More delightful differences noticed between the states and France brought to you by me!
1. The French can bring their dogs anywhere! Restaurants, stores, etc
2. It is expensive to recycle so most people don't do it.
3. Parents get money from the government for each child that they have, even more money if they have 4 or more. Apparently, they had a population problem for a while so now you're paid to have kids here!
4. Everyone drives stick here! Everyone!
5. They pay a lot of attention to American news and politics. Obama is always in the newspapers in France whereas you don't often hear about Sarkozy in the States.
6. They don't have sleep overs here. They think it is bizarre that Americans stay over night and sometimes in the same bed as their friends.
7. They listen to records more than cds because records are way cheaper. My host brother received record albums of The Police, ACDC and Indochine for his birthday.
8. Plain Yogurt (with sugar) or any other kind of yogurt is for dessert, not breakfast.
9. Universities sell alcohol at their cafes and such because the drinking age for beer is 16.
10. High schools don't have swimming pools or swim teams nor are there places like the YMCA.
11. Most of the films people watch and the music people listen to are American or at least in English wheras in the states you'll be hard pressed to find a french film in cinemas or a french song on the radio. The funny thing is though that French kids rarely know what the lyrics in english mean. One of my students in my teaching internship asked me what rape meant, and when I told him he freaked out about the fact that he sings "Rape Me" by Kurt Cobain all the time everywhere! It was pretty funny.
12. Butter, milk, jam, and cheese stay in a cubboard rather than in the fridge.
13. PDA is so popular here! People make out wherever, whenever: on the bus, in the street, right outside their front door, in the park, in the grocery store, on the tram...
14. France is not as strict about having a green card to live here. I mean they have their problems with immigrants just like Americans do, but if I wanted to chill here for a few years or an indefinite peroid of time it'd be no big deal.
15. Everyone and their mother smokes! Not even kidding! Kids start smoking before they hit puberty! Outside the school I walk out, the sidewalk is littered with cigarette butts, and the kids go out to smoke at every 5 minute break they have. Its insane! Luckily most of the host families of IES do not smoke but they are the minority. I have a few French friends who are 16 and 17 who are smokers and it shocks me every time they smoke up especially with their parents!!
Well I hope this has been an educational post for you all. Let me know if you have any questions about things I have or have yet to mention!
Hi Kimille I love the posting about the differences in France and the US. I hope you do not decide to smoke. I have three questions, are the french aware how bad smoking is for your health? Do they have commercials regarding health and smoking? What type of milk is kept in the cupboard and what's in the ingredients that it doesn't spoil? I think it's really funny to sing any song that is in a different language and you don't know what it means, maybe a few lyrics, but not the entire song.
ReplyDeleteI just realized I repeated my fact about driving stick, but i feel like it is important and should be noted twice! I don't think any of the people in France care about the health problem with smoking. My family is totally aware and no one somkes. All of Thibaud's friends smoke but luckily he doesn't. Whenever I go out at night I always have to put my clothes in the laundry because they reek of cigarettes. I don't see any anti smoking ads anywhere in Nantes, but I don't ever watch tv here because the only tv in the house is in my host parents' bedroom. Regarding the milk, they put it in the fridge after opening it but I think they only do that because its in a cardboard box and when they cut it open there's no way to close it and keep it fresh. The milk is demi-crémé so I think it's much thicker than skim milk or any of the other stuff we drink in the states. Maybe its not pasteurized. Yeah when it comes to French music I usually only catch a few phrases here and there unless the song is slower. They sing so fast here!
ReplyDeleteaww...i wish that i could take my dogs everywhere!
ReplyDeleteomgsh that stuff is so interesting!!!
ReplyDeletei wanna bring my dog everywhere!
that's so wierd about the PDA, i don't think i could get used to that!
i'm glad that your family doesn't smoke! it would be a pain to be around that all the time!
it's like a cultural study you're posting for all of us to learn!