I have been studying abroad in Paris for almost two weeks now. Even though I do love this city, it has been so hard to adjust to a few things. It is really scary being thrown into a completely different country by yourself, with no idea what you are doing. But the best thing to do in this situation is to keep an open mind about everything, otherwise your experience won’t be as wonderful as intended. In your first few days of staying in your new home, you will experience some culture shocks that you may not understand at all but you just have to accept in and hop on board with no hesitation. Through my experience, the biggest culture shocks I have encountered are:

There is no such thing as a quick dinner. Here dinner is like an art and it takes a lot of time to eat, especially when with friends.

When I first landed in Paris I thought I saw someone rolling a joint in the middle of the airport…turns out everyone here rolls their own cigarettes.

You eat cheese and bread after you eat dinner…not before.

When riding on public transportation, you have to look like your best friend stole you boyfriend/girlfriend or you’re doing it wrong.

No one will smile back at you if you try to smile at them.

There’s no air conditioning, so the windows are always open.

Don’t get scared when you see a man with tighter pants than you.

Never apologize for anything. Europeans have a mindset of “If I don’t know them, why should I care?”

Only cross the street when the sign says to. Cars don’t slow down, let alone stop for any pedestrian. They will just honk at you without stepping on the break

It’s normal when you get out of bed and take one step to be in the kitchen/bathroom. The apartments are tiny.

When you find a place to refill your water bottle, take advantage of it. There aren’t many in Europe and when you see one it might look like this:

Twerking is frowned upon on in Europe. However, dancing alone in a corner, however, is a absolutely accepted

I’m sure when you embark on your adventure to a new country, you will experience some, if not all, of these differences.