And some things, they're just different

On my walk home from school today, I realized that France is the first country I’ve lived in (I consider the others to be Ghana and Mexico) besides the US that is what most would define as “Westernized.” That being said, I have found there to be quite a few day-to-day, cultural differences and experiences I’ve had that differ in the land of the Coq. Many are hard to define, especially in few words, but I thought I would share a few tidbits with you.



First, France is a smoking culture. How I lucked out to live with a host family that doesn’t smoke at all is a miracle. Quite honestly, especially among the kids at Rouen Business School, almost everyone smokes here, especially when they go out. Thank goodness smoking is now banned inside restaurants and bars, although some pubs seem to look the other way when their patrons light up a cigarette.

Here’s a classic example I had my People Management Class:

French student: “What are some stereotypes in the US of the French?”
Me: “Everyone smokes.”
French student: “Haha, that’s kind of true. But I don’t smoke. Do you?”
Me: “No, never.”
(Time passes, we get our 15 minute break a while later. Then, I realize that French student is among the large group of French students who go outside because they can’t seem to last the full 3 hours of class without a cigarette. French student enjoys a cigarette. Upon their return…)
Me: “I thought you said you don’t smoke!”
French student: “I mean, I don’t smoke A LOT…”



So yes, despite the fact that all cigarette boxes are labeled very clearly, FUMER TUE (SMOKING KILLS), I still find myself walking through clouds of smoke both on and off campus.

Secondly, things are older here. My parents and my friends who have visited can attest to the fact that my house here is quite pretty. At over 100 years old, it is “classically French.” However, that also means that it can’t handle some modern day systems. So that means, I PERSONALLY have caused the electricity in the house to go out three times. Whoops. Now I know never to do a load of laundry if the dishwasher is on, someone is on the computer, and the TV/lights are on. And having the washer AND dryer running means you are just waiting for a catastrophe.



Another thing that has really struck me is how the United States is viewed from abroad. Coming to France, I pictured France as on par with the US in terms of influence, economic power, etc. Granted, I knew that the US had possibly a larger impact overall, but perhaps that is because we had a larger population? I suppose I didn’t give it much thought. But now, my view of the US has changed.

Here’s an example: In my International Economics class this semester, 1/3 of students were French, and 2/3 were International. Naturally, since the school is in France, you can imagine my surprise when charts and graphs for worldwide financial PPP, GDP, etc were all posted in USD (US dollars), as opposed to Euros!

Whether foreigners are fans of the American way or not, they view it as a superpower. For me, I almost never hear that term; but here, it is not uncommon to hear a comment in class starting like, “Well, America is a superpower, so we must…” And another time, a French student was describing how intensely the French followed the 2008 Presidential elections. At his comment, the Americans in the room seemed surprised that others cared so deeply, but we were rebutted with a comment like this, “You must remember, even though you are electing the President of the USA, it is almost like you are electing a President of the World.” Puts a lot of pressure on us, doesn’t it? That being said, if you’re an American citizen reading this, you better be voting in the next election!!!



On a completely unrelated topic, when my Mom and Dad visited a few weeks ago, they very kindly brought me supplies to make not just one, but 3 kinds of cookies! So 2 weeks ago I baked Snickerdoodle, and last week was Chocolate Chip. On Tuesday, I brought in two boxes of Chocolate chip cookies to share with my peers in People Management. Americans jumped at them – several – (as they should!) and other international students thanked me as they took a cookie as well. But not one French student took a cookie, even after my pleading! I think this is due to 1) they avoid sugary foods and 2) they do not tend to snack. In fact, one student seemed very bewildered when I offered him one, saying “But I already ate breakfast!”

My host family has also commented on my snacking from time to time. But I’m not the only one who has had these experiences. A Scot once told me she was at school here, drinking a can of Lipton iced tea, and a French girl came up to her and said, “Do you know how many calories are in that?” But I guess that explains why the average French woman weighs 137.6 pounds and the average American weighs 164.3 pounds.

Lastly, for those of you who have heard about a little volcano named Eyjafjallajokull, he has been causing quite the stir in Europe. Last Tuesday, with air traffic shut down across Western Europe, the French railway system still in a stake of semi-striking, and a bus strike in Rouen, I told a friend I was glad I could (potentially) resort to horseback. Never before have I been anywhere with such a transportation blockage, not that anything could stop a volcano from erupting...