Life in France is way different than life in the US. Everyone always asks about the differences, so I decided to compile a list about the biggest, weirdest, and more surprising differences.
FOOD
The food source is so much purer in France. Have you ever tried beef in Europe? It’s heavenly. It melts in your mouth, tastes good with zero seasonings, and makes you wonder if what we eat in the US is real. Then, there’s French cheese. All kinds of delectable French cheese are available. I have seen “American-style cheddar” cheese in the cheese aisle before and I laugh. That is not cheese. Not like the French makes it.
PHONE PLANS
Not what you expected me to say, right? Since moving to France, I have realized how much Americans overpay for our cell phones. Here’s an example: I pay €10 a month, for unlimited calling and texting throughout France and all of Europe, 40 GB of data, and 3 GB of data in all other European countries. I pay “a lot” because I live in a small town with a bad signal. I have a friend who lives in a bigger city and pays €1.82 a month, for the exact same kind of plan. Americans OVERPAY.
EXERCISE
It’s true, everyone in France is thin. Everyone walks everywhere, plus they still go out for a jog with their clubs, to yoga practice at the community gym, or to a group fitness class. Staying fit is effortless. It would be difficult to gain weight, even with all the pastries and bread.
SCHOOL
I work in a lycée (high school) and the differences are notable. First off, the school day is longer. Classes at my school start at 8:40 AM, with an hour break for lunch at 12:35 PM, and the last class of the day at 5:40 PM. On Wednesdays, school ends early, at 3:35 PM. Students have more freedom, and any high schooler can leave campus as they please, as long as they don’t have class. But I also think school is harder—students in their final year must take the baccalaureate exam, which requires immense amounts of preparation, as it can determine their entire future. In our system, we can change our minds about what we want to do up through college. The French cannot.
TRANSPORTATION
There are cars in France, of course. But there are also a lot of buses and trains and people really use them. I hardly used buses in the US, except for commuting to and from the airport. Otherwise, I always thought to myself, “Well, I can just drive.” That mentality doesn’t appear to be as strong in France. The buses and trains are usually packed. This may be due to the high tolls on freeways—a bus from my town to the nearest big city, Dijon, costs €1.50 one way. A train costs €5. The same drive will cost nearly €10 in tolls. Public transportation simply makes more sense.
GRÈVES
Grève means to strike. You may have heard about the Gilet jaune (yellow jacket) strikes that have been happening in France. Well, strikes really do affect everything. Even the lycéens joined the strikes at one point. You may have heard that the French pastime is complaining (se plaindre) and it’s easy to see the grèves that way. However, they also serve an important purpose—they allow the French people to communicate with their government to create the changes they need and want to see.
Life in France is different but adaptable. Just need to be positive, adventurous, and curious.
À bientôt!
Shannon