french vs american: cell phones

in america, when you walk down the street, EVERYBODY is on their cell phone. when i'm walking to class, at least half of the people walking beside me are chatting loudly with mom about gosh knows what. seeing people on their phones on the bus/on bart is normal and expected.

here, i hardly see anyone on their phones. in the full car on the metro (about 60 people), there are maybe 2 on the phones, speaking quietly and discreetly. in fact, the metro is just quiet in general. my friends and i are often the loudest people on their, having conversations in our regular voices. when i walk down the street in paris, hardly anyone is on a cell phone.

but when the french get home, they're ALWAYS on the phone...at least, that's what my friends and i have found. mme jeanson's talking on skype when i leave for the day almost every morning. we americans, on the other hand, seem to cherish our time at home and don't want anyone bothering us while we're resting in our humble abode.

i'm wondering now if this is because cell phone service is so expensive, and many french use skype (according to mme jeanson). either way, i like the way the french use their cell phones better. in the states, i get annoyed with the loud cell phone talkers having dumb conversations. i'm bothered that people spend more time on their cell phones, in a conversation that's taking place somewhere else, than enjoying the moment.