Culture Shock

Classes have started. We don’t start the seminars until February 17^th. I’m going to be taking “Cinéma Français” and maybe “La Societé Francaise.” So for the time being I’m only having French class in the morning from 9-12. I was so incredibly happy I got placed in the highest level! I mean I have been learning the language for 6 years now and it has always come very easily to me. However, it meant a lot to get placed at such a high level BY natively French speaking people!

I absolutely LOVE my class. My teacher’s name is Giselle and she’s just such a talkative, fireball of a woman with so much knowledge. At first I thought she spoke so fast but I’m already getting way better at understanding spoken French—even outside of class. There are 9 students in my class. One from the AIFS program. Two Americans from UNT (a university in Texas). There’s an Italian girl who’s actually only here for a few more days but who I adore—her name is Isabella. There’s also 4 other adults in the class all from different countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, and the last I’m not sure but I’m thinking northern Africa.

It’s very cool and VERY different from an American class. And actually, just the whole system here is very different. And I like it. It makes sense. I’ll just list some of the key differences. And just an FYI—I’m not trying to bash on America, it’s a great country. However, here are some of the things I’ve noticed:

At a young age, French students are encouraged to question what they learn—versus in the U.S. where the K-12^th grade consists of being trained to regurgitate information in order to pass exams and get a good grade. In my first class at college I was told that I now had to unlearn all of that: I had to think for myself, question every text, create my own arguments, etc. For this reason I’ve observed that the non-American students in general share their opinions much more often, and the Americans are the quietest in the class.

Teachers here will interrupt you to correct you when you say something wrong—and it’s totally fine. There’s no need to be embarrassed but they don’t want to let you keep making the same mistake.

Also—something that’s staunchly different. Being “politically correct” is discouraged. It prohibits real conversation. French people love debating and arguing and manage to do it without offending each other. I love this idea. And even though sometimes I don’t feel like I have too much to contribute, I find that taking away the restrictiveness of being “PC” has led to some of the most deep and enlightening conversations I’ve been a part of. And just to add a little something else: a huge difference is that here, in my class at least, we are encouraged to actually have knowledge of what we’re arguing and be able to back it up with examples before we open our mouths. (That sounds really harsh—it’s not meant to be, it’s just the culture here. And I guess this parenthetical is be trying to be politically correct… so that’s awkward.)

Anyways, in lieu of all that, today was one of my favorite days. I probably participated more than I have so far and we talked about some of the differences between cultures (including the U.S. and France). There are so many things I love about the mentality here. The French aren’t always pressed for time like we are back in the states, or at least like I am back at home. I don’t think I’ve once seen anyone walking around with a drink or some fast food because they’re in a hurry.  They’d rather sit in a sidewalk café with a coffee or glass of wine, a friend, and some good conversation. 

Also, there is a distinct difference in how people are judged. Public vs. private life are two things that are kept very separate. For example, French people could care less about the personal lives of their politicians. Instead, of focusing their time consuming media related to that sort of thing, they focus on global news and global politics. Therefore, most French people I’ve met are more informed about American events and politics more than most Americans I know.

I could go on and on about all of these things. And I’m sure I’ll continue to add the list as the semester continues. But I did want to share some of those things, because it’s my reality for the next 4 months.

In all honesty, I’m still bracing myself for the “culture shock” of life here in France. But what worries me more is going to be the bigger shock of going home.