Most Frequently Discussed Topics, A Field Study

In my job of being an English Teacher Slave to the French ruling classes (meaning I teach Business English to French Business Professionals on their company dollar. Or Euro, as the case may be), I feel I do a lot of ethnographic fieldwork about the Busy French Executive. To share some of their joys and sorrows, here are the most frequently discussed topics by my students in my classes during free conversation breaks.

1. Vacation (ha, no surprise there, right?) :
-My Next Holiday
-My Last Holiday
-My Next Long Weekend (because no, just one day doesn't count as a real vacation).
-Where I'm Thinking of Going On Vacation but I Haven't Decided Yet.
-Where Other People I Know Went On Vacation and Had Either a Very Good or a Very Bad Time.

2. Work
-My Boss is Crazy
-My Last Boss Was Crazy
-The Last Time I Had To Yell At My Boss/Coworker Because He/She Was Being Unreasonable
-I Hate My Officemate
-I Hate Open Plan Offices
-I Hate Talking On The Phone In English
-I Have SO Much Work
-I Don't Want To Talk About Work (Although This Is Business English Training That My Company Is Paying For)
-I Don't Have Time For This Class, Can We Postpone It Although It's Supposed To Start in 2 Minutes? (You're not trying to make a living or anything, are you?!)

3. Family
-My New Baby Is Cute
-Teenagers Are Hard to Raise
-My Next Big Family Gathering (usually a baptism. These are still a huge deal, even in ex- Catholic athiest France. Although no one goes to church, we still celebrate every Catholic holiday known to man. And God. No kidding, things like Assumption and Ascension are days off when even grocery stores close).
-What My Children Are Learning In English In School Now. (Sometimes they even bring me their kids' homework and ask for help!)

4. Hobbies
I Enjoy:
-Gardening
-Home Improvement (constant kitchen and bathroom remodeling)
-Aquagym
-Sailing
-Having Barbecues
-Impossibly Cheap Luxury Trips with the CE (comittee d'entreprise).