It is crazy to think we are already half way through the semester, as just last week I recognized that I finally felt 100% adjusted to Aix. Moving here, I definitely confronted several cultural differences that took time to get used to. Being in south France, it was extremely hot during the month of September. Most places do not have air conditioning, so I definitely struggled with that at first. Especially when you are walking several minutes to get to a destination without air conditioning, I quickly obtained a hand-held fan to use during this time. But this went on for a short period time and I think it is a small price t pay to living in France.
A second cultural confrontation that has been extremely frustrating at times is the language barrier as I am in beginners French. Although I am learning and practicing French, it is difficult at times when I am in stores or just around in the city in general, as the language barrier makes it difficult for me to communicate. But my host family has taught me phrases as well as I am in French class for six hours a week, so I am learning and trying the put into practice what I am learning in the classroom. That being said, the men in France are quite forward, and as it has been stated to me several times before, no does not mean no in France. When you make eye contact with a man, it is a cultural point that they believe you need something from them, so eye contact is avoided here. At times, it has been hard to communicate to men in public and get the point across that I do not want anything from them and simply want to be let alone. This is why it is especially important to NEVER walk by myself at night. In the South of France, the accent is also different so sometimes the pronunciations of words get my jumbled up, however I feel like I am really starting to get the hang of communicating with the people of Aix. I think it shows that not only am I embracing their culture, but being respectful by assimilating to the French people by doing it “their way.”