{"id":15134,"date":"2015-01-12T08:56:46","date_gmt":"2015-01-12T13:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forum-nexus.com\/?p=15134"},"modified":"2015-01-16T09:11:52","modified_gmt":"2015-01-16T14:11:52","slug":"french-culture-101-study-abroader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/french-culture-101-study-abroader\/","title":{"rendered":"French Culture 101 for the Study Abroader"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knowing the main cultural customs before going to France will help you fit in with the French and enrich your study abroad experience. Cultural preparation is one of the most important steps for studying abroad. You will transition better and faster into your new French life when you know about the cultural differences and customs. Let\u2019s take a look at 6 main French cultural aspects you need to know:<\/p>\n

French culture is formal, not cold. <\/b>French culture has a reputation for being cold. In reality, it\u2019s just formal. For example, interacting with strangers is a no-no in France. It\u2019s considered rude to bother a stranger on the street. The belief is that you would be bothering that person for your own benefit. This is an example of it\u2019s not cold, it\u2019s formal. \u00a0If you get lost, use a Metro station map or go into a store to ask for help. Even though interaction between strangers is something to avoid, common courtesy is still a must. Customs like holding the door for the person behind you is appreciated and expected. One American courtesy custom that doesn\u2019t work in France is acknowledging a stranger\u2019s sneeze; just don\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n

Greetings are essential. <\/b>Whenever you go into a store, restaurant, market or public place, greetings are necessary. If it\u2019s daytime say Bonjour, <\/i>if it\u2019s nighttime say Bonsoir. <\/i>After your purchase\/meal is complete, don\u2019t forget to say merci<\/i> (thank you). Entering a store and not saying anything is impolite in France. Meeting up with some French friends? Don\u2019t go in for a hug! What is given instead is les bises<\/i> or the planting of a kiss on either side of the cheek. This is a standard greeting for all ages. It\u2019s usually between two women, a man to woman, or a man to man if they are close friends or family.<\/p>\n

Dine, not eat. <\/b>The French are famous for their culinary skills so it\u2019s no surprise that dining is a big deal. Enjoying a meal is a huge part of French culture. Grabbing lunch on the go will deny you a quintessential part of French culture. So sit down and enjoy!<\/p>\n

Turn down the volume. <\/b>The French are not loud speakers. Americans by nature are a boisterous, loud people. This is a trait that will make you stick out and be a target to panhandlers or people who try to take advantage of tourists. For your time in France, turn down your speaking volume to avoid attracting unwanted attention or make someone think you are yelling at them. You\u2019ll also need to lessen your use of hand gestures. It\u2019s just not very French.<\/p>\n

Look the part. <\/b>French people are fashionable, but simple dressers. They tend to shy away from really bold prints, bright colors, and strong fashion trends. You will need to tweak your wardrobe to France\u2019s fashion standards to fit in during your study abroad. When it comes to beauty, the French are also simple chic. Most French women do not wear make-up or color their hair a dramatic color. If you have a trendy fashion \/ beauty style, you\u2019ll need to tone it down for your study abroad.<\/p>\n

Knowing a little French goes a long way. <\/b>The average French person doesn\u2019t speak English.\u00a0 People working in touristy areas will know more English than the average person but not at a fluent level. Speaking a little French will be appreciated by the people you speak to and will go a long way in your interactions in France. Don\u2019t be surprised if someone responds to you in English! They may just be trying to help or want to practice their English. The most important thing to know is that French is a language with formalities. Using the wrong \u201cyou\u201d form could offend someone. If they are older than you\/ your professor, or you do not know them- use \u201cvous\u201d. If they are a child or your classmate- use \u201ctu\u201d.<\/p>\n

Cultural immersion is the very backbone of a study abroad. Knowing key facts about the culture before going abroad will help you to ease into the new culture must faster and easier.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bonne chance!<\/p>\n

-Andrea<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author bio:<\/p>\n

Andrea Bouchaud
\nFounder of Twenty in Paris- The Ultimate Paris Study Abroad Resource
\n<\/span>twentyinparis.net<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having studied abroad in Paris for a year, Andrea Bouchaud understands that living in the City of Light isn\u2019t always easy. Her hands on experience with French culture and language immersion as an American student inspired her to write 2 books- Twenty in Paris: A Young American Perspective of Studying Abroad in Paris<\/i> (2013) and The Paris Diaries: The Study Abroad Experience Uncensored<\/i> (2014) both on Amazon\u2019s Kindle Store. Connect with Andrea at twentyinparis.net<\/p>\n

\"Andrea<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knowing the main cultural customs before going to France will help you fit in with the French and enrich your study abroad experience. Cultural preparation is one of the most important steps for studying abroad. You will transition better and faster into your new French life when you know about the cultural differences and customs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":15136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177,169,3,170],"tags":[105,181,107,41,108,215],"class_list":["post-15134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explore-european-cultures","category-explore-the-world","category-study-abroad","category-travel-tips-2","tag-culture","tag-featured","tag-forum-nexus","tag-france","tag-study-abroad-2","tag-twenty-in-paris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15137,"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15134\/revisions\/15137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forum-nexus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}