After having lived in France for more than a week, I have noticed several differences between the French and American cultures. I thought I might share some of them with you all in this list:
1. 1. Shoes. In almost every house, you have to have shoes on your feet at all times. Every family has different rules about shoes. Some only allow slippers in the house and others allow other kinds. In my house, everyone has a pair for indoors and a pair for outdoors that we keep by the door.
2. 2. Dessert. Dessert in America, of course, would be something along the lines of some ice cream or a cookie after dinner. Here, it typically means fruit and yogurt (though today after dinner we had a delicious apple tart my host mom had just baked). Sweets are more common earlier in the day, around lunchtime.
3. 3. School schedules. At its minimum when I was in elementary school, we were allowed a 20 minute lunch. Here, we receive 2 hours (that’s 6 times the minutes) for our lunch break at school. Granted, there are days when I have to be at school until 6:30 or 7, as opposed to the 2:05 release I am used to.
4. 4. Telling time. The French use what we know as “army time” and I am finding it very difficult to adapt to. Luckily everyone who knows I am American will refer to the time as I know it to be so that I’m not stuck doing the math in my head.
5. 5. Bread. It’s delicious here. Better than any bread you can find in the US. (However, it did take me an entire week to find a place that uses non-white bread.) Walking down the streets of Dijon, on several occasions, I have seen people with big long loaves of the classic “French bread” sticking out of a shopping bag or purse. It is also not uncommon to see people walking down the street just chewing on a big loaf of French bread that’s roughly half their height. I love juxtaposition, and I find this very comical.
6. 6. Birds. They are not afraid of you here. Many of us, since arriving, have had very close run-ins with pigeons that fly a little to close to our heads. It can be a little terrifying, but also very funny. The birds here also look different from the birds I am used to back home. Their colors and patterns are generally more dramatic here.
7. 7. Electricity. I really have to applaud the French for their preservation tactics regarding water and electricity. It helps the planet and saves money. The general rules are as follows:
a. Lights don’t need to be on until the sun sets. It’s perfectly easy to see.
b. Lights should not be on in a room unless you are in the room in question and it is dark. This applies for staircases as well. If it’s dark and you’re going down a staircase, turn the light on, but once you reach the bottom, turn it off again.
c. Showers should be kept very short. At my house, I try to keep my showers down to 2 minutes.
8. 8. Grades. Rather than getting an A, B, C, D, or F, let alone a percentage grade, in France, grades are given on a 0-20 scale. Our teacher keeps reminding us not to think in percentages, and that anything above a 14 is a very strong grade, despite the percentage being the equivalent of a C in the US. 16 and above, we were told, is an A+. No teacher gives 20s and it is rare to find one who will give an 18 and above.
9. 9. Loitering. I know this is a random one but I find the rule to be very entertaining. In Dijon, you can be arrested on the spot for “loitering.” However, there is an interesting loophole. If you are loitering, BUT you have a dog with you/next to you, you cannot be arrested.
So there they are! Those are some of the little differences I have picked up on during my first week here. I’m sure as time goes on, I will be able to share even more. I am having lots of fun exploring this new city and I look forward to learning even more about it!
No comments:
Post a Comment