Cultural Conflicts

Bonsoir (bohn-swahhh)

That is what you say to people after 6 pm, like good evening. I find it more fun to say than Bonjour, so I look forward to 6 o'clock coming around every day just so I can say bonsoir!

Anyway...The other day we went to La Defense, which is in the eastern part of Paris: the business district. This place was incredibly different from central Paris. All of the buildings are very modern. It felt as if I had stepped into a bubble world in the year 2100, especially after spending a couple weeks in old fashioned Paris.

I did check off a few more monuments on my list of places to go that day, including the Arc du Triomphe. (I already posted pictures from the Louvre, which is probably my favorite stop so far). My friend and I walked up the stairs of the Arc du Triomphe and hung out at the top for a while to take pictures and absorb the clean and refreshing Parisien air. Seeing the city at night was beautiful, as the Arc is located at the Charles de Gaulle Boulevard, which splits into about 12 different streets from its central point. I spotted so many monuments from atop such as the Louvre, Sacre-Cour, Pompidou Center, and of course the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful sight from any corner of the Arc. I would love to head up there again sometime soon just to read or hang out.

A few cultural thoughts: I usually adapt to cultures/surroundings quickly, especially here in Paris and I really admire their lifestyle...most of the time. There are a few things I notice here or there that I can at least tell a difference between USA and Europe. Some have benefits, some don't.

Restaurants:

The French definitely have a much more laidback lifestyle, which means the time it takes to eat dinner is at least double from the time it takes in Chicago. In a way it's nice; no one is rushing to get you out of the restaurant so they can bring in as much daily revenue as possible. On the other hand, you look at your watch and realize you've been at the restaurant for 2 hours.

Now, I've been trained in customer service for at least 48 hours total beacuse of my campus job, and in NO way do the French waiters/waitresses have good customer service. I seem to be the target person (in my whole group of friends) who gets their food, or drink, or dessert forgotten about. I remember waiting about 5-10 minutes for my food my first night in Paris, while everyone around me was chowing down on theirs in front of me. Another time the waiter completely forgot about my sorbet, finally brought it out after I reminded him about it, and while I was eating he made me pay for it mid-bite since all of my other friends had already paid for their cappuccinos. Needless to say, the Europeans never expect any tips (nor do I feel generous enough to ever leave one here), therefore that leaves them less than motivated to bring their best manners to the table.

The Metro:

The train system here is what Chicago is striving to be like. Their maps may look identical, but the effiency of the metro here is beyond me. The only bit that is confusing is how the zones work, and the cheapest way to buying tickets, but otherwise they map out with signs and diagrams at each stop. Transfers are incredibly easy, and the seats are so comfortable. You have to manually open the doors when you want to get in or out, but that wouldn't hurt anyone. It's actually really fun... The rides are so smooth you can stand up without holding onto anything and not fall over. Motion sickness is impossible too! Unfortunately you're unlucky enough to get a nice European who doesn't believe in deodorant here and there...but that's when you learn to breathe through your mouth. I have practice with that one.

Shops/Shopping:

The weekends here are worshipped by the employed, and annoying for the students (me) here visiting. I believe it's hard to find most stores open on Saturday and Sunday. Arriving in August was not the best 'example' month for life on the streets of Paris. July and August are considered their holiday. People literally have their stores closed for 2 months while they go on vacation. What a rough life, no? Once September rolls around this week, the universities start and it will be a lot more busy. I'll get to see more shops I haven't seen yet. My friends and I have been looking for bikes, so this might help our search a little bit too. In terms of shopping.....it's worse here than it is in Chicago. Shops here are so cute and you find a new one at every corner. So far my favorite stores have been Zara and Promod. (so far. it's only week 3.) When my roommate and I see a Zara, we stop whatever we're doing and run in. Today I believe she saw one before me and said "We're going in." What mavericks we are! It's fun, but can be deadly to the wallet. I'm looking forward to the fall fashions and once it gets a little colder. Fall is my favorite season in terms of fashion, in any country! I'm soo excited!

Grocery shopping:

Grocery shopping is a little hard here since I don't know what a lot of french food words are. I usually judge it by the pictures and guess at some of the ingredients. If it's in an aisle that smells like rotten fish, I just avoid it all together. Today we went to a Monoprix (kind of like our Target) which has a larger selection than the supermarkets at the corners. I was able to get a decent amount of stuff I would in America so I can finally cook! I might get ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies soon. If anyone knows the recipe to the tollhouse recipe (on the back of the c.c. bag), please send it over! I won't be able to read their french version.

Site seeing/surroundings:

SO many times my friends and I have grabbed a bottle of wine or some cheese and bread and sat in front of a large monument to hang out. Sacre-cour, the Louvre, oh my... Each time we do though we have to complain about how Chicago has such tight rules and we wouldn't even get caught dead doing this after dark there. The French don't really care what we do, and we're really enjoying this concept. I would consider moving here knowing I easily had the chance to bring a book to the Louvre or Notre Dame to read in front of it. These views are absolutely breathtaking. Even my nap in the Japanese garden was something that could only happen here. Chicago needs to rid of their security guards on segways and just let it's citizens live how we're supposed to! If anyone wants to get out of the US for a night, come by and I'll pick out some fine wine and we'll dine in front of your monument of choice! By the way, the wine here is very, very good.

I have a bunch of work due by Friday and I'm headed to Munich on Saturday to spend all of next week in Germany. I won't be bringing my computer; I know I've heard some subtle requests for more blogging, and you know I will update as often as I can, but for now just look forward to some awesome pictures!

Bon nuit for now, I'll be back before you know it!

--Becca

the arc @ La Defense

My friends in front of an awesome green wall!!

the building district of la defense

a very tall, amazingly beautiful sculpture. Who thinks my mom should do a painting based off of this?!

arc du triomphe <3