Bonjour à tous et à toutes ! It is hard to believe that I am almost halfway through my time here, it feels like I just got here. While my I have enjoyed my time here, I will be talking about some of the challenges I have encountered while living in France.
The first challenge I have encountered here is some aspects of French culture. There is a stereotype of the French being rude, but I have not experienced that at all while I have been here. They can be blunt and honest, but I have never thought that they were being rude to me or any of my friends – they have been nothing but welcoming and eager to help me with my French and practice their English. My first challenge here has been with little quirks in the culture that I was not taught in the classroom. For example, when ordering at a restaurant or buying something at a store, if it is during the day, you must say bonjour before continuing the conversation, and if it is the evening, you must say bonsoir (good evening). One time I was buying groceries and went to go ask where an item was and since I was in a rush, I forgot to say bonjour and went straight into asking where the item was. The cashier looked at me after I asked and said, very exaggeratedly, “Bonjour. Qu’est-ce que tu cherche?” I never made that mistake again after that incident. Another example of this difference in culture is when greeting people. One of my professors made it a point to us that you only say bonjour once to someone in a day. If you see them again, you just smile. I kept making this mistake to my neighbors, and they kept laughing and I did not know why. After this lesson from my professor, I went and explained myself to them, and we all laughed at me for not knowing the culture. While it has caused some inconveniences for me, I am fortunate to be in a culture where it is accepted, and everyone is willing to help me.
While there have been some obstacles, one of the things that has helped me is journaling my experiences and feelings. I am fortunate enough that my sister also lives in France and went through the same process, and she bought me a journal as a welcome present here. I find that it helps me to write my thoughts and feelings down, even if it is just a few sentences. I know that I will look back on that journal many years down the road and remember my time here fondly.
That is all from me today and I cannot wait to keep you all updated on my journey here in France! À tout à l’heure!