While studying in Paris, I encountered many cultural differences. The main cultural difference that I encountered was the French attitude toward lifestyle and how they balance their lives. I noticed that the French tend to move at a slower pace. Overall, they have more leisure. At first, I was a bit shocked because I liked to keep things moving. Before living in Paris, I walked quickly, I ate quickly, and I focused on the future. After living in Paris for a few months, I gained a better balance on living in the moment while still working towards my future. I started to prioritize quality time more than I ever have. One thing I noticed was how the French take time to enjoy meals. Eating a meal at a restaurant can last a couple hours, while in the U.S., my time eating out does not last long. It felt refreshing to not feel pressured to leave a restaurant. Even living in the business district of Paris, people took time out of their day to spend a decent amount of time to eat lunch. If the weather was nice, there would be many people outside of their office buildings relaxing and enjoying their lunch and talking to each other. They did not seem to be on a time crunch. Seeing a lot of people relaxing in the middle of their workday was nice and opened my eyes to a different way of life. I think that this is seen as a necessary element in life to the French. If I were to spend a short amount of time in a restaurant, my waiter/waitress would be surprised if I were to be quickly in and out. When I was walking down the street, I rarely saw people in a hurry to get from one place to the next. I think that leisure time in France is seen as important, but it is so integrated into their lives that it is expected. One French person had told me that if you are invited to somebody’s house, you do not show up on time. It is expected that you come late. I think that the French cultural value towards leisure and life balance is important and expected from everyone. They seem to have a strong sense of community and a shared value of living a more relaxed lifestyle, compared to the United Stated. I think this exercise has deepened my reflection on the cultural differences. I wanted to write about many other cultural differences, but this one in particular is important to me because it aligns with my own values on spending quality time enjoying life while pursuing your goals. Digging deep into different cultural aspects has helped me gain a better global mindset. Living and studying abroad in Paris has opened my eyes to entirely new outlooks on life that I will implement into my own life. This exercise has led me to further analyze the different cultural aspects in Paris and allowed me to become more open-minded.
