This past week, I was in Paris. I noticed very quickly that life there was very different from that of America.
1. Everyone speaks French.
This is a pretty obvious aspect of French culture. However, for someone who took Spanish all of their years of high school, understanding and trying to speak French was the biggest struggle.
2. You have to ask for your check.
Usually in the U.S., the bill is brought to you after you have finished the meal. In France, you can stay at a restaurant as long as you want. When you are ready to leave, you then ask for the check.
3. You do not tip people.
In the U.S., it is custom to tip your restaurant server, taxi driver, ice cream scooper; pretty much anyone whose job is to do a service for you. In France, it is not customary to tip people.
4. Whatever price is listed on something is the price you pay.
Normally in the U.S. the price listed is close to what you will end up paying, but not exactly. This is because we do not include tax in the price listed. In France, the price listed already includes the tax, so there are no surprises when you get to the register.
5. They do not card for alcohol consumption/purchases.
The whole time I was in Paris, I was never asked to show a form of identification when purchasing an alcoholic beverage. I found this odd because in America, they are very strict as to selling alcohol to those who are of age. I was of age when buying alcohol in Paris, but it was just strange to not have my age questioned.
6. On the subway, you have to push a button to open the door.
Usually in the U.S., (at least from my experiences on subways there), all of the doors open automatically at every stop. However in Paris (and also London), you have to push a button to get on and off of the subway.
7. Also on the subway, the paper tickets are “one use only.”
When using the paper subway tickets, people are usually able to put more money on them when they are used. However in Paris, if you use the paper subway tickets, one use is all you get from it. It is just trash after the one use.
8. No one wears shorts.
I am not sure if this was because I was in Paris during a work week, but the whole time, I was there I did not see a single Parisianer wearing shorts. The only ones wearing shorts were the tourists. This confused me because it was very warm enough to wear shorts, but no one was wearing them.
9. When using euros, there are 1 and 2 Euro coins
Being so used to American money, it was hard to getting used to a different currency system. Euros are a little more different from U.S. dollars. This is because instead of a one dollar bill they have a one Euro coin. They also have a two Euro coin which i found to be very interesting.
10. It's difficult to get specialized food.
In the U.S., it is very easy when ordering food to ask for certain parts of what is listed to be left off the plate. This is not very common in France. You get exactly whatever is listed on the menu.
11. The power outlets are different
As shown in the picture, the plugs in France (and most of the rest of Europe) are different than those in the U.S. Before I left, I had to buy an adapter in order for me to still be able to charge my devices.
12. There are not very clear lines on the road when driving.
I noticed while riding in taxis that the drivers in Paris are a little crazy. There really are not strict lines dictating where cars should stay. This causes many cars to just pass or cut off one another. I am surprised that accidents are not as frequent. Then again, the people who live there are probably used to driving there.
13. People there do not really stand in lines.
In France, I noticed that people there do not stand in organized lines like people in the U.S are accustomed to. People there just stand in clumps and push to the front.
