Culture Shocks!
From a girl who’s lived in America all her life, France has MANY cultural differences from the USA. Some of the changes were very easy to adjust to, and others not so much. Here are some of the contrasts I’ve gathered during my first week in France:
-meals: You have probably heard that the French eat late, and that's true! Every night I eat dinner at 20h, or 8pm. The French people eat very fast, which you might not expect because of the long meal times. How do they eat at lightning speed? The fork and knife work together to speed up the eating process. But engaging at the dinner table for deep conversation is not forgotten! Meals last around and hour, maybe two on a Sunday. At my house, everything is family style and you grab what you want and how much you want. There are multiple courses in French food, so there’s no such thing as a light meal. In my family, we start with small appetizers or a salad, move to the main dish, add some cheese and baguette in between, then end with a dessert.
-food: There’s absolutely no such thing as a meal without bread in France, carbs carbs carbs! But the quality of a simple bread is like heaven here! There’s also always dessert here with meals, which is something I’m not used to in the US. I guess breakfast isn’t considered to have dessert, but I consider pain au chocolat, jams, and the many pastries apart of the bunch. For lunch at my school cafeteria, there is always at least five dessert options alone: tiramisu, pudding, eclairs, etc. Dessert after dinner at my host family’s house usually consists of fruit, yogurts, or pudding, but a few times a week we have cake or pie. I haven’t come across many "healthy” restaurants or cafes here in France with vegan, vegetarian, or strict diet options. In the US, smoothies, salads, and vegan chains are popping up everywhere, but the French value enjoying the foods they love.
I also haven’t come across any oat milk here:’( {sad} If it exists please let me know! I actually haven’t seen any milk alternatives but maybe they’re out there somewhere! Something I didn’t know until arriving to France: French people don’t have ice, or cold coffee drinks! I love iced coffee drinks so this one’s hard to get over… If you’re looking for a classic French cafe, a hot coffee is the only option;)
-cars: France has miniature cars! Cars are petite and lots of them are from brands I’ve never seen in the US. Peugeot? Citroen? Never heard of her! And I haven’t seen a single SUV yet in Rennes! All I see back in California are Teslas in every corner, and now I see busses in every direction.
-public transportation: Public transportation is very common in France for all ages. I see six year olds getting on the bus by themselves everyday! This is very normal in France but so different for me. California is so spread out and public transportation is not very developed in my area, so I’ve always relied on trusty Uber for a ride. But once you figure out the bus and metro system, it’s so easy and convenient, pretty clean as well. I wish our public transportation in America was as harped on as it is in France.
-kindness and greeting: The stereotypes of French people being rude, not true! French people are as kind as any other country! When you step into a store, a restaurant, the bus, it’s impolite to not say hello and the workers will always greet you nicely. Greeting is very important in France. You can’t walk into a cafe to order your drink without saying “Bonjour!” first. Often in the US, I enter places without greeting or making eye contact with anyone…not in France!
-smoking and vaping: This cliché is true, everyone smokes or vapes in France, and everywhere. I definitely wasn’t expecting so many teens to vape, especially out in public, even right in front of their schools!
-sports and activities: Sports or extracurricular activities are not as prominent in the French school system. Students usually do sports through outside clubs or organizations, not their schools. In America, I dance everyday after school for two hours. In France, activities are only once or twice a week at most, and for recreational purpose. There’s not much time carved out for activities in the French school system because schools usually end around 4:30pm. With homework, dinner, and family time, activities must be set for Wednesdays (half days in France) or Saturdays. If you’re committed to your craft, there are sometimes practices held in the evening until 10pm or even midnight!
Here are a few culture shocks in France that really made me double-take. And there are so many more…I’ll definitely be writing a part two when I’m even more familiar here!
