my wife and I would be priviliged to host you 🙂
Absolutely correct about New Mexican food. It's not heavy like Mexican food and also not heavy like TexMex and Southwestern food both of which are also less heavy than Mexican food.
Being from California, I definitely agree with you about the Mexican food in your state. It is better. That doesn't mean the Mexican food is bad in California, because it isn't. It's actually fantastic! But it IS better in your state. I thought Mexican would be great in Texas, but I wasn't impressed. Although, I haven't had it a lot there, and I am sure I would find some places are better than others.
But Marie, I am with you. I wish I could eat Mexican food every day. Even bad Mexican food is fantastic. What's not to like? Sour cream, cheese, sauces, meat, beans and rice, tortillas, and more! Quite frankly, my favorite food.
I love watching your videos. I grew up in a small town that had lots of immigrants. They were from all over Europe. We had only a few hundred people in the town but it seemed like about half of them had been born in Europe. You are kind and sweet and, as they say in my state, "Ya'all come back soon, ya hear?"
Can I just say how much your English has improved even from a year ago. Your accent is very light now and you have a good grasp of the American accent.
thanks!!
hemogonized is not improved
To "get" the pharmacy thing in the USA take a look at the old movie, It's a Wonderful Life. There you will see the origin of the Pharmacy in the USA from about 100 years ago. Then it all makes sense. That's what informed me of the oddity
Bonjour Marie, my favorite thing about America is the freedoms we enjoy.
My favorite thing about France is that's where our beautiful, sweet Marie is from
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Marie to you and your family.
How cool it is to hear your appreciation for so many things we take for granted.
It is always refreshing to see your enthusiasm and zest for life and to hear your thoughts and views of our somewhat "unusual" life in America. I envy your opportunity to travel and see this world. I've made several trips to Europe and enjoyed my travels. Unfortunately, all of us age and slow down, making travel a bit slower and more inconvenient. Take advantage of your youth while you can. Have the very Happiest of Holiday Seasons.
Marie, it's so good to hear you talking about the things you liked the most about America (and our neighbors up north in Canada). You're right about the National Parks Passport being something that will make you want to go out and see incredible places. The squares on each page are actually for stickers that you can buy at Ranger Stations and then you match up the color on the sticker with the part of the Passport with the same color. It's one of those things people like to do. They like to put stickers on things, especially if they're colorful! There are also many places that have stamps for visitors even though they are not a part of the National Parks system, one of which is Mt. St. Helens which is run by the Forest Service. They have a cool stamp though.
I loved hearing you talking about the food and to be honest, we're equal opportunity. We've stolen excellent food from all over the world as people immigrated from there to here. The difference is that because we're such a melting pot of different people, the food gets twisted a bit to become even BETTER. Italian food here in the US is a great example of that. I've been to Italy many times and they have fantastic food, but when you go to Italian restaurants in Chicago and eat THAT Italian food, you'll see that it's different in a good way. Italian Deep Dish Pizza is something you have to experience at least one time in your life. It'll change you. The Mexican food, the Chinese food, the Italian Food, and all the others have been combined into American food.
For me, as an American who's traveled to 38 different nations on four different continents, I'd have to say that the thing I like about America the most is the diversity of places to see and experience. It's awesome that you got to go to Florida and I'm looking forward to seeing you wrestle alligators!!!! I hope you got to go on an airboat tour down there as well!
Merry Christmas Marie! May 2024 be the best year of your life so far!
Interesting observations, thank you! Convenience, yes. People come to expect it, and they notice when things aren't convenient. We have big highway systems for moving large amounts of people and goods over some big distances. We built our world around cars. And in such a huge country there are so many different environments, some very different, like whole other worlds, taking the opportunity to explore it and see just how big and different it can be will transform your life and how you see the world. Laissez les bon temps roulez! Cheers!
As a person who was born outside the USA as an expat and natively speaking both Spanish and Engish. I must say your English is amazing. Your pronunciation and idiomatic usage is wonderful. Thank you for your great content.
It is quite surprising to say, but I am from Nasvhille, Tennessee and I met a French girl from Le-Sables D'Olonne on the West Coast while I was in Nantes several years ago. Five years later and she is moving to the US to live with me for good :). Her name is also quite similar to yours, hers is from Bretagne, Mari-Wenn. She relates a lot to how you feel in your videos about the US. We look forward to more of your videos, thanks for taking the time to make them for us. Merci
As always, it is a treat to experience things through your eyes.
We adore you, and I hope all is well with you 🌺 🤗 ☀
Another travel TH-camr I sometimes watch is Kaja Kubicka who is Polish-Danish. Recently, in Japan, she said "if it isn't weird, you not doing it right," which reminds me of your last point. Speaking of which, we have a pet hedgehog.
Hedgehog power ! It's a thing ! :)
What makes any country special is the people, and America is so diverse in the different cultures, of other countries that are in it. There are few places so open to being different and excepting of it , like America. It is what makes our country great. I hope someday Marie you will come live here because you will make it even better.
I wish more Americans would appreciate the country as much as you do
Seriously, I believe the majority of Americans appreciate their country 🤦🏼♀️
That's because we take our freedoms for granted even though their rights not a privilege we're so used to it because we are the greatest country ever through history it sounds corny but true to have this much power this much freedoms and this much restraint if it was up to Europeans that had this power we would have another world war or Earth would have been destroyed 10 years ago by nukes
@@Toucan11we do well the majority of us there's %10 that are the loudest that want to change America into something different they want a mold our freedoms like Play-Doh
@@Toucan11they want to change our Roman Republic into a Roman empire
@@christianlong-lo3jm What the f are you talking about?
❤ Thank you for your kind words regarding the USA. I love France! I think your country is so beautiful and has it all. I am going to in April and i can’t wait. My French teacher said the same thing about the convenience. Joyeux Nöel ❤ Love your videos 😊
Marie, thank you for sharing your experiences with us! You help me to appreciate my own country even more. You provide an intelligent and refreshing view of things that we, as Americans, often take for granted. Thanks, also, for your ever-improving English. Before long, you'll sound like a native speaker! Your videos are wonderful! I always look forward to your next posting! Much gratitude to you!
I love to hear about your travels and your favorite things. I really enjoyed what you said about the passport book and also about how a smile can change a person's day. Thank you for being such a bright shining example for the world!
I appreciated the comment of accessibility. Even when we have things that are far away from each other, we still find a way to make far away things accessible. Many of us Americans constantly look outside to see how other countries do certain things, but it feels nice to see we do have some items done well.
Omg an American living in England it does surprise me everything closes early on a Sunday 😂 and no 24/7 corner shop !!!! I do miss my 7/11 or quick trip 😔
I’m living in the countryside of England, so I definitely feel you when u talk about everything being in one place.
I can drive around my city for 30 mins and find about 7 + different gas stations, about 50+ different food places, 50+ different stores and about 50+ other buildings (I live in Texas !)
I really enjoy Marie's videos. I have to admit, her thoughts on American kindness really hit me in a certain way. I even teared up listening to the impact it had on her. God bless her sweet soul. America loves you Marie! If you ever come to the Dallas, TX area, I can show you the best Mexican food and BBQ in the area!
Your personality is infectious and really makes me want to get out and explore!
Nice to see your appreciation for our country and I'm glad you met some nice people here.
My favorite person from France is YOU, your openness, positivity, sense of adventure, and appreciation of even little things! Happy Holidays, peace, love, many blessings ❤.
Love how you are geeking out on the national park book.
Ive driven some awfully narrow roads in North Idaho, throw in several feet of snow, and an 86,000 pound logging truck, it gets interesting.
Why have a hedgehog for a pet? Why not have a hedgehog for a pet?now you understand a little bit of the American dream.
Glad you enjoyed yourself 👍
Merry Christmas from Texas! I am glad you think we are generally kind as Americans. I have been to France and I thought the people were very friendly as well.
Merry Christmas Marie. We love having you visit our country and can’t wait for your return. I live in Texas and there is so much to do and see here. And now that we know how much you love food, Texas bbq can’t be beat.
She reminds me of my French friends I had in college, at Purdue. Stephane and his wife Sandrine. I visited them during summer break, on the outskirts of Paris. Good memories, lo these many years ago!
Hi Marie, i enjoyed how your eyes brightened up the more you were talking. We could see the joy that you felt reminiscing about your trips. Your stories and thoughts about your travels never gets old, its fun hearing them. Hope you get all you want for christmas and your friends and family have happy holidays.
Thank you for being so uplifting as well as having a great look out on life from how you see it. Keep it up & have a great and Merry Christmas.
It’s nice to see the way people experience the US. Glad you enjoyed your visit
Hi Marie! I always love your enthusiasm 🥰! In the US, there’s an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of “why not?/why can’t I?” that explains much of the “strangest” that you describe 🙄🤷♂️😂. If people will buy a liter sized popcorn at the movies… well, why not try selling a 2 gallon sized bucket ?!🤷♂️ - someone’s sure to buy it ! Etc,etc. When I was a kid, you could buy little turtles and even baby caimans/alligators as pets and a LOT of kids had them. Why not? - was ok until kids got salmonella and parents started getting rid of them in lakes,etc🥺😂 - oh well! Even as an American I’m often puzzled by the “strange” things - pet rocks, chia pets, etc !🤣
I'm so glad that you enjoyed your journey to the Untied States and Canada and hope you will have more opportunities to visit in the future. You are such a bright, kind, positive young woman and your videos are just a joy to watch! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and can't wait to see your next adventure! 💙🤍❤️
It is so much fun and fascinating to get your perspective on our culture in the USA. I enjoy your attitude immensely because I see hope for the next generation of young adults. Thank you so much for your time and effort you put into your videos. Marie have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I live in Florida so I am excited to see what you visited while you were here. Stay well and be safe. Your parents raised a wonderful daughter.
With love from Clear Lake/NASA Texas
Nice coffee mug! 🤟
Thank you for being the person you are. You help lift up others with your outlook and content.
Thank you, Marie, It is refreshing to have a new pair of eyes remind us what we have in this country. I wonder what remains for you to explore in the U.S. because you have visited a good share of the spectacular scenery. Those of us in the Great Plains have acquired an appreciation for subtle beauty along with the rarer spectacular sights. Here in Nebraska were have the spectacular migration of the Sand Hills Cranes in March, the unique fossil beds at Ashfall State park and a jewel of a zoo in Omaha. Look these up on the internet, I think that you will find them interesting.
I am so glad you had the opportunity to come and visit America. You have seen way more than I have and I live here.
America is just as old as Europe. We are just a more developed country. We worked to make things better and easier for everyone. We still have the old roads here as well. So narrow when two cars come, both have to move over to pass each other. So you have seen all the easy to get to places. Lots of what we call, back country roads and places to visit here also. Amish country is some of that where they still use a horse and buggy to get around. Maybe you will be back to see more. I get to see
Places through your lens that I will never see otherwise. Many of us her cannot afford to travel. We stay on our own little area and don’t go too far from home. I am so happy you get this once in a lifetime chance to explore this large country. Many who do what you have done, they end up loving here to live. Your family is there. Tough to leave. But just as easy as traveling here, you can go
Home to visit anytime you want.
Good list, Marie. It’s been so enjoyable to watch your travels this year. The music is one reason I love America. And so much of the music I love is connected to New York in some way. I do also enjoy some West Coast music, but it’s mainly the East Coast for me.
Je suis Americain mais j'aime beaucoup la France. I've been to France a couple of times and I loved traveling through France. You have a beautiful country too. From Mont Saint Michel all the way down to Nice. Beautiful journey. I took a river cruise from Lyon to Arles the last time I was there. Magnifique! I studied French in high school and college and am still struggling with my French. Glad you had a good time dans les États Unis.
As an American I'm glad you always feel welcome here and people are warm and friendly to you. Ironically, that's one of the things most Americans say when we travel to Canada! We're always impressed with how friendly Canadians are and leave thinking they're the nicest people in the world. We're so lucky to have them as our neighbors.
One thing's for sure, kindness is contagious. I live in Southern California but I have a friend in Alabama. Every time I visit I realize how much friendlier they are than what I'm used to at home. Some people think southern hospitality is phony, but it isn't and that's a very cynical attitude. It's sincere and you see it everywhere in the South. When I return to SoCal I always try to bring a little of their friendliness home with me. I'm really enjoying your channel and I love your observations about this great country. Americans often forget how much we have to be grateful for. I guess it's just human nature.
As for the pharmacy example you gave, they probably make more from selling snacks and drinks than they do selling drugs. Rents are high and retailers are always looking for ways to maximize the benefit from the customers that walk in the door. Gas stations make more money from their mini-marts than they do selling gasoline. Since we live in a market-driven consumer economy there's value to having access to any customer. He comes in for gas and you sell him a Coke and a bag of chips. You'll see that sort of crossover in many types of businesses. It's the same reason many TH-camrs sell logo coffee mugs, sweatshirts etc.. The traffic their site brings in has value in other areas.
Bonjour Marie! I am SO glad that you really enjoyed your time here in the States, and that you actually are considering living here for a time. I highly recommend that next Summer for you to visit the MidWest, go to Chicago, come to Detroit for the Woodward Dream Cruise in August to see all the amazing new and classic Mustangs, and so much more to explore in the MidWest. Hope you and your loved ones are all doing well and have a wonderful Holiday season! Bonne journee! ~Be Blessed
You're a sweetheart miss💞. We do have Pharmacies with mostly medical items. Drug store like CVS have Pharmacies in the back of the store and they also sell popular items that people need. It's literally called "One stop shopping" because you can get everything you need at one store and only make the "one stop" on your way home👍💯. I hope that explains it and God bless you! Thank You for this fun video💖.
Pharmacies that sell groceries, etc: Goes back to your favorite number 1 - convenience. If you have to go to the pharmacy to pickup a prescription, it is convenient to get your groceries done at the same time rather than have to drive down the road to the grocery store. The reverse is true as well - most big grocery stores have pharmacies.
I appreciate Marie 's positive and friendly point of view and attitude towatd North America and american people. I share the same feeling. I am french also. Thank you. Thanks to Marie we share nice documentaries about America. Friendship between France and America is genuine and eternal. Best wishes from south of France ❤😊
Great video Marie. It was interesting to see the things you liked the best in the U.S. Even though I'm a country boy in Tennesse where country food rocks I also think Mexican food is what I like the best. I hope you enjoyed your trips to U.S. enough to come back and visit again. Merry Christmas to you Marie.
I'm so lucky to have found your channel! I long to go to Colmar and Nice (the whole French and Italian riviera really), and here you are talking about all the places Ive gone to. Did you get a chance to see Yosemite and the Grand Canyon (south entrance)!!? Im going to go binge watch all your other videos! I hope to see your country one day, mon français est horrible, mais je continuerai d'essayer! come back soon💞
Grand Canyon I did! Yosemite is on the list!
Thanks for sharing and including us on your journey.
I imagine everyone has a distorted view of other countries based on television and politics.
I’m always pleased when visitors from around the world comment on how kind and friendly Americans can be.
I just found your channel today. Thank you for the great video. I watched your Montana video where you said you're considering moving here to the USA. That is really my favorite part of my country, when visitors have a great experience and want to be here more. I'm very happy to hear my fellow Americans have been nice to you. 🙂
As I'm sure you know, we don't have universal healthcare, so that is a significant expense that needs to be considered.
But I would say you already have that American spirit of dreaming of bigger things. I'm sure you'll do great regardless of where you decide to live. Good luck! 🙂
It’s amazing that you’ve traveled so much in my own country,USA. I’m almost 50 and you’ve been to more places in the US than I have! Good for you.
Hi Marie, hope all is well with you. I wanted to hopefully give you a helpful tip if you plan to visit the Seattle, Washington area and want to see one of the 3 national parks (Mt Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascade) here. If you want to see the parks you likely want to visit between late June to mid October. If you visit outside of that time, most of the National Parks will start getting snow and the roads close. I know you visited Spokane, Washington but that has a very different climate than the western part of the state. If you visit I would suggest looking up road closures for the national park or national monument if you visit.
P.S. If you visit you have to ride a ferry across the Puget Sound since that is something many locals do but very few tourist do. To make it really unique you could take the ferry from Seattle, Washington to Victoria, Canada. Depending on the time of the year you can see different types of whales while on the water.
I think America is very good at coming up with a lot of different ways to have fun
Christmas decorations are out in my neck of the woods. These are the Christmas Market Weeks in St. Charles. It is rainey and chilly but the crowds are thick. Carolers and costumed street performers circulate among the crowds and inside the markets the shops are decorated well. Rain or not, crowds too, still so much in the Christmas mood. So glad it is there too. Can't wait to see the Christmas season there. So happy you have good things to say but then you are always positive, Marie.
My grandfather (Sargent, French Army) came over here after the first world war and his favorite food was Mexican food prepared with French wine sauces. So good!
We are basically Europe in one nation. Infact we have more Irish than Ireland. Where i live in Southern Illinois we are 90% German. Each state is a different country with different laws and different culture.. I love especially where i live that i can get to Chicago, St.Louis, Nashville, Indianapolis all within a few hours. I love that we have deserts, plains, mountains, ice, islands, tropics, etc. There is nothing in the world USA does not have because its a melting pot of everything in the world.
Tell that to the people coming in from the southern border. We will be more south American in 10 years at the rate it's going
Thank you so much for your time. I've watched off and on for a long time. You're getting more and more at home in front of the camera. Really enjoy the content.
I would like to address the quirkiness of our pharmacies. I'm almost 65 and I remember a time when pharmacies were locally owned. The big chain drug stores hadn't reach small town America. My own town had two Pharmacies. 4500 people. They were hubs of the community. Each had a lunch counter/soda fountain. They were news stands, offering local and national new papers and magazines. Card shops. Gift shops. One even had a small hardware section, screws, nails, picture hangers.
My parents would take me to the local pharmacy on Saturday afternoons for an ice cream cone.
As the chain stores grew and mom and pop pharmacies went out of business...The function of "General store" offerings came with the expansion. Kinda how we got the current ridiculous pharmacies.
Thank you again and have a wonderful holiday/new year.
You kind of answered your own observation about pharmacies earlier in this video. It's all about convenience for shoppers. There are some pharmacies that only do medications and medical stuff, they are usual in small towns though. The larger pharmacies stock different things cater to shopper convenience and make more money. Ahhh, CAPITALISM. Great to hear some nice things about America for a change. Glad you had a good trip.
That, of course, is the business model for CVS and Walgreens. To get to the pharmacy, one has to go to the far catty corner of the store, opposite the entrance, passing all the 'stuff', to get there. "Oh, I DO need one of these." LOL.
@@kevinh5349 Simple answer: Just do buy anything you didn't go there fore. lol I've never once bought anything from those stores I wasn't planning on buying anyway. I'm always in and out in 5 minutes. lol
Come back anytime. You teach us so much about our own country. I'm in the Southeast.
:) Great video. Can't wait to see where you went in Florida. I currently live in FL, but grew up in the rural Midwest (Central IL). I have lived in IL (21 years), MT (1 year), Texas (10 years), GA (3 years), and now Fl (13 years). Loved seeing your Glacier Park videos, since that is one of my favorite places in the country, just behind the Oregon Coast. Can't wait to see where you go next. It is great to learn about France as well.
I think the 'pharmacy' thing is confusing. They should be named differently, since there are 'pharmacies' in several different stores here, like most all food stores have a pharmacy inside as well, but we don't call the store a pharmacy. You won't find many stores here that are only focused on one thing. They most all have everything or a lot of items not associated with the store theme.
Marie, I have watched you for a few years and your "American English" is getting very obvious. I can hear it very clearly. It reminds me of when I was in Eastern Europe and the young people learned English from Americans (Bosnia and Kosovo) .. They would pick up southern accents and it was funny to hear them talk with an eastern European accent combined with a US southern accent. Also hearing them adopt the culture of "yes sir/ma'am" , general politeness to strangers, etc. I miss taking the people that worked on our bases and their families to special occasions like Thanksgiving dinner and 4th of July parties where we opened up our dining facility and had sports events for them and their families! So much fun!
I noticed how she picked up the California way of saying “food”. I guess it’s sounds something like “feeood”. A dead giveaway !
You are a ray of sunshine on a sunny day.
As an American, I fully understand about the kindness of people because I have experienced it myself when I've traveled abroad. I've also experienced feeling lonely traveling when people weren't kind, helpful, or made me feel welcomed.
You should go to Mexico City! Mexico is every bit as North America as the USA and Canada! You would love it!
Marie,I feel bad I almost forgot to wish you the very merriest of christmases and a wonderful beautiful New Year. Also, please extend these wishes to all of your family.
Hi Marie I'm from Oceanside California and my favorite food is Mexican of course. I also love getting my National Park passport stamps. I love your travel videos.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Marie. I feel like I am the American version of you. I don't have a vlog though. But I have been going to France a lot lately and many of the things I love about it are the things you love about the US. I have been learning French for 4 years, it was my covid hobby. Eventually it led me to spending more and more time discovering France. So far, I have explored the middle, east, and south. I am planning a trip in a few months to discover the West and then the following year, the North. Any suggestions of where to go are welcome!
The word you were looking for in this video was "convenience". It's a good way to describe our pharmacies, while they are for medicine we also like convenience so they also have several items we may want to comfort ourselves when we aren't feeling well, like ice cream. You are right that probably doesn't make sense if you are ill to eat, but we aren't always the best at making healthy food choices haha. It is funny you mentioned hedgehogs, I just learned that word in French today. I don't think I will have much occasion to use it. Most of us do not own one as a pet. You were also correct in your usage of "living proof" as a phrase, that works.
France has incredible diversity of places which are fun to discover too. I love the food and the influence neighboring countries can also have on it. not unlike Mexican food here. For the most part, French people have been very kind to me on my travels. They seem especially surprised to see an American speaking more than a tourist level of French and having fairly good pronunciation. I try to do my part, I know we are stereotyped as not being very interested in culture or language but of course that is not true of all of us.
I also appreciate the things that are very different and don't make sense to me. For example, I still struggle to understand why French numbers change so much as they get higher and the word order of how you use the word 'manque' still doesn't make sense to me even though it has been explained many times. All those differences are a lot of fun and part of the magic of travel and spending time in other cultures. I can't wait to continue to explore France and to follow your journey as you continue to explore North America! -Your friend in Washington state.
It's nice to hear a European say that American kindness is sincere and uplifting. So many Europeans say that our kindness is fake and makes them uncomfortable.
I enjoy videos by people, such as yourself, come to the US and marvel at things that we sometimes take for granted and some things we might never have noticed. You remind me to be more pleasant to others. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We love interpretation of ourselves from charming, bright, inquisitive overseas visitors. You’re always welcome, snd I love seeing myself through your eyes. Merry Christmas, happy Nee Year!
Marie, I appreciate that you really like it here in the United States. I like it too, but I was in France in May 2022 and I can get as excited talking about my trip and experiences as you do about the US. I was amazed at the size of the country as I traveled around between Paris, Normandy, and Chamonix. And how beautiful France is! I just love the country, the people, the culture, the language, the food, the wine, and so much more! On a side note and contrary to some people's opinion, I did not find Parisians to be rude at all. If you understand the culture, Parisians are a wonderful people and my experiences were all good (not counting the guy at Tour Eiffel)! 😊J'aime la France !
I found the same on my two trips around France and I think in Paris you get what you give!!! If you are friendly and appreciative I felt I was treated well🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thanks! A little Christmas present. Merry Christmas.
Thank you!! 😃🎅🎄
Our uniqueness is what makes us special. I have a weakness for beautiful french ladies ... lol.
So nice to see you again and listen to your year's activities. I look forward to more.
Have a Merry Christmas my friend. I hope your next year is filled with more adventures to share :)
Canada Misses You :)
Hello Marie, I always really enjoy your reactions or talks. You are such a sweetheart.
Such a good person. I'm so glad you got to come to the US again. And I'm very happy you enjoyed yourself, and we're treated well.
Thanks so much for keeping us informed. Don't forget to tell your parents how great a job they did with you. :-)
Mary you should try US territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands. They are just as pretty.
Marie! The little clips of you eating were so cute, cheeks puffed up and all. So much fun to watch. Actually, it's fun to watch you do anything. :)
I love this outsider's perspective on my country. Really loved number 5, I take it for granted but having traveled a lot, I know it's not universal. Also, you can find authentic Mexican food in all 50 states of the US haha, it's one of our favorite foods, rarer in the norther states, but common everywhere else. There are pharmacy's in Texas that sell guns lol.
Thank you young lady, i had a great time in France I spent three days in the Louvre and as an art history major the way they arranged it I could anticipate what was coming so it took on an evolutionary flavor. I also spent 28 days in Cannes in August and skid in Tigne , thank you
There is good Mexican food here in Northern California but this made me want a carne asada burrito from one of the Roberto's shops in San Diego.