I’ve been back in America for some time now, and it’s been just as strange as people said it would be. Coming back to Florida, to the place I’ve lived for almost my whole life, the things I’ve taken for granted, consider normal, feels strange.
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed is just how people dress. Obviously, it’s hotter in Florida than in Paris, so people here just wear less. There’s no layering or big black coats to keep warm in the middle of Florida summer. But also, I have that parisienne sense of fashion. In Paris, even the “casual” is a simple and smart mode of dress. Here, however, I can go to Walmart and see flip flops and jean shorts, and it’s no big deal.
When I think of this, and other differences, I remeber what one of my professors last semester said. People are different everywhere, and they do different things. It’s not a matter of which way is “good” or “right”, but it’s just different. We just have to learn to change with it.
And that’s cool to think about. Wearing flip flops isn’t bad, it’s just how Florida culture has said it’s okay to do. And you know what? It’s easy! I love fashion, and I love looking smart, but if I just have to go out and grab eggs and milk, I don’t want to have to put on a whole outfit and accesorize and the like. And with that heat? Flip flops are the smart option.
I could rattle off numerous examples. The speed of service when I go out to eat in America is mind-blowing when I remember sitting and chatting in a cafe, not having seen my waiter in about an hour. I sorely miss the smells of fresh baguettes from the boulangeries that were on every corner.
I’ve coeme to expect these things, because I adapted. But now I’m back, going back to the familiar, and it feels strange. It’s such a funny feeling, to realize that small customs or details aren’t the same across the world. And I know that I’ll never see these familiar things the same ever again.