CULTURE SHOCK

BY TIA RAHMATALLA ART AND DESIGN BY TAELIM YOON AND KATHRYN LEE

We don’t even begin to realize the similarities and differences between our cultures and those surrounding us. Things that differ can range from social experiences to differing educational systems and much more. Here we explore the culture in France and compare it to our very own school. Experiencing different cultures can cause quite a shock.

A significant experience for Heather Wacha, West High French Teacher, was the experience of being able to more easily visit loved ones. “The year I spent in Paris, for the weekend I could just go to the train station, get on a train, and I would be in Holland or the Netherlands visiting friends. Or I could go to Belgium and visit friends or go to London in two and a half hours by train.” Experiences just like these can cause quite a shock when entering into a much different culture. Traveling between different towns was a known and easily accessible thing in France. “I’ve never ever needed a car when I was in France.” More forms of transportation are constantly available to pedestrians. “Utilizing public transportation was so easy and accessible there.” Notes Wacha. Katie Nodia 25’ went on the school French trip and experienced many amazing sights. “The architecture of the buildings in France - especially Paris - were absolutely gorgeous, nothing like you’d see here in the U.S.” Theres lots of beautiful sights to see and places to visit. “My favorite place to see was definitely Versailles. It was really cool to see where the king of France used to live and everything was so grand.” Nodia.

There are many more social experiences that are more regulated and encouraged in France than in the U.S. “But in France, when you get together with people, usually you invite them to your house for dinner. It’s like a cultural thing to be able to offer your friends that people care about like a really nice meal.” Wacha. A stronger sense of community is definitely highlighted in

France v.s. The U.S. In French school you are assigned a class and that class moves from class to class together, so you become very close with a specific group of people. “The French school students seemed much closer together.” Katie Nodia 25’.

The education system in different countries can possess drastic differences to those in the U.S. For starters, the relationship between parents and their students tends to differ education wise. According to 10 years of CouCou, parents tend to be more strict about school, and French teachers also coincide with that. Although this is true the French school system tends to possess less of a thrive for perfection among its students. “Nobody is perfect, and therefore no one gets an A.” (Madame Juhls West High French Teacher.) Passing tests is also generally easier with a passing grade being 50% rather than America’s standard 60% passing. There are other major differences in the French school system as well. “The biggest difference from French school and American school was the length of classes.” Nodia. Some days are dedicated to certain classes, and for those certain days some classes will be longer than others. For instance some days may have science for a few hours and other days other classes will be longer. And not every class happens every day. Although many things may differ with the education systems some things remain indifferent. “The teaching style was very similar to American school.” Nodia.

Fashion is a differing aspect as well. In France people are well known to take fashion more seriously. “With a worldwide reputation, French fashion has for more than three centuries been the vehicle of an exceptional image linked to luxury and artisanal creation.” (Ministere de la Culture.) As being well known for their fashion there tends to be different styles and ideas. “In general, all the females at the school instead of carrying backpacks, they carried purses.” Nodia. Their shoe style tends to differ as well. “So you do see tennis shoes, you see a lot less tennis shoes.”

Some common dishes in France favored by the French teachers include the baguette, coq au vin, ratatouille galette, quiche lorraine, escargots de bourgogne, onion soup and beef bourguignon, which is considered to be the national dish of France. (Waygo) “And of course I eat the croissants there, because they’re just amazing.” Croissants are a very commonly associated pastry with France, found all over France and enjoyed by many. Along with their food they tend to live different general lifestyles compared to the U.S. “I don’t know what it is about their food or how they’re eating or if it’s the increased activity. It’s just the lifestyle itself is so different and so healthy.”

Photocredits:JosieSchwartz

Photocredits:JosieSchwartz