Discovering culturing differences

Having been here for almost three and a half months, I feel it is high time that I address some of the cultural differences I’ve experienced since being in France. Some of them are a little bit funny, and others are just bizarre. But I was talking to a friend recently and certainly compared with the UK, there are quite a few culture changes which have been a cause for adjustment for me.

1. Lunchtime.

Lunchtime isn’t just a meal here. It’s not about grabbing a meal deal and eating it as you walk along back to the office. When you have lunch here, you spend a good part of your day eating, drinking wine, and chatting business, after which time you stroll casually back to work, probably after 2 o’clock. This was weird for me at first since I am so used to eating on a time limit, but the French really have the right idea! It’s the perfect way to find some relaxation during the work day, and enjoy what you’re eating!

2. Sorry we're closed.

Now I really do live in the middle of nowhere in England- sandwiched between more in-the-middle-of-nowhere villages. But on a Sunday, if you want to buy something, you will still be able to find numerous places which are open. Not here! Everything closes on a Sunday. The shops in town do open for the morning but are all shut up by 1 o’clock. If you want anything at all in the afternoon on a Sunday, you’re screwed- even the big supermarket in town is shut. I’m all for Sunday, day of rest but Sunday afternoons in France are like being part of a ghost town.

3. What are you staring at?

On the metro, on a platform, in the shops, the French stare. Here’s the situation: you happen to glance up and see a middle aged woman staring right at you from a few aisles away, but she doesn’t look away when you catch her- not like English people would out of embarrassment! Instead, you look away and when you glance back, she’s still staring! You start to think maybe there’s something on your face, when there’s not you begin to stare back, and yet she won’t stop! This is something which several of my friends have also faced, with both men and women of differing ages- I’m not sure what it is, but it’s definitely weird.

4. Mind my bubble.

I did a post last year about how much I like my personal space, and I believe this is partly an English thing too. So when I came here and people started walking by with centimetres to spare despite having space all around, I was hugely uncomfortable. I’ve suspected several people of pick-pocketing me because they have stood so close when looking at train times or a map. There just doesn’t seem to be this sense of spatial awareness- everyone’s space is everyone else’s. I haven’t quite come to terms with that yet.

5. Marry Me

Answer: no. This one addresses French men, and the handful of stories I’ve heard from just a few people. French men are forward. Where us English are modest about our feelings, and shy away from telling someone that we really do like them, the French plunge into feelings headfirst and don’t understand the word ‘no’. I’ve heard several examples where one date= girlfriend/boyfriend status, or an expectation that you will sleep with them. English girls I’ve met have been shocked by how forward the French men are here. What I haven’t worked out is whether they act worse because we’re English, or if it seems worse because we’re English.

6. Don't wait for the green man.

The little green man at pedestrian crossings means absolutely nothing here. When it changes to the red man, people walk anyway. When it changes to the green man, cars drive anyway. There’s really no perfect situation here, so I’ve learned to throw my life on the line along with every other French person and just cross when it looks relatively clear. It’s also another way to tell who’s French and who’s foreign- the French just walk, the tourists hover until the green man comes up, and then get caught anyway.

7. Puff away.

The difference between England and France for smoking is really quite incredible, considering we’re only separated by a tiny bit of water. So many people smoke here that I genuinely believe I have suffered more from passive smoking since I arrived here than I have in my entire life. Walking out of the front school gates, a cloud of smoke awaits; waiting of the platform, a puff of smoke comes my way; going down the street, a wall of smoke hits me from a passerby. I don’t know when they missed the health warnings, but clearly some message didn’t reach the French. Smoking seems to be almost inherent in their culture.

I’m sure the longer I live here, the more differences I will find, but for now those are some of my favourites. I will add more as and when I discover them. In the mean time, if you know of any strange cultural differences, post a comment below!