So — alors ! — if one as a newcomer to France prepared by reading a few books and following a few blogs, one might learn that, for instance, neighbors and other acquaintances may take a long time before inviting you into their homes; that conversation will rarely be personal; that one must tread carefully on the field of vous vs. tu, to the extent of erring on the vous side until explicitly invited to “tutoyer” the other.

I won’t go into details lest dear reader blame me for an embarrassing experience, but yes, my experience is different.

As in all things, it seems, YMMV.