This past weekend, our group took our last trip all together. We visited Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean. Considering the island is pretty popular and very beautiful, the trip was not too expensive for the six of us. We found an air bnb with its own rooftop that was big enough for the six of us and a close walk to the beach. The beach itself was beautiful. There were cliffs to jump from into beautiful blue water along with soft sand to rest on. It was truly an incredible experience, and I am so grateful I got to spend the weekend with the people from my program.

Despite the beauty and relaxation of our trip, it all came to a halt when we tried to get our flight back to Paris. Everything was going as usual until we got on the plane. They were delaying our flight by 15 to 20 minutes because of problems with the air conditioning, until 15 to 20 minutes became an hour and a half sitting on the plane without moving. Finally, they announced that they had to cancel our flight because of pressure problems with the plane. That led to us frantically trying to find a new flight back to Paris. However, it was already late in the night, and there were no flights departing until the next day. The flight service was supposed to provide us with housing accommodations and a new flight, which after an hour and a half of waiting we did not receive. At this point, it was 11 pm and we were stranded in the airport in Mallorca. Finally, we decided to book a flight departing at 6am and spend the night camping in the airport. Needless to say, it was not a restful night sleeping on the benches in the airport. Eventually, we did get on our flight, exhausted and at our wits end with the airport. This experience gave us all insight into the reality of traveling. Everything does not always go as planned, and it is important to be able to adapt in difficult situations. 

Despite the difficulties of traveling, my internship and life in France continue to go on. France is considered a high context country, meaning their communication style is more reserved and not as expressive as the United States, which is a low context country. In France, these differences are very apparent. In the United States, it is very common for people to smile at each other in public if they happen to make eye contact in passing. Generally, Americans have a more friendly demeanor and are open to casual smiles or waves. In France, this is extremely abnormal. People do not make eye contact with each other and if it happens by chance, they do not smile. This is because the French try to avoid unwanted contact, which smiling can initiate. I have noticed this a lot on metros. It is easy to spot tourists, especially Americans, because their body language and demeanors are far more open, while the French keep to themselves and stay closed off to the people around them. This has not really been a challenge to overcome, and it is nice to focus on what you are doing and where you are rather than the people around you.

I think one of the main miscommunications I have had has been through humor. I usually try to work humor into my conversations with people to lighten the mood. However, in a different language and with different ideas of humor, it can be difficult to communicate what I am trying to say. There have been a few instances where I have tried to make a joke that does not translate well in French, which can be a little disheartening. However, being disheartened does not equate to being discouraged, and it is all a part of learning. 

In my work environment, I have found the French are not as open to new coworkers as Americans. My supervisors and coworkers were very open to me joining their team; however it took the first few weeks for them to include me in their lunchtime conversations rather than simply work communication. This also relates to France being a high context country, as they are not as open and need to get to know who people are before they can be more open. When coming to France, I was expecting this change; therefore, it was not a shock to me when it occurred.