When I first came to France, I wasn’t certain how much culture shock I would feel. My time in France has been amazing, exciting, and at times, a bit overwhelming. I have enjoyed immersing myself in a new culture, city, and family. Since being in France, some of the challenges I struggled with were things like later dinner times and the lack of air conditioning. During my first week living in Aix-En-Provence, I remember being so confused and frustrated as to why French people eat dinner so late at night. I felt like I had no way around waiting since I was living with a host family and was expected to eat dinner with my host mom 6 nights a week. Every night, 7:30pm would roll around and I was be sitting on my bed, stomach growling, counting the minutes down until 8pm (our usual dinner time). Yes, most nights I was so frustrated and hungry at the end of the day, but when a delicious, homemade, french feast was in front of me, it felt worth it! After my first week in France, I realized that I should have a late-afternoon snack before I came home. A small croissant at 5:30pm helped keep my hunger at bay until the late dinner times. After I began to remind myself that this is what immersing myself in french culture is about, I was happy to wait an extra hour or two before eating an exquisite meal. It made me realize how lucky I am to be able to get to eat dinner every night, let alone a homemade meal with my new french family every night! I have come to appreciate all the things that come with living here, even when I have struggled with adjusting to a new culture.
