In September of 2016, I moved to France to teach English at two high schools. I had no teaching experience and my French was so-so. I lived in the city of Rennes which is about three hours west of Paris. While I was there, I noticed a few things that were different compared to life back in Louisiana. I made a list on my iPhone so I wouldn’t forget.
Grocery Store Cashiers - They sit down. They are not on their feet all day. They scan your items and then you bag your own groceries. You have to bring your own bags too, and if you forget they charge you a fee for using plastic bags.
Price Your Own Produce - You price your produce so the cashier doesn’t have to do it at the register. Say you want three apples, you put them in a bag, type the number of apples into a nearby machine, and it shoots out a lil sticker that you attach to the produce. This makes a lot of sense when it comes time to check out, as the lines move so much quicker.
Grocery Cart - You have to pay a quarter to use a grocery cart in the store. (I believe it was a quarter.) When you are finished, you return the cart and get your quarter back. This way there are no grocery carts just hanging out in the parking lot, blocking spaces and whatnot.
Shaking Hands - I would go to the gym often. When someone new showed up, they would come up to nearly everyone in the weight lifting area and shake their hands. Whether I was doing leg press or dumbbell curls, said person would come up to me to shake my hand. This one time I saw a guy come in and make his way around the room, I started my next set thinking surely he would skip me, but nope. He waited until I was done and shook my hand.
Dinner - At a typical French dinner: bread, cheese, and salad are eaten after the entrée. Not before. So it goes appetizer, entrée, cheese/bread/salad, dessert. Nearly every Saturday while I lived in France, I had dinner at a teacher’s house who I worked with at the high school. There were always guests and great French conversations.
Dog Business - Typical scenario: A lady is out walking her dog. The dog uses the bathroom on the sidewalk. The lady leaves it right there on the sidewalk. I saw so much “merde de chien” on the sidewalks. You have to be careful when walking there.
Dressing Room - Guys always have their girlfriends with them at the clothing store. They both go into the dressing room so she can see what he looks like. This makes sense too because your girlfriend or wife has to look at you so you probably want her opinion. I can never see this happening with some of the guys I know.
School Day - Schools have a half-day on Wednesday. The other four days the school day starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. I’m not sure if those hours are for all students though.
Smoking Students - When I would arrive at the school, the students would be standing outside in a designated area smoking cigarettes. So much smoking.
Transportation - I didn’t have a car so I relied on public transportation. I used the metro and the bus system. It was fantastic. The metro made traveling around the city super quick. It was clean, safe, and not expensive. The bus system was excellent too. The bus would always arrive and leave on time. A lot of the high school students would go to the back of the bus. I enjoyed sitting in the first row on the bus so I could look out the window.
Pounds - I lost ten pounds while living in France. I believe this had to do with how much I would walk each day. I’d walk to the grocery, metro, school, gym, etc… My diet changed drastically too. I didn’t cook rice and gravy or eat boudin or fast food. I did eat a lot of cheese, baguettes, and drink a lot of wine though. I ate so much cheese while I was there that I got constipated and had to go to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine. I couldn’t help it though because there were so many delicious cheeses.
Wine - The wine prices were so affordable. I am talking bottles of Bordeaux/Côtes du Rhône/Burgundy for under $10. Many were under $5. The wine selection at the grocery store was huge. I would try a new bottle of Bordeaux nearly every night. I don’t think I bought a bottle that cost over $10. My favorite wine by far is Bordeaux. When my parents came to visit in the spring, we traveled south to the city of Bordeaux and went on a winery tour. We visited three Bordeaux vineyards. I bought a bottle of wine at one of the vineyards and saved it for the night when I proposed to my wife.
I know there were other differences, but those are a few I remember.
